Irvine Regional Park

Best place for a nature lover like myself! If you have kids, you will love this place! They have a mini zoo, pony rides and train rides that your kids will love!!!
The entire afternoon cost us less than $ 10 and we had so much fun! Please take your kids here

The train is fantastic, though it can be crowded on the weekends and holidays.
Today was an especially great trip so I’m leaving this review. Engineer Jack is a gem! The last train leaves at 4 pm and we barely made it in time today. I’m so glad we did because I would have had a disappointed toddler on my hands and (primarily) because Engineer Jack was the sweetest, kindest engineer. He made the ride so fun for my daughter. He pointed out peacocks and drove more slowly so she could see the tepees and ducks. It was such above-​and-​beyond kindness, and it really made the ride wonderful. My daughter is normally extremely shy, but after we got off the train she proceeded to follow him — at a distance haha– with a little smile on her face.
We already love this beautiful park (it makes you feel like you aren’t in Irvine, it’s so beautiful!), but this really sealed the deal for me. Thank you Engineer Jack! I’ll be buying annual parking passes and train ticket booklets for years to come!

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, we bring our adult students to these 160 acres to eat a picnic lunch (lots of shady spots!), rent four-​seater bikes or bumper boats, and do a little hiking, either dodging strollers down the shady paths or dodging dog poo up the sunny dirt foothills. In the fall, there is a kids’ pumpkin patch, tiny hay maze, and unmanned haunted house and since the Orange County Zoo is only $ 2 (free for zoo members) some of us usually go inside to see the mountain lion siblings and silly goats, though the noisy peacocks outside are free.

I always enjoy this hike when I come here. We start in parking lot 13 and hit puma and re-​connect with horseshoe and in total it’s about a 4.5 miles hike. It has a couple steep parts but overall it’s an easy trail.

Demand a receipt. They overworked moneytakers at the gate claim the only way to get a refund if you leave 5 minutes after arriving. It’s a lie. They only give you a map and mixed up dollar bills for change. Nice way to encourage people to come back.
Hmmm…just drive into Yorba Regional, and their receipts are almost as big as the dollar bills. The receipt has terminal #, amount paid, date/​time.
Makes me wonder if somebody is pocketing the cash at Irvine.

There is something for everyone to do here, it’s like an outdoor lover’s Disneyland. There are train rides, pony rides, bike rentals (including 4 person ones), paddle boat rentals. There’s even a ZOO in this park!
HUGE park with a lot to explore, my primary reason for going was my dog Zulu and I’s love for hiking .The park was so big we did not have time to explore all the trails, but we went on Horeshoe Loop trail and the views are gorgeous. On one side you can’t even see the park below you, it’s very shady (lots of trees) and makes you feel like you’re hiking out far away in the city. Another part of the trail is very dry and deserty, and lastly another section is very foresty. So much variation on one trail!
Even better, nearby is Santiago Oaks regional park, Peters Canyon, and El Modena open space. Makes me really wish I lived in the city of Orange, so I could go to these places all the time!
I like this place so much I think I’ll be getting an annual OC Parks pass!

A great place to visit for a few hours or the entire day because there are so many things to explore.
The train area has: Train rides, pony rides, games, seasonal events, etc.
The zoo area has: A large selection of animals in a small spot, but just big enough to keep the little ones entertained.
The park has: Several play areas, bike paths, bike rentals, boat rentals near small lake areas, peacocks, picnic areas, etc.
This place is real fun to explore with the entire family! A great place for Halloween pumpkin patch time and Christmas events.
Highly recommended!

As part of a fieldtrip for a course at Santa Ana College, I have to take my students here on a short hike to explore the plants and trees and teach them about biomes. This park is really well maintained and has a lot to offer. Besides hiking, there is a stream of water that runs through the park, and a lot of people like to have events around here. There are plenty of places for picnics.
The trails themselves aren’t terribly long or difficult (at least, not the ones I’ve used). My favorite part is looking for the peacock that seems to pop up every once in a while.
As for parking, there are a few small lots. Personally, I like parking next to the horses and ponies, on the rock surface. Although it’s probably not the best for my tires, this is one of the bigger lots (and the smaller lots are tiny and are mostly one-​way, which makes it hard to get out sometimes).
Entry is $ 5, which I don’t mind paying, so long as the money goes towards preservation!

This place is amazing went here with my family for the very first time they loved it so did I. It takes you to another place a place of peace and the beauty of the nature here is beautiful. Pretty cool how you get to walk by and see the horses.

Hey very nice park to come to with the family and enjoy for the day… But gets an F for the way they do their traffic control into the park!!!

Went for the pumpkin patch and train. Really cute. Their pumpkins are a little overpriced. Small $ 4 super large $ 75. But I’m from the Heartland so I’m used to less expensive ones. Nice selection. The Patch was cute. I adore the train. My daughter could ride it all day. There’s peacocks around the site, so that’s fun. Each activity is a ticket $ 5 each a book of 15 is $ 60. Sign up for newsletter and you get coupons. Pretty dn pricy. Especially if you beak down the cost of each activity. But it’s really cute and my daughter had a blast. That’s all that counts. Overall, I give our time a 5. 4 for how expensive it all is.

What a great park! We just held our family reunion here. They have a lake with pedal boat rentals, bike rentals, horses, mini horses, a train ride, gorgeous areas of green grass to lay on, play on and covered picnic areas where you can bbq. They have a little walk up window to get sodas and snacks, bathrooms, running water and big trees. Now choosing August for this is probably not going to happen again because it’s inland and hot! 100 degrees didn’t allow us to want to go explore or pedal bikes around, go horse back riding or enjoy all the park had to offer but it is a gorgeous place with so many wonderful family options. I guess the OC Zoo is right there too.

This park is not only a great place for kids, but for all ages as well.
The scenery is a nice break from the surrounding city life. There were even a couple of groups partaking in photoshoots at the various, aesthetically pleasing locations around the park.
The attractions include bike rentals, water bikes, horse riding, a train, and even a zoo. They also have a big food stand but it’s rather pricey and the lady at the register was not friendly.

I got «stuck» trying to get out of a tiny «parking lot» in my SUV. The lot near the lake/​pond. There’s only one way in and out, and there’s only enough space for ONE car at a time. Why even bother? I tried to back out but I’m sure I would’ve hit the wooden logs on the ground. I had to do a narrow U-​turn to turn around and exit and try to find parking in another lot. Parking here is a big challenge especially on the weekends when everyone and their mother come out and have huge family picnics. There’s too much activity here. I only go here to seek wildlife but with the amount of activity and commotion here, wouldn’t be a surprise if the birds and ducks get stressed out and scared.
Parking admission is $ 5 with NO in and out privileges. The roads are tight all around. Not really a place for you to go and relax. I only came here yesterday to find a certain bird to photograph and that’s pretty much all the reason I can find.

This is a very comprehensive park with numerous amenities and activities. I used to come here a lot back in the 90s but haven’t been here in a while. It really hasn’t changed much since then so I had no problem navigating the place on my most recent visit.
There are more activities than I can mention but some of my favorites have been the zoo, hiking trails, and train ride. There are numerous picnic areas, horse/​pony rides, paddleboat and bike rental, and several other activities. There’s also a playground for little ones as well as for bigger kids. They are in separate areas so be sure to look for both. The one for big kids is near the entrance area and the one for little kids is by the paddleboat rental area.
Parking is $ 5 but there are other activities that require a fee so be sure to bring some extra cash.
This is a great park, but as a result, it does get very crowded on weekends.

Have you ever read a description that takes you right there, where you can taste the air, envelop yourself in the surroundings, and actually *feel* like you are in that exact spot?
I am not that writer. I wish I was. Maybe then that would make me a writer, now wouldn’t it?
But if I could, I would tell you all about this place so you may escape there too. It’s pretty awesome. A very large park that has endless activities ~ picnics, train rides, paddle-​boats, riding on surreys, birdwatching and hiking. We were fortunate enough to be here on a weekday, and it was basically empty. I found this place by typing in Google *What to do in Orange*. Out of the top 10, four of those options were here.
We just started wandering about, and found ourselves on a little birdwatching expedition. We noticed about 10 peacocks right in front of the zoo, and then headed towards the pond to see wood ducks, coots, ring-​necked ducks, mallards, and even a lone mandarin duck with his striking plumage amongst the others. You cant miss him, he’s a very orange duck with splashes of white, green, black and taupe — and almost looks like he has a *hair-​do* of sorts, with his back plumage flipped up in the air as if it was set with a curling iron.
Looking around the oak trees there are tons of acorn woodpeckers, and upon closer inspection we found a night heron perched high up in the oak.
Overall it’s a fantastic park — and can’t wait to come back!

This has become my new favorite hangout now that I have kids!
Before kids, my husband and I would come here at sunset and watch the green parrots. They show up here around dusk everyday and they are fascinating to watch and take pics of!
Then there are the peacocks! There are probably about 20 of them. I learned from the train conductor that they are wild! They are also beautiful!!!
It’s $ 2 or $ 3 to park on weekdays and $ 5 on weekends. This park is huge!!! I love feeding the ducks, looking at the horses, and sitting in the grass and letting the babies roll around on a blanket. Dogs are welcome too!

This park is only about 160 acres but has a lake, hiking trails, outdoor sports, and even a zoo. We first made a stop at the zoo since I absolutely love animals. The entrance fee was $ 2.00 per person and well worth the money.
After our awesome zoo experience we decided to get some ice cream and sit by the lake while planning which hiking path we would try. We ended up deciding on the Puma Ridge Trail which is considered difficult because of the incline, but I didn’t think it was bad. The trail was beautiful and included views of the entire park and even of the city in the distance. We hiked about 4 miles before we decided to sit and enjoy the sunset over the mountains. The entire day ended up costing less that $ 15 including parking ($ 3.00), the zoo entrance ($ 4.00), and ice cream.

When we went walking here we saw peacocks — so pretty!
Huge park is great for families.
The park located kitty corner from Santiago Canyon College (SCC) and you can’t miss it.
If you’re coming from Irvine then you drive straight into the park. If you’re coming from Orange then it is a left hand turn.