The Bicycle Club of Irvine

[BCI]

The Irvine Company and it's "Irvine Ranch Land Reserve" has promoted a 22 mile trail to get from mountains of Weir Canyon to the Sea. See the www.irvineranchlandreserve.org site ( http://www.irvineranchlandreserve.org/mountains_map.asp ) for more info and a map pdf.

The "Mountains to the Sea Trail" runs from Irvine Park (it includes Weir Canyon trails only if you are part of a docent led group) for hikers & ATBs; Road Bikes are able to stay on the asphalt trail to the back bay, all the way from Peters Canyon Regional Park, or from up into the summits of Cowan Heights.

If you skip the dirt trail potions and begin at the paved path at the lower Peters Canyon flood basin, you can almost coast the entire route downhill if you have narrow hard road tires & make all the side-path cross streets with green lights. The HARVARD SIDE-PATH stretch is level with a head wind so you will have to pedal there, but then you continue following the water shed down to sea level & if the breeze is not to stiff, wil be able to coast much of the way.

Several major BikeWays are a part of the route; JAMBOREE SIDE-PATH (Orange), UPPER PETERS CANYON BIKEWAY (Tustin/Irvine), WALNUT BIKEWAY (Irvine), HARVARD SIDE-PATH (Irvine), & SAN DIEGO CREEK & LOWER PETERS CANYON BIKEWAYS(Irvine), JAMBOREE SIDE-PATH (Newport), EASTBLUFF SIDE-PATH (Newport), Back Bay Drive & DUNES BIKEWAY (Newport), make up the paved portion road bikes can enjoy.

The bikeways have had large green logo's painted randomly (only on the downstream route), and some nice looking small trail signs along the way.

Describing the route:
Starting in Irvine Park there is the JAMBOREE SIDE-PATH between Irvine Park & Peters Canyon Regional Park which runs along the South Bound side of Jamboree. It actually starts at the corner of Jamboree & Santiago - so you will be on street or dirt trail to climb out of the park if you actually start in Irvine Regional Park. It follows Jamboree & ends at the corner of Jamboree at the Peters Canyon Regional Park. Sturdy bikes can continue the Trail on the dirt sections through to the South end of Peters Canyon. Dirt trails run through Peters Canyon Regional Park; to the South end where the paved PETERS CANYON BIKEWAY begins. Great dirt riding, but narrow tired road bikes may need to get over Jamboree & down Pioneer on-street to connect the remaining paved portions of off-street Bike Paths...

Road bikes leave the Trail to skip Peters Canyon Park & take the Jamboree Bike Lane to climb over the Jamboree Summit, then turn right on Pioneer & drop all the way to Peters Canyon Road; Turn right & take it to the end, where you will find the start of the paved PETERS CANYON BIKEWAY SIDE-PATH. If you stay on Pioneer you can pick up the PETERS CANYON SIDE-PATH further downhill at Tustin Ranch Road...

At the South end of Peters Canyon Park, The paved PETERS CANYON SIDE-PATH extends up from the Southbound side of Peters Canyon Road to the Northbound side of Lower Lake Drive, which is the extension of Lemon Heights Road if you go straight up hill. At the summit you will get to Skyline Drive, Turn Right where the asphalt side-path comes down the Northbound side of Skyline from Huntsman. The Asphalt trail continues up the North Bound Side of Huntsman where it begins out of no-where; but there is a spectacular view of the entire Irvine Valley and Las Lomas to the East. You might want to try out this spur without walking at least a part of it - Lemon Heights gets very steep! On the way back down, watch your speed as you drop down Lemon Heights.

The "...To The Sea Trail" goes the other way (downhill) on the PETERS CANYON SIDE-PATH along Peters Canyon Road. Many road bikes will park on the end of Peters Canyon Road to start the ride here & will roll all the way to the Sea & return. Others park at the Back Bay Drive near tyhe Dunes & ride the uphill to this point & return back down to their start. The path runs along Peters Canyon Road, behind the Peters Canyon Elementary School and Tustin's Cedar Grove Park to Pioneer.
It follows Pioneer to Tustin Ranch Road as a side path.
It turns West & runs down the North side (SouthWest Bound Side) of Tustin Ranch Road to Portola.
Cross walk across Tustin Ranch Road.
It runs down the South side (East Bound Side) of Portola.
It continues down the West side of Jamboree (South Bound side), and goes under Jamboree at Valencia Park & on down the East side (North Bound Side) of Jamboree.
It leaves Jamboree, turning East behind the historical Irvine Ranch Headquarters, loops around Market St & drops South along the West side of the toll road. It goes under Irvine Blvd, and continues along the toll road to Bryan.
At Bryan it crosses the toll road on a widened side-path East bound on the West Bound side. It loops under itself on the channel, joining with the end of the HICKS CANYON BIKEWAY coming downstream from the North.
It runs along the channel, under Bryan, El Camino, the 5 Freeway, Harvard & Walnut along Harvard Athletic Park to the current end of the PETERS CANYON BIKEWAY where it jogs East on the COMO CHANNEL BIKEWAY/Mtnce ROAD.
The COMO CHANNEL BIKEWAY pops you out onto Harvard. The Route says to take the Harvard on-street bike lane to Irvine Center Drive & cross there to pick up the HARVARD SIDE-PATH, but if you carefully cross Harvard and the tracks you can start at the Northern most end of the HARVARD SIDE-PATH to maximize the off-street experience.
At Barranca, the Route sends you across Barranca, then across Harvard to the SAN DIEGO CREEK BIKEWAY but you can easily jog East and take the SAN DIEGO CREEK BIKEWAY under Harvard to avoid one cross walk. The SAN DIEGO CREEK BIKEWAY, turns into the LOWER PETERS CANYON BIKEWAY at the bridge and runs into the back bay all the way from Barber Park at Harvard & Barranca following the channel. At the Upper Newport Bay you go South on the JAMBOREE SIDE-PATH to the EASTBLUFF SIDE-PATH, up hill to turn Right down Back Bay Drive along the shore of Upper Newport Bay.
It continues on the Irvine Land Trust Maps along the Back Bay Drive and behind the Newport Dunes Resort on the DUNES BIKEWAY to Bayside to get across PCH & over to Balboa Island. Unless you really want to deal with PCH & the island, then take the ferry across to really get to the "Sea" - most are satisfied to get to the Dunes & consider the salt water & sea level of the Newport Bay close enough...

[BCI]

Press Release Source: The Irvine Company

Donald Bren Unveils Long-Range Vision for Expanded Public Access,
Wildlands Protection on 50,000-Acre Irvine Ranch Land Reserve
Thursday May 26, 12:30 pm ET

- Non-profit Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust created to fulfill vision for land as world-class natural and recreational resource
- Additional $20 million donated to expedite expanded public access and enhanced conservation resource management; brings to $50 million amount Bren Foundation has donated to enhance Reserve
- First of three Mountains-to-Sea Trails is complete, stretching from Anaheim Hills to Back Bay of Newport Beach; two more are planned
- U.S. Secretary of the Interior recognizes the joint stewardship efforts of landowners on the permanently protected parks and open spaces on the IRLR

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Irvine Ranch Land Reserve, May 26 /PRNewswire/

-- Vowing to create a "new standard" for conservation stewardship and outdoor recreation, Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren today unveiled an ambitious vision to enhance the protection, management and expansion of public access to the 50,000-acre Irvine Ranch Land Reserve on the historic Irvine Ranch.
Speaking in Irvine Regional Park to 200 invited environmentalists, city, county, state and federal officials, Reserve landowners, and outdoor and environmental advocates, Bren announced creation of the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust. He said the Bren Foundation would make a $20 million gift to the Trust to support enhanced conservation and recreation on the Reserve. The non-profit organization will encourage far-reaching and cooperative efforts among more than 30 public entities involved with the Reserve.

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton praised the Reserve as "a model of public-private partnership that will conserve our natural heritage for both people and wildlife."

"I want the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve to set a new standard for conservation stewardship and public access that will be understood and appreciated not just in Orange County, but throughout the United States," Bren told the assembled guests. "To achieve that, we must assure that the globally important natural resources of the Reserve will be managed and cared for in perpetuity, and that the Reserve also will provide a stunning array of outdoor opportunities to experience Southern California as it was many years ago."

Bren said he imagines "a world-renowned park, restored and managed to a standard that inspires other conservation areas and land managers -- and a place where people can enjoy nature and open space close to their homes, and where visitors from around the world come to experience the best of Southern California."

The IRLR Trust's goal is to mobilize people and organizations with a special interest in the Reserve; continue a common approach to stewardship; agree to a more ambitious vision for what the Reserve might become, and to focus new financial resources and energy toward restoring, managing and providing access.

Bren also used the historic event to:

* Say the $20 million gift will be used to accelerate public access to more areas of the Reserve, including opening nearly 30 new trails during the next three to five years. The new funds also will be used to maintain and restore the Reserve's many important habitats. The Bren Foundation gift brings to $50 million the amount Bren has donated to fund long-range recreation and conservation activities on the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve. "My hope is that the other organizations with an interest in parts of the Reserve will join us in a permanent and unwavering commitment to ensure that the land protected in the Reserve is managed, improved and enjoyed in perpetuity, regardless of ownership," Bren said.

* Introduce Michael O'Connell as executive director of the IRLR Trust. Before joining the Trust, O'Connell held a number of key positions with The Nature Conservancy in California, including managing director of the South Coast Ecoregion and senior advisor for Science and Policy.

* Invite the public to celebrate completion of a significant hiking, jogging, walking and bicycling trail that now stretches more than 22 miles from one end of The Irvine Ranch to the other. The product of years of cooperative planning and implementation across multiple jurisdictions, the "Mountains to Sea Trail" connects the rugged Anaheim Hills above Irvine Regional Park with the Back Bay of Newport Beach. It passes through the sphere of Anaheim, and the cities of Orange, Tustin, Irvine and Newport Beach. Bren said the new donation announced today will help fund his "highest priority and personal passion": The creation of two more mountains-to-sea trails "that allow people to hike, bike or ride from the mountains to the ocean unimpeded as they experience the magnitude, magnificence and diversity of the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve."

* Accept on behalf of the Reserve's landowners/stewardship partners, a 2004 Award of Excellence from the Joint Venture Partners in Stewardship Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Interior to encourage public/private cooperation to improve parks and wildlands.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton presented the award. The Nature Conservancy's California Program, which manages The Irvine Company's wilderness land on the Reserve, also received an Award of Excellence from Secretary Norton. "Through its far-sighted conservation ethic and public-mindedness, The Irvine Company has given the people of Orange County and California a treasure for all generations to enjoy," Norton said in presenting the awards. "I commend the company, The Nature Conservancy and the many other partners involved in the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve for creating a model of public-private partnership that will conserve our natural heritage for both people and wildlife."

"This award validates the significance of the diverse land protected on the IRLR, and the remarkable cooperation between our company and government, community and environmental organizations whose collective efforts created and sustain the Reserve," Bren said in response. "The Irvine Ranch Land Reserve is gaining national recognition as a spectacular natural and recreational resource unmatched in its variety. This award suggests to me that we are well on the way to creating a national treasure here for all to enjoy."

The Reserve stretches from the mountains to the sea in central Orange County and covers more than 145 square miles. It captures and protects the historic beauty and natural diversity of Southern California. It contains parks, beaches, permanently protected open space, habitats and wildlands set aside over the years for the enjoyment of citizens of Orange County, Southern California and the world. The Reserve includes renowned areas such as Limestone Canyon, Crystal Cove State Park, Fremont Canyon, Round Canyon and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

Today's announcements build on Bren's donation in November 2001 of an additional 11,000 acres of pristine wildlands -- most of it in the North Ranch in the spheres of the cities of Anaheim and Orange -- for permanent protection. That donation increased the amount of protected lands in the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve to more than 50,000 acres -- more than half of the historic 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch.

At the time of the 2001 land gift, the Bren Foundation committed $30 million to fund both accelerated public access and the long-term maintenance and restoration of the Reserve's sensitive habitats. Since then, 40 miles of new trails have opened on the Reserve, bringing to more than 200 the miles of trails on the reserve. Meanwhile, more than 1,500 hikes and other outings sponsored by The Nature Conservancy have been enjoyed by in excess of 50,000 people of all ages.

Mark Burget, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in California, praised today's announcements, calling them "a milestone in public-private collaborative efforts" to expand both the protection and public enjoyment of some of Southern California's most significant natural resources.

"From a biological perspective, the Reserve is extraordinarily diverse, with numerous species of wildlife and some of the richest stands of native grasslands, oak woodlands and coastal sage scrub left in Southern California," Burget said. "The Nature Conservancy is looking forward to working closely with the new Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust to manage and protect this valuable natural treasure while giving millions of residents the opportunity to experience the great outdoors." O'Connell said the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust will fulfill Bren's vision of the Reserve as a world-class natural and recreational asset by forging strong partnerships with landowners, managers and other Reserve stakeholders.

"Partnerships will form the very heart of the Trust, guiding virtually everything we do," he said. "While the Trust is just beginning to evolve, we are committed to an important principle: We will work with everyone who wants to accomplish this long-term vision for the Reserve. Working together, we will help transform the Reserve into an internationally acclaimed treasure of conservation management and recreation, so it will one day enjoy the level of reverence bestowed on our national parks."

O'Connell said the many tasks of the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust will include:

* Accelerating public access to many new areas of the Reserve, with a focus on outings and access that do not require guides;

* Funding in perpetuity the management, maintenance and improvement of the natural resources on the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve;

* Mobilizing people and organizations with a special interest in the Reserve to help build upon the unified approach to stewardship that The Nature Conservancy and public agencies have developed over the past decade;

* Creating and carrying out an ambitious long-term vision for the Reserve and focusing new financial resources and energy to restoring, managing and providing access to what Bren called "this spectacular place."