Activity Cards

Join us for a docent-led mountain bike ride through the Irvine Open Space Preserve. This moderate-paced mountain bike loop begins at the Bommer Canyon Trailhead. We will head out through the Bommer Meadow and move along the Shady Canyon Bikeway to Quail Hill. The route then traverses the Quail Trail, Serrano and Hogback Ridges, and ends with a descent along the Ridge Route. On days when the ride begins at Quail Hill, the ride will begin on the Quail Trail and end on the Shady Canyon bikeway.

Views of the picturesque hills of the City of Irvine Open Space abound throughout. Riders will move along a combination of bikeway, ranch roads and an intermediate level single track trail with several steep climbs and descents. Over 2100 feet of accumulated climbing elevation is experienced on this route.

Come join us in the park for our Labor Day weekend.
2 Ranger Reserves to assist staff. The park will be full all weekend and we
need your help. You will be assisting the Rangers with medical aide, traffic control, and patrol our beautiful park via bike,foot and vehicle.

Black Star Canyon is well-known for many historical stories from both ranching days and the Gabrieleno or Tongva people who were its first residents. Visitors to Black Star and adjacent Baker Canyon are awed by soaring red rock cliffs, sweeping vistas of Irvine Lake and the Pacific Coast, as well as diverse sage scrub and chaparral habitats with many rare species of plants and animals.
Until the late 1800s the area was even home to many California grizzly bears. Black Star Canyon was previously known as Canon de los Indios (Canyon of the Indians) in Mexican times. Many tales are passed down about local residents including an infamous armed conflict in 1831 between trappers led by William Wolfskill and Native Americans that left many dead. As a result of this conflict, some people consider the area to be haunted even to this day.