Laguna Coast Wilderness Park - Enjoying Nature at Its Best

In Southern California where the weather is pretty pleasant all year round, most people who want to enjoy the outdoors will flock to neighboring beaches or mountain resorts. Do you enjoy nature and are looking for something simple and pristine without having to go too far out of your way? Laguna Coast Wilderness Coast combines the beauty of the Pacific with the rustic feel of wildlife, while still bordering the popular Orange County towns of Laguna Beach and Irvine.

This park is an excellent park for hiking. With over 40 miles of trails and gorgeous views of rugged terrain, one can easily spend an entire day here. The trails are identified by level of ease and difficulty. Most trails fall within the elementary and moderate range with trails being easily accessible and only containing a few up hills and down hills. Good walking shoes and bottles of water are highly recommended, especially in warmer weather. Although the park is relatively close to the beach and coastal areas, it is still considered to be somewhat more inland and the temperature can get to be ten degrees higher than the coastal areas. I have found to bring a small, lightweight backpack to carry your water in is very beneficial especially if you try to attempt the more difficult trails where the paths are not as stable or smooth.

Wildlife such as bobcats, deer, hawks, and a variety of shrubbery and vegetation flourish in this park. Do beware of snakes as they are present in the area. Old Native American hideouts and ruins can still be seen from the hiking trails and it is amazing to think of how the people survived and lived in unity with nature.

The park is home to the newly opened Nix Nature Center, a building of innovative design and full of information about the surrounding areas. There is an entrance fee of $3.00 for the day. The park is opened longer during the summer season, but the Nix nature center does close half an hour prior to the park's closing times.

You can access the park from the Pacific Coast Highway 1 or from the 405 Freeways. It's is right alongside Highway 133 which intersects both the 405 freeways and the Pacific Coast Highway. If you are heading southbound on Highway 133, the park will be on your right hand side right before you start entering the city of Laguna Beach.

Source: http://www.ocparks.com/lagunacoast/