Touring *

From Interstate 5 in Laguna Hills, exit on Alicia Parkway heading south. Turn right onto Paseo de Valencia and turn left one block up onto Laguna Hills Road. Turn left again at Indian Hill Lane and climb the hill. You will see the sign for Sheep Hills Park on the right once you reach the top of the hill. Park at the curb next to the steep sidewalk that descends into the park. Map: Orange County Bikeway Map, available free by calling the County of Orange, EMA/Transportation Planning office at (714) 834-3111.

The southernmost leg of the Aliso Creek Trail is wild and untamed along much of its route through Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park. More likely than not, you will spot a cottontail rabbit or two by the time you have completed the round-trip. With acres and acres of open space, Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park is sure to impress nature lovers who come in the full bloom of spring. By the time August rolls around, the dry grasses of the low hills that line both sides of the canyon have taken on the color of distressed gold. Dense brush grows close to the trail, a standard eight-foot-wide asphalt path with a dividing line. Starting from Sheep Hills Park, down the canyon you roll, communing with nature tucked into a cleft below the urban development on the surrounding hills. When you reach the bridge that crosses over the creek to the left, stop and take a look at the pretty little scene as the water dances over the rocks below before whirling away to disappear underneath a patch of bamboo. Do not cross--unless you'd like to explore the well-kept grounds and sidewalks of the apartment complex just beyond the row of eucalyptus trees. As you continue due south past a school, terraces climbing the ridge above sport block after block of tan houses topped with red tiled roofs. After the trail passes under an expressway, watch out for an asphalt detour around a washed-out section of what would have been a great 12-foot-wide concrete path, which may or may not have been repaired since this trip was researched. On the right side of the trail, a little park makes a nice spot to take a break, either now or on your way back. Around a bend three miles south of Sheep Hills Park, a pair of schools is nestled in the long, narrow canyon. The now-landscaped path curves around the edge of the schools, close to Aliso Creek, which is filled with large stones and waist-high brush. Along the trail, poppies add a welcome dash of bright orange. Beyond the end of the school yards, the final underpass (decorated with a mural that depicts, among other things, a pair of in-line skates) signals the start of some rough pavement that continues another quarter of a mile. The official end of this trail is at the entrance to Wood Canyon near the intersection of Aliso Creek and Awma Roads. Unofficially, it is possible to skate another mile or two into the most beautiful part of Wood Canyon, where Aliso Creek flows quietly through the lovely riparian scenery at the foot of the Sheep Hills. Although there is a smooth, wide road behind the closed entrance gate, only water district vehicles (including fast-moving water trucks) are allowed to use it. The approved public access is on a dirt trail that runs alongside. However, please note that trespassers who cannot resist the paved road are rarely bothered.