Laguna Wilderness Park Nix Nature Center

Categories
Parks Open Space
Location
Laguna Beach, CA
Status
Completed 2005
Client
County of Orange – Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department

Laguna Wilderness Park Nix Nature Center

Spurlock conducted site planning and landscape design for the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Nature Center. The Nix Nature Center sits at a central trail access point within Little Sycamore Canyon. Just barely visible from the road, it beckons park visitors to explore the entire wilderness area. The 2,000-sf center features interactive displays, interpretive panels, fossil-imbedded rockwork, audio recordings, projected images, art, and artifacts. It’s expansive windows frame three named views – The Peaks of Saddleback, Little Sycamores of Bunchgrass, and Buckwheat and Stories in Stone – forming the cornerstones of the exhibit plan. The exterior features art and educational elements, a shaded Donor recognition courtyard, a “painter’s pier” for artists and their easels, and a 1/2-mile loop trail funded by the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust.