Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

C and Java fans take note!
C and Java fans take note!
Gorgeous paddle session surrounded by nature with our NIXY Inflatable SUPs
This is an exquisite plant whose name I was able to find on Google this morning, but promptly lost the link.  Those in the know (@throwingsofas) might nudge me in the right direction.

The blossoms are silvery-white, with very thin petals, as you can see from an example in the upper left.  The rest of the plant is literally covered in little iridescent beads [Google iridescent bead flowers and prepare yourself for the biggest crafts' fair on the internet].

There are pods which contain both ruby beads and colorless beads,  But the rest of the plant is encrusted with the colorless variety.  I have to believe this is some form of water collection system for the plant, though I can only guess at this point.

They are unimaginably beautiful to see strewn along the path like a trail of polished gems.  As we are likely to say anytime we take a picture -- the photo doesn't do them justice.
Leave it to the OC to build a combination automobile/bicycle/pedestrian path, each with its own lane, along a three mile stretch of the upper portion of the Newport Bay.

But that is exactly what they did.

The trail is all asphalt, with a few very small offshoots into dirt "nature" trails.  The place is beautiful, really, but I have to put a fly in the ointment here and divulge one of the OC's dirty little secrets.  Somehow or another, a heavy portion of refuse has washed back into the bay and now litters various spots along the trail.  It does not overwhelm the area (as you see here), but it definitely gives one pause to reflect.

That aside, the refuge is home to all manner of wildlife -- Ospreys, Snowy Egrets, Herons, Terns, Seagulls, Ravens, crabs, lizards, frogs, wildflowers of an incredible variety, and all the insects they attract.

There really is no elevation gain to speak of, nothing but the 6-mile round trip to give it even a hint of hiking bona fides.  But it is a very pleasant way to drop down from a 16-mile noggin' poacher like the long route at Crystal Cove.

We added a second "hike" at another relatively flat nature preserve to round out the day. 

But more on that later.


導覽和一日遊

查看所有 33 項活動

自訂和私人之旅

查看所有 14 項活動

課程和工作坊活動

查看所有 5 項活動

熱門景點


熱門Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve飯店優惠

科斯塔梅薩 - 紐波特比奇艾爾斯飯店

科斯塔梅薩 - 紐波特比奇艾爾斯飯店

4 out of 5
325 Bristol Street Costa Mesa CA
科斯塔梅薩 - 紐波特比奇艾爾斯飯店
紐波特海灘萬麗飯店

紐波特海灘萬麗飯店

4 out of 5
4500 Macarthur Blvd Newport Beach CA
紐波特海灘萬麗飯店
紐波特海灘西凱悅酒店

紐波特海灘西凱悅酒店

4 out of 5
4545 Macarthur Blvd Newport Beach CA
紐波特海灘西凱悅酒店
紐波特海灘彭德里飯店

紐波特海灘彭德里飯店

4.5 out of 5
690 Newport Center Dr Newport Beach CA
紐波特海灘彭德里飯店
歐文 - 橘郡機場希爾頓歡朋飯店

歐文 - 橘郡機場希爾頓歡朋飯店

4 out of 5
18800 Macarthur Blvd Irvine CA
歐文 - 橘郡機場希爾頓歡朋飯店
奧蘭治縣機場中庭飯店

奧蘭治縣機場中庭飯店

3 out of 5
18700 Macarthur Blvd Irvine CA
奧蘭治縣機場中庭飯店
最低每晚價格是根據過去 24 小時以 2 位成人住宿 1 晚為條件所搜尋到的價格。價格和供應情況可能會有所變動。可能另外有其他條件限制。