
On a hot summer day, heading to the coast is a popular way to cool down. However, you don't have to fight beach crowds to benefit from the cooler temperatures if you head over to Buck Gully Reserve in Newport Beach. There you'll find shady trails along the bottom of a small canyon that many don't even know exists in the beach city.
Buck Gully Reserve is owned by the City of Newport Beach, with nearly 5 miles of winding trails through the 1,200 acre canyon. The trails wind through lush native vegetation, and even pass an active Water Wise Native Plant Demonstration project, managed by Irvine Ranch Conservancy in partnership with City staff. The project area has many varieties of native plants along a slope, to give neighbors and visitors the chance to see how these types of drought-resistant and drought-tolerant plants look and grow.