Whiting Ranch Reopens Last Closed Trails

Fire, storms, mudslides—Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park has seen it all.

But on Monday, park officials announced that Mother Nature's latest assault has been rectified enough to reopen the final 1.5 miles of previously closed trails.

Winter and nearly half-buried the Portola Parkway entrance gate to the park. Since then, park staffers have slowly but surely cleared trails and reopened the park to the public.

In late January, . By April, the Borrego Trail and Portola Parkway entrance were back in business.

On Monday, park officials completed the trail-clearing process and reopened Mustard Road, west of Cattle Pond, and Vista Lookout Road, both in the far northwest portion of the park.

Now, all of Whiting Ranch is fair game—the marked trails, that is. Park visitors can help the land recover from the fire and recent storms by staying on marked routes and obeying park regulations, authorities said.

Hikers should also note that some of the trail conditions have changed, and proceed cautiously, according to park officials.

About 50 volunteers assisted with the restoration effort at a series of trail work events and sessions over the last eight months through the park's Adopt-a-Park program, park spokeswoman Marisa O'Neil said. Additional help came from the Orange County Conservation Corps and the California Conservation Corps.

The effects of December's heavy storms were exacerbated because the approximately 4,300 acres that comprise Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park were still recovering from the 2007 Santiago Fire—which burned 90 percent of the park and shut it down for nine months. So the winter rains caused land and mud slides and erosion, cutting into existing trails.

Whiting Ranch is open 7 a.m. to sunset, year-round. Find a map of authorized trails in Whiting Ranch to the right of this story.

Limestone Canyon is available for guided access only.