Outdoor Calendar

CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK

Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 N. Coast Hwy, has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. $15 day-use parking fee.

The park is open 6 a.m. to sunset daily. Due to the recent rainstorms, the backcountry is closed until further notice. The beaches and tidepools are open to the public. For more information, call (949) 497-7647 or e-mail wbonnin@parks.ca.gov.

Backcountry Hike: 9 a.m. Saturday. Enjoy a guided winter 3- to 5-mile backcountry hike. Meet at the El Moro Visitor Center (from Coast Highway, turn inland at stoplight for School-State Park). $15 day-use parking fee

Tidepool Walk: 11 a.m. Saturday. Join a Crystal Cove State Park volunteer on a guided tidepool walk to Pelican Point when the tide will fall to 0.1. A volunteer will help identify animals. Meet at Pelican Point parking lot No. 2, at the top of the boardwalk near the parking lot (from Coast Highway, turn coastward at Newport Coast stoplight, right at the kiosk and left into the first lot.) $15 day-use parking fee.

LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road; reservations and information, (949) 923-2235; https://www.ocparks.com.

Rangers staff the park daily. Open 7 a.m. to sunset daily, including holidays. Parking lot hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn more about volunteering or helping Laguna Canyon Foundation to preserve, protect and enhance the South Coast Wilderness, visit https://www.lagunacanyon.org or call (949) 497-8324.

California Native Plant and Wildflower Hike: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Enjoy our coastal canyons while exploring the biodiversity of Laurel and Willow Canyons on this 3.5-mile hike over steep and uneven terrain (700-ft. elevation gain) through an oak canopy with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area (20101 Laguna Canyon Road, just south of El Toro Road intersection). Reservations required, call (949) 923-2235. Parking is $3. Donation: $2 per person.

Cultural Resource Hike: 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Learn how Native Americans used various plants on this rigorous, steep and uneven 2-mile hike (400-foot elevation gain) with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists. For ages 15 and older. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Little Sycamore Canyon Staging Area/Nix Nature Center (west side of Laguna Canyon Road/SR-133, approximately 3.5 miles south of I-5/405). Reservations required, call (949) 923-2235. Parking is $3. Donation: $2 per person.

Birding Hike: 8 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Spot local native and winter migratory birds with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists on this 3.5 mile hike over uneven terrain (700-ft. elevation gain) through one of the most diverse plant communities in the United States. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area (20101 Laguna Canyon Road, just south of El Toro Rd intersection). Reservations required, call (949) 923-2235. Parking is $3. Donation: $2.