Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park covers 4,500 acres of the San Joaquin Hills immediately west of Laguna Niguel, with over 30 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use. The park is a significant piece of preserved coastal California chaparral — rare in Orange County, where most of the land has been developed. The canyons run down to the coast near Laguna Beach and the terrain is varied enough to provide routes of different difficulty.
The main entry points are on Alicia Parkway and at the Nature Center off Aliso Creek Road. The Aliso Canyon trail is an easy wide path suitable for families; the Wood Canyon and Mathis Canyon trails involve more elevation and give a better sense of the backcountry character. Mountain lions have been recorded in the park, though encounters are extremely rare. The park is particularly good for birding in spring and the wildflowers in February and March can be spectacular after wet winters.