Situated near the UCI campus and Irvine business district, hundreds of acres of protected land serve as a natural reserve dedicated to habitat enhancement. Many native animal species inhabit the area, while the lake and lush shade trees provide visitors with a refreshing change of pace.

Irvine Ranch Historic Park is the headquarters of OC Parks. James Irvine I originally established the ranch in the 1860s and his son James Irvine II inherited the ranch in 1892. This ranch was a leading producer of beans, barley, sugar beets and oranges. In 1910, the Los Angeles Times declared Irvine Ranch to be “one of the greatest cultivated farms in the world.” In addition to the Irvine family, the ranch housed numerous ranch employees and their families. The ranch contains a variety of outbuildings in addition to the new Katie Wheeler Branch Library, a faithful reproduction of the original Irvine family ranch home.