Two of the best November mornings in Bommer Canyon happen on Sunday, November 15. The day you actually have to plan around comes two weeks earlier. Registration for both programs opens on Saturday, October 31, at 8 a.m. The City of Irvine's listing for the November 15 hike says plainly that "no walk-up registration is permitted."
That's how the canyon works all year. From Shady Canyon, the preserve is about two miles away. The city's trailhead map sends drivers about 1.2 miles along Shady Canyon Drive, then right onto Bommer Canyon Road for about a mile to the Cattle Camp. It's close enough to feel like the neighborhood's own open space. In practice, most of Bommer Canyon runs on a calendar, and the calendar sets what you can do there each week.
The Everyday Canyon Is the Smaller One
Some of the preserve is open every day. The City of Irvine's Bommer Canyon Preserve page says the designated trails are open seven days a week, dawn to dusk, for self-guided hiking, mountain biking and seasonal horseback riding. The same page says other parts of the preserve "can only be accessed through guided programs and do require pre-registration."
The daily version has limits that are easy to forget. All of them come from the city's preserve rules:
- Parking. The Cattle Camp lot isn't open for hike-in use on ordinary days.
- Dogs. Pets aren't allowed on Bommer Canyon trails. The city points dog walkers to the nearby Quail Hill Loop Trail instead. If that loop has looked different lately, our piece on the Quail Hill habitat restoration explains why.
- Picnic tables. Seating is first come, first served. You can't reserve a table or save one, and the city says patrons "must be present on site and using the tables."
- What stays home. BBQs, stoves of any kind, open flames, candles, smoking and glass containers aren't allowed. Neither is alcohol without a reservation and permit.
The everyday trails are a real asset, and they're only part of the preserve. To reach the back gate of Hogback Ridge, to hike after dark, or to park at the Cattle Camp, you need a specific date.
Why the Cattle Camp Keeps Its Own Schedule
The Cattle Camp's history explains the calendar. The city's reopening announcement describes it as part of the old Irvine Ranch Cattle Camp, with the original site built in 1967. The city launched a rehabilitation project in 2018 and started construction in 2020. The finished camp became a 15-acre event space with a stage and backstage room, a renovated Chuck Wagon kitchen, updated restrooms, picnic tables and ADA-accessible paths. It reopened with a dedication on July 15, 2023, at 11 Bommer Canyon Road.
A stage and a kitchen under a sycamore canopy make the camp an event venue, and the city rents it that way, for parties, company picnics, weddings and family reunions. So the picnic area is open to hikers most days but can close for private rentals or for larger city-wide events and programs. The restoration that made the camp such a good place to sit under the trees also put it on a booking schedule. That's why the most reliable public time there is one fixed weekend each month.
The Dates From Late October Through November, in Order
These are the Bommer Canyon dates from late October through the end of November. Registration status reflects the listings on the Let's Go Outside activity calendar run by the City of Irvine and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, and it can change.
- Sunday, October 25, 6:30 to 9 p.m.: Bommer Canyon Preserve Full Moon Hike. A 3-mile hike rated difficulty 3, minimum age 12. All 20 spots were already taken. Another Trail Running at Bommer Canyon session is on the calendar the same day.
- Saturday, October 31, 8 a.m.: Registration opens for both November 15 programs.
- Sunday, November 15, 6:30 to 9 a.m.: Trail Running at Bommer Canyon. 7.5 miles, difficulty 5, minimum age 18.
- Sunday, November 15, 7:15 to 9:45 a.m.: Unveiling the Canyon's Legacy: Exploring Bommer Canyon's Natural Marvels. A guided interpretive hike, 4.7 miles, difficulty 3, minimum age 12, starting from the Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp.
- Friday through Sunday, November 20 to 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Cattle Camp Open Access. These dates follow the city's rule of the third weekend of every month.
- Saturday, November 21: Wilderness Access Day. The Irvine Ranch Conservancy holds it on the Saturday of the open-access weekend.
- Monday, November 30: Last day for horses. Equestrians are allowed in Bommer Canyon from May 1 through November 30 only.
The Full Moon Hike shows what happens when you wait. Every one of its 20 spots was gone while the event was still days away. The groups are small, and the registration windows open about two weeks before each program.
Two Programs on November 15, Two Different Mornings
The two November 15 listings start 45 minutes apart from the same canyon. They're very different outings.
| Unveiling the Canyon's Legacy | Trail Running at Bommer Canyon | |
|---|---|---|
| Start time | 7:15 a.m. | 6:30 a.m. |
| Distance | 4.7 miles | 7.5 miles |
| Total climbing | 1,000 feet | 1,300 feet |
| Difficulty rating | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Minimum age | 12 | 18 |
The hike is the one most families can do together, with one caution. The hike listing says the route reaches the back gate of Hogback Ridge, passes mature coastal sage scrub, and has views over Irvine and the back side of the ridge. It also warns that the steepest section climbs 300 feet in a quarter mile and that participants "must be in good physical condition." Directions come after you register.
The run is meant for experienced trail runners. The run description mentions rocky trails and steep climbs at a target pace of about 13 minutes per mile, and asks for prior trail running or fast-paced distance hiking. That pace puts most of the group back at the Cattle Camp before the hikers finish.
The Third Weekend Is When the Gate Opens to Everyone
Cattle Camp Open Access is the one time each month that anyone can drive in, park at the Cattle Camp and use the restored picnic area without a rental or a program spot. The city's Bommer Canyon page lists it as the third Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each month, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with parking available "until capacity is full." On the Saturday, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy opens the wider trail network to hikers and bikers for Wilderness Access Day.
Applied to November, that schedule puts Open Access on November 20 to 22 and Wilderness Access Day on Saturday, November 21. The city's page doesn't print those specific dates, so call the trail line at 949-385-1891 or check letsgooutside.org before you go. The same city rules apply on open weekends. Groups of 50 or more need a reservation permit, tables are first come, first served, and animals of any kind aren't allowed. Questions about Open Access go to David Catalano at the city, 949-724-6736.
November 21 is also the last Open Access Saturday before horse season ends on November 30. After that, the trails are for hikers and bikers only until May 1.
When the Weather Changes the Plan
Every one of these dates depends on conditions. The city says trails and the Cattle Camp can close for inclement weather, fire and watershed conditions, and that applies to Open Access days too. The trail line at 949-385-1891 has the latest closure information. For a closer stop afterward, Quail Hill Shopping Center has Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, which Irvine Standard reported in June as the chain's first Orange County location.
Living next to an open space with its own calendar is one of the quieter pleasures of Shady Canyon and the nearby Quail Hill villages. If you'd like to know which nearby communities give you the same easy access to Bommer Canyon and the rest of the Irvine Open Space Preserve, the Swardstrom Group would be glad to walk you through it. Let's Connect.
