Revamped Upper Buck Gully Trails Open

A large crowd of residents and city officials gathered Wednesday to take a stroll on opening day of the Upper Buck Gully Trails.

The entrance of the reconstructed trails sits near the intersection of 5th and Poppy streets. Once inside hikers, walkers or cyclists can continue onto the Bobcat Trail which is 2.27 miles or the Bridge Trail for 1.05 miles. At the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony, City Manager Dave Kiff said the renovations to the trails were required in order to provide better access for residents and preservation for the natural habitats. Mayor Nancy Gardner said she is proud of the efforts made by the city, state and Irvine Ranch Conservancy which led to the improvements of the Buck Gully Reserve.

"The three miles of trails is a big thing to me because of it's accessiblilty," Gardner said. "I'm looking forward to a walk today and great walks in the future."

In April four bridges were installed by a helicopter to provide access to the renovated trails and other improvements in the 300-acre gully were done by Conservancy crews including creating a more sustainable trail loop, trimming poison oak, repairing erosion damage, building ramps to the bridges and constructing benches along the trails.

Informational kiosks are still in the works and will be installed at each trailhead. The Upper Buck Gully Trails are open from dawn to dusk. To protect wildlife routines and to prevent snake bites, no dogs are allowed on the trails.