The Silverado Fire ignited Monday, Oct. 26 and burned more than 12,000 acres in Irvine, Lake Forest and Silverado, including portions of Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve in the Irvine Ranch Open Space. We will provide operational updates for the affected parks on this page as available.
November 23, 2020
Whiting Ranch Open with Restrictions
Portions of Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park will reopen on Monday, Nov. 23 after being closed by the Silverado Fire. The partial reopening will allow access to portions of the park that were not affected by the fires. In order to safely reopen, it is imperative that everyone respects the closures that remain in effect.
In order to rehabilitate and stabilize the area, sections of the park damaged during the recent Silverado Fire and trails within the burn area will remain closed. This is due to damage caused by the fire and fire suppression operations. Assessment and recovery operations are underway, but a number of hazards remain at this time, including unstable trees, falling rocks, erosion control equipment and the probability of mudslides and debris flows during rain events from the steep slopes now void of vegetation. Closed trails include
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Borrego Trail
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Mustard Road
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Cattle Pond Loop Trail
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Red Rock Canyon Trail
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Billy Goat Trail
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Vista Lookout Road and Vista Lookout
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Water Tank Road between Tessera Avenue and Dreaded Hill Trail.
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The Borrego Parking Lot remains closed. Parking is available at the Glenn Ranch Road staging area located at: 27923 Glenn Ranch Road, Lake Forest, Calif.
We ask for your cooperation during the burned area rehabilitation process by not trespassing into closed areas for your safety and to allow the area to recover. Trespassers are subject to citation. If trespassing in the closed area is an issue, the closure of the park in its entirety may be necessary.
November 10, 2020
Portions of Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park suffered significant damage during the recent Silverado Fire. This is due to damage caused by the fire and fire suppression operations.
Damage assessment and recovery operations are underway, but a number of hazards remain at this time, including unstable trees, falling rocks, erosion control equipment and the probability of mudslides and debris flows during rain events from the steep slopes now void of vegetation.
Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve also remains closed.
We ask for your cooperation during this process and ask that you do not trespass into closed areas for your safety and to allow the area to recover.
We will post updates on this page as available.
November 5, 2020
- Irvine Regional Park has reopened.
- The OC Zoo remains closed and will reopen regular hours Friday, Nov. 11.
- Irvine Ranch Historic Park and the Katie Wheeler Library remain closed until further notice due to wind damage.
- Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve in the Irvine Ranch Open Space remain closed until further notice.
November 3, 2020
Irvine Regional Park and OC Zoo
Both remain closed due to a fire camp. We anticipate they will open later this week.
Irvine Ranch Historic Park
The park and the Katie Wheeler Library remain closed until further notice due to wind damage.
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Irvine Ranch Open Space
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve in the Irvine Ranch Open Space remain closed until further notice.
Fire crews continue to fight hot spots and perform mop-up. Both parks are closed until further notice, and it will be some time before we can make any assessments. Long-term closures in some areas may be necessary for fire recovery, especially going into the winter rainy season.
Please observe all closures and stay away from burn areas for your own safety and the recovery of the park. We will provide updates as we have information available.
