Take it from the “Park Lady”: The Quail Hill Nature Preserve is a splendid choice for celebrating Earth Day this month.
“It’ll be a great spot to get outdoors, with easy access for grandparents to go with toddlers,” says Michele Whiteaker, who has published an online guide to Orange County parks for the past 18 years. A determined advocate of outdoor recreation over digital devices, she began when her two children were young and has kept it up ever since.
Quail Hill, known for its distinctive rock formation that crowns the adjacent 600 acres of permanent open space, sits right where master-planned suburban Irvine bumps into the southern portion of the Irvine Open Space Preserve, a mosaic of native habitats that includes rare coastal sage scrub, chaparral, native grasslands, oak woodlands and riparian wetland. Quail Hill Loop, dedicated in 2006 and now celebrating its 20th year, is an easy 1.8-mile dirt path through a wildlife sanctuary, affording panoramic views of spring wildflowers and the nearby hills. Hikers might spot mule deer and can appreciate the plant life that makes the landscape resilient year-round.
“You can enjoy Quail Hill whether you have five minutes or 40. On a clear day when the mountains have snow on them, the views are terrific.”
Michele Whiteaker
“You can enjoy Quail Hill whether you have five minutes or 40,” Whiteaker says. “On a clear day when the mountains have snow on them, the views are terrific, and there’s a lot of bird action – with hawks and meadowlarks and turkey vultures.”
April is ‘Earth Month’ at Quail Hill
The city of Irvine has repeatedly used the Quail Hill Community Center as a hub for Earth Day activities. The center’s playground, with its popular climbing wall, helps get kids revved up about the nearby open space, with the trailhead just across the street. This year’s event will take place April 18.
Other Irvine events for what the city is calling “Earth Month” will include a used oil filter exchange on April 11 at the O’Reilly Auto Center and an induction cooking workshop and demonstration on April 23 at Irvine Fine Arts Center. For more information on these and other events, go to cityofirvine.org.
Earth Day event
When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18
Where: Quail Hill Community Center
What: Demonstrations on composting and the benefits of solar energy
Hikes: Irvine Ranch Conservancy guides will lead hikes. In-person registration is required at the IRC booth, and space is limited.
More information: cityofirvine.org
