Parking Places

Looking for an Orange County park that fits your needs? There’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a day hike or a weekend away from home.

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS

Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; (714) 494-3539. Eighteen miles of trails and 3 1/2 miles of coastline. Hours: 6 a.m. to sunset. Parking $6

Chino Hills State Park, off Carbon Canyon Road near Valencia Avenue, Brea; (909) 780-6222. Enter on the Orange County side by parking at Carbon Canyon Regional Park and walking down a path. Has 60 miles of trails. Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset. Parking at Carbon Canyon Regional Park, $5.

COUNTY OF ORANGE REGIONAL PARKS

Hours (unless otherwise noted): 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Costs: Parking $2 (weekdays), $4 (weekends), $5 (holidays).

Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park, Aliso Creek Road and Alicia Parkway, Laguna Niguel; (949) 831-2790. Contains 3,879 acres. Parking $2

Carbon Canyon Regional Park, 4442 Carbon Canyon Road, Brea; (714) 996-5252. A 124-acre recreational park and a 1.1-mile dirt nature trail.

Centennial Regional Park, 3000 W. Edinger Avenue at Fairview Street, Santa Ana. Owned jointly by city of Santa Ana and Orange County. Features 10-acre lake for fishing, soccer and softball fields and picnic shelters; (714) 571-4200.

Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park, 33401 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano; (949) 728-0235. Contains 7,600 acres of wilderness. Exit from Interstate 5 at state Route 74, go 7 1/2 miles inland, turn left into park.

Ted Craig Regional Park, 3300 North State College Blvd., Fullerton; (714) 990-0271.

Irvine Regional Park, 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange; (714) 633-8074. This 477-acre recreational park has a zoo ($1 per person), picnic tables and barbecues, playgrounds, bicycle rentals ($10 per hour), pony rides ($2.50 per child), miniature train rides ($2 per person) and two lakes with paddle-boat rentals ($7 per half hour).

Laguna Niguel Regional Park, 28241 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel; (949) 831-2791. 236 acres interspersed with eucalyptus and sycamore trees.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach; (949) 854-7108 for reservations. All access to the park’s 3,200 acres is by reservation and permits only. There is a 3 1/2-mile guided hike Saturday mornings ($2 per person).

Mile Square Regional Park, 16801 Euclid St., Fountain Valley; (714) 962-5549. Three softball fields, three baseball fields, two lakes for fishing, an archery range, three soccer fields, four playgrounds, and a large hobby area for model planes, cars and rockets. This facility also offers land sailing.

O’Neill Regional Park, 30892 Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Canyon; (949) 858-9365. Contains 3,100 acres. Camping areas available.

Peters Canyon Regional Park, Canyon View Avenue near Jamboree Road, Orange; (714) 538-4400. 354 acres of coastal sage scrub, freshwater marsh and grasslands. Eight miles of trails for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians.

Ralph B. Clark Regional Park, 8800 Rosecrans Ave., Buena Park; (714) 670-8045. This 105-acre park is the site of two fossil beds, one of which is accessible. There is also a fossil museum, a 3 1/2-acre fishing lake, picnic areas, tennis courts, softball fields and volleyball courts.

Santiago Oaks Regional Park, 2145 North Windes Drive, Orange; (714) 538-4400. The park has a nature center and a historic dam built in 1879. Trails for hikers and equestrians. Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset.

Talbert Nature Preserve, corner of Victoria Street and Placentia Avenue, Costa Mesa; (949) 509-6684. Natural wetlands, alluvial woodlands, grasslands and sand dunes. Short nature walks are available with reservation. There is also an open picnic area and a bike and equestrian trail. Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset.

Upper Newport Bay Regional Park, Corner of University Drive and Irvine Avenue, Newport Beach; (714) 640-1751. Adjacent to the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, which permits fishing. Canoeing, kayaking and walking tours are also available.

General Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park, 30952 Oso Parkway, Coto de Caza; (949) 459-1687. Five miles of trails for hikers, equestrian and bikers.

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, Portola Parkway near Bake Parkway, Trabuco Canyon; (949) 589-4729. 1,700 acres of canyons, woodlands and rock formations.

William R. Mason Regional Park, 18712 University Drive, Irvine; (949) 854-2491. 300-acre park includes picnic areas with barbecues, in-line skating trails, a volleyball court, large playground, and a nine-acre, non-swimming lake.

Yorba Regional Park, 7600 East La Palma Ave., Anaheim; (714) 970-1460. A 175-acre park with picnic areas, four fishing lakes, softball fields, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and playgrounds.

SPECIAL PLACE FOR HIKING

The Nature Conservancy, Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach; (714) 832-7478. An open-space reserve on land owned by the Irvine Co. There are free 8-mile hikes on Saturdays, reservations required.

SPECIAL PLACES FOR CAMPING

Ronald Caspers Wilderness Park: 42 recreational vehicle and tent campsites, 10 overflow sites, 30 equestrian sites, two group sites. Per night fees: $12 per vehicle, $4 for one extra vehicle, $3 per horse. No reservations for individual sites, group sites by reservation only. (949) 728-3420.

O’Neill Regional Park, 90 campsites along Trabuco Creek; 31 group sites accommodating 15 to 300 people. No reservations for individual sites, group sites by reservation only (except holiday weekends). Per night fees: $12 per vehicle, $4 for one extra vehicle, $3 per horse, $2 per dog. Youth groups $5 per vehicle, $2 per passenger. (949) 858-9365.

CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST

Blue Jay Campground: 50 campsites. $7 per night, $2 for one extra vehicle. No reservations. Located five miles north of Ortega (74) Highway on North Main Divide Road.

Falcon Group Campground: three large sites by reservation only, (800) 280-2267. $17.35 for reservations. Sage, $35, up to 30 people; Lupine, $45, up to 40 people; and Yarrow, $80, up to 70 people. Located 27 miles east of I-5 on Ortega (74) Highway, then five miles northwest of Ortega Highway on North Main Divide Road.

Upper San Juan Campground: 18 campsites. $7 per night. No reservations. Located adjacent to Ortega (74) Highway 21 miles east of San Juan Capistrano and nine miles west of Lake Elsinore.

El Cariso Campgrounds: North, 24 campsites. $7 per night, and South, 19 campsites. $7 per night. No reservations. Located adjacent to Ortega (74) Highway, 25 miles east of San Juan Capistrano and five miles west of Lake Elsinore.

STATE BEACHES

Reservations, (800) 444-7275. Information, (949) 492-0802. In-season rates in effect from March 1 to Nov. 30.

Doheny State Beach: 120 campsites, including 31 beachfront sites; RV and tent camping, no hookups. In-season $17, $22 for beachfront sites; Fridays and Saturdays, $18 and $23. Off-season $14, $19 for beachfront. Entrance at 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive in Dana Point, just west of Pacific Coast (1) Highway. (949) 496-6172.

San Clemente State Beach: 85 family campsites, plus 72 sites with full hookups. In-season $17, $23 for hookup sites; Friday and Saturdays, $18 and $24. Off-season $14, $20 for hookups. Entrance on Avenida Calafia. Southbound, exit I-5 at Avenida Calafia. Northbound, exit at Cristianitos Road and head west; turn right on Avenida del Presidente and left on Avenida Calafia. (949) 492-3156.

San Onofre State Beach/Bluffs Campground: 221 campsites; no hookups. In-season $17; Fridays and Saturdays $18. Off-season $14. Take I-5 to Basilone Road exit and head south. (949) 492-4872.

San Onofre State Beach/San Mateo Campground: 160 campsites, including 70 with partial hookups; RV and tent camping. In-season tent camping $17, $23 for partial hookup sites. Fridays and Saturdays, $18 and $24. Off-season $14, $20 for partial hookups. Take I-5 to the Cristianitos Road, exit and head northeast to 830 Cristianitos Road. (949) 361-2531.