This reserve is a 300-plus-acre home to many species of plants, birds,
animals and fish. It's a vibrant place year round.
Distance: 1.5+ miles Difficulty: Easy to moderate workout When to go: Year-round Location: Huntington Beach Phone: (714) 846-1114 Dogs: Not allowed Directions: South on Goldenwest Street to Pacific Coast Highway; turn
right (north) to Warner Avenue.
Trail Information
Remarks: You might call it an "international airport" (which some
people are fighting to restore) for the many birds that drop by on their way
north or south along the Pacific Rim. They arrive from as far away as Canada
and South America. Likewise, the water is like a "micro forest" that
features thousands of living things that many people simply do not know
exist. These shallow stretches of tidewater are brimming with life moving
through the cordgrass, sea lavender, pickleweed and other saltwater marsh
plants. Sea slugs, horn snails, crabs, stingrays and hundreds of silvery
fish make this their home.
On to the Gun Turrets
A good place to start your hike is at the Interpretive Center located off
Warner Avenue just inland from Pacific Coast Highway. The dirt trail is just
past the channel bridge on Warner Avenue that allows the tides to move in
and out with the waters of Huntington Harbor and Anaheim Bay. These waters
undergo a full tidal cycle in the area known as "Outer Bolsa Bay,"
stretching about 3/4 of a mile to the tide gate near the bluff. The State
and volunteers are presently undertaking a vigorous planting project to
return the area to its native plant habitat, slowly overcoming exotic
species introduced over the years.
After hiking about 20 minutes, we reached the old gun turrets left in place
after WW II. On the mesa, a few hundred yards inland, palms that encircle
the location of the once famous Bolsa Chica Gun Club are visible. Near this
mesa is the convergence of the Wintersberg (Flood Control) Channel, which
provides fresh water for another part of this ecosystem.
Jellyfish, Anchovies and More
For a close look at the southernmost part of the reserve, we came back on
the first Saturday of the month for free docent-led tour by trained
volunteers. It begins at 9 AM at the parking lot off of PCH across from the
Bolsa Chica State Beach entrance. From a footbridge, we watched tall,
elegant Great Egrets, a Great Blue Heron and California Least Terns foraging
for food, while gulls and others did their acrobatic maneuvers in the sky
above. Looking into the water, we saw jellyfish gently moving about, schools
of anchovies, and many other fish. We continued walking for nearly an hour
on a loop trail that brought us back to the parking lot.
Throughout the reserve, trails wander across the top of the levees
separating hundreds of ponds and warm water marshes. The dunking,
"robot-like" oil extractors pumping in the distance are a brief reminder of
the tremendous oil operations that flourished from the 1920s through the
'70s, connected by roads on top of these levees. Today, the largest wetlands
restoration on the West Coast is about to get underway and may one day cover
the entire 1,105 acres.
Finally, we couldn't resist checking out the views from the future site of
the Harriett Wieder Regional Park along Seapoint Avenue. The planned trails
will afford a high overlook as far as the eye could see and a great place to
exercise and escape your daily stress.
This website is sponsored by Cox Communications,
Orange County. Cox
Communications does not however endorse the above events or links. To ensure
proper delivery
of the OCnow Newsletter to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add
OCnow@updates.cox.com to your address book.
Rest
assured, your privacy and satisfaction are
our top concerns.
Review our
privacy policy and
visitor agreement. Copyright 2009 OCnow.com.
All rights reserved.
If
you’re looking for mountain biking trails...
it’s all right here where you live
and play.
