Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

137***66

5/5

Outstanding

We visited the preserve on a Tuesday afternoon hoping to walk some of the miles of trail around the bay and parked in the free lot on University just east of Irvine. This lot had parking for people with disabilities, and there was a short, level nature trail to overlook the bay. From there we followed a hard-packed dirt trail a short distance to the visitor center. That trail was somewhat steep, and after arriving we learned that we could have driven the car closer to a small lot adjacent to the visitor center. The building has good educational exhibits about the ecosystem, including some small aquariums. The docent working at the desk was friendly and helpful; he gave us a map and recommended the best areas to visit using a wheelchair. We ended up walking the paved Bayview multi-use trail east from the visitor center to the intersection of Bayview Way and Jamboree Road, about 2.5 miles round-trip.