OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Note: Wildfire season is here. Be extra careful with fire in parks and wilderness areas. Sunscreen, sturdy shoes and water are wilderness essentials, along with any medications you require. Wilderness areas may be closed during periods of extreme fire danger.

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Crystal Cove State Park, 8471 N. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, has 3.5 miles of beach and 2,000 acres of undeveloped woodland. $10 day-use parking fee.

The park is open 6 a.m. to sunset daily. Docent-led backcountry hikes are scheduled for 9 a.m. most Saturdays and Sundays. Hikes are three to five miles, and last about two hours.

Note: Hikes meet at one of these locations:

?El Moro Visitor Center, “” from Coast Highway, turn inland at the School/State Park light and follow park signs.

?Los Trancos “” from Coast Highway, turn inland at Los Trancos. Meet near the trailer.

?Pelican Point Lot No. 2 “” From Coast Highway, turn coastward at Newport Coast.

For more information, call (949) 497-7647 or e-mail wbonnin@parks.ca.gov.

?Giant Kelp and the Coastal Ecosystem exhibit, 8 a.m. to sunset at the Historic District exhibit cottage. Free admission. Exhibit is sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific and will be on display through Labor Day.

?Mostly Plants Hike, 8 a.m. Saturday. Meet at Los Trancos lot.

?Historic District Walk, 10 a.m. Saturday. Take a walk through the renovated 12-acre Historic District at Crystal Cove State Park. Learn about the colorful past of the Cove and some of the long-time residents and hear about the different uses for each of the cottages including, overnight accommodations.

Meet at Los Trancos parking lot at the trailer (PCH turn inland at stoplight “Los Trancos”). $10 day-use fee.

Contact Winter Bonnin at (949) 497-7647 or wbonnin@parks.ca.gov for more information about programs.

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

Rangers staff the park daily. Open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset, including holidays. Parking lot hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

Willow Canyon on Laguna Canyon Road, just south of the El Toro Road intersection. Open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers on specified trails; open 7 a.m. to sunset, but parking lot is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $3.

Dilley Preserve on Laguna Canyon Road, just north of the 73 Toll Road: Open daily 7 a.m. to sunset. Parking $3; lot open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Laguna Heights, the trail head for West Ridge trail and routes into Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, at Top of the World on Alta Laguna Boulevard, is open daily, 7 a.m. to sunset.

?August Plants and Animals, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday. Wander Mary’s Trail seeking out plants and animals from spiders to birds with Orange County Resource Specialist Laura Cohen. Design your own plant or animal after you finish. For ages 5 and older.

Reservations are required; call (949) 923-2235 for info. Program: $3 per person. Parking is $3.

?Native Plant Hike, 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Join Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists Nadine Nordstrom (author of “South Coast Wilderness Plant Identification Guide”) and Sarah Jayne (president of the California Native Plant Society) as they share their expertise on this moderate, but steep and rocky, 3.5-mile-hike.

Reservations required, call (949) 923-2235. Parking: $3.

?Fitness Hike, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 14. Raise your heart rate and your spirits on this strenuous, fast-paced, 3.5-mile hike with Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer naturalists Helen Flanagan and Gigi Logan. Reservations required, call (949) 923-2235. Parking: $3.