Coastal Canyons of Yesteryear

Less than an hour’s drive south of Los Angeles, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a perfect way to get away from the congestion and bustle of the big city.

 

The 7,000-acre Orange County park sits within some of the last remaining Southern California coastal canyons, giving visitors a sense of what this area looked like thousands of years ago. Archaeologists have found evidence of villages that old within the park, and some rocks are 65 million years old, a time when dinosaurs roamed. 

 

About 40 million years after the Dinosaur Age, this land in the San Joaquin Hills was covered by saltwater and sea life. Fossil scallops found within the park are evidence of that era. Vertebrae and jaws of whales and giant shark teeth dating back 10 million years have also been discovered.

 

Rocky bluffs rise above the park’s 40 miles of trails which meander above earthquake faults and lead past endangered sage scrub and sycamore, oak and willow trees. The ground is hard from magma that once oozed from beneath the surface but now is eroding. Park and trail maps will help you navigate the park and decide which trails—including about a dozen loop trails—to walk or mountain bike on. Bike and mountain bikes can be rented at Laguna Beach Cyclery, which also serves espresso to get you quickly on your way. 

 

Some Laguna Coast Wilderness Park trails are steep and should only be attempted by experienced walkers and hikers. It’s wise to park at the Nix Nature Center and let personnel there guide you to the trails with the best ocean or canyon views that meet your ability. Guided tours by park staff or volunteer naturalists are also available.

 

If you are lucky, you will catch a glimpse of two endangered species—the California gnatcatcher and the orange-throated whiptail. The gnatcatcher is a blue-gray songbird that measures only 4 1/2 inches; the whiptail is a two- to three-inch striped lizard with an orange throat. Other wildlife in the park include horned lizards, coyotes, bobcats, weasels, deer, red-tailed hawks, coastal cactus wrens and snakes.

 

After exploring the park, which has only been open since 1993, a refreshing swim at a nearby beach may be in order. Main Beach in downtown Laguna Beach has a boardwalk area, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts and picnic tables. There are also tide pools—fragile marine ecosystems protected by law.

 

Aliso Beach Park has large sandy beaches popular with bathers, paddle boarders, skim boarders and surfers. In July, the county park hosts the Skimboarding World Championship. 

 

Ocean kayak tours—perfect for exploring the area’s unique coastline and viewing sea lions—can be booked from La Vida Laguna. The outfit also offers outdoor adventures and team-building events. They include a “shipwrecked” event in which teams on a deserted island must work together to cross a "lava" river, build shelter, cook food with solar ovens and distill drinking water from the ocean.

 

If cooking food on a deserted island isn’t your cup of tea, choose between Laguna Beach’s many restaurants.  

 

Some of the area’s finest and most expensive dishes are served at the Studio at the Montage Laguna Beach resort. Chef Craig Strong’s modern French dishes “with California influences” and the restaurant’s panoramic ocean views have dazzled many diners.  

 

Nick’s Laguna Beach serves prime rib and albacore tuna sandwiches and more substantial fare, including pan-seared Scottish salmon and center-cut filet mignon. 

 

Three meals are served at the Watermarc Restaurant. The breakfast menu includes such offerings as lemon waffle with mascarpone whipped cream and blueberry gastrique. Dinner entrees include day-boat scallops with sweet pea risotto and smoked pork chop with grilled yams.

 

For a simple, tasty quick lunch, Sergio’s Empanadas opened its doors in September 2015. Sergio, who once baked empanadas in a 100-square-foot Long Beach shack before they became a hit at farmer’s markets throughout the region, slays his devotees with empanadas filled with prosciutto and mozzarella or mushrooms, shallots and mozzarella.  

 

Recommended lodging choices include Montage Laguna Beach, which sits on a coastal bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and offers 248 guest rooms, a 20,000-square-foot spa and three restaurants. It hosts weddings and meetings, offering more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space and 22,000 additional square feet of outdoor function areas.

 

Surf & Sand Resort, which says it resembles “a sun-washed Mediterranean village,” has 167 beachfront hotel rooms. It offers 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and an equal square footage of outdoor space.

 

You may want to book your visit to Laguna Beach on days when one of its many festivals is scheduled. The Pageant of the Masters—one of the world’s most unique festivals—presents 90 minutes of “living pictures.” People pose to look exactly like their counterparts in classical and contemporary works of art.

 

The Festival of Arts—an annual event for more than 80 years—showcases the works of about 140 Orange County artists. The arts show presents paintings, photography, glassware, ceramics, sculptures, jewelry and handcrafted furniture. 

 

Other festivals to consider include the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival, Art-A-Fair, the Laguna Art Museum’s Art & Nature festival, the Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational, the Laguna Beach Music Festival and the Laguna Dance Festival.