Jeffrey Open Space Trail is evolving from a scenic area through the villages north of the 5 freeway into a seamless linear park stretching across the city. Once completed, the trail will allow residents to traverse the city from north to south, connecting to thousands of acres of open space on a route largely free of traffic.
The completion of Jeffrey Open Space Trail is true to the vision of Irvine’s Master Plan, offering connections between the city and 57,500 acres of preserved open space dedicated by Irvine Company. To the north, it provides entry into 20,000 acres of protected foothills, including Limestone, Fremont and Black Star canyons. To the south, it will merge with existing and proposed trails that connect to the 20,000-acre South Coast Wilderness, including Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, the coastal Crystal Cove State Park and Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve.
Central to this transformation is a 1,200-foot pedestrian bridge over the 5 freeway and Walnut Avenue, opening later this year. To the south, the proposed nature park at Oak Creek Golf Club will fill the missing middle by converting a privately owned golf course into more than 50 acres of trails, gardens and meadows. True to the community-first design model used for the original trail, intensive resident feedback directly inspired the planned nature park’s meandering creeks and native woodlands. The project includes new pedestrian bridges over Irvine Center Drive and the railroad tracks, as well as improvements to Walnut Trail.
