Guna Peak, Laguna Beach, California
One of the Crown Jewels of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
Nov 6, 2008
In 2000, The Irvine Company and the Laguna Beach County Water District reached an agreement to preserve 60 acres surrounding Guna Peak (702 feet) as permanent open space. The preserved land is well worth visiting and can be accessed on foot by way of the popular Boat Road Spur at the end of Dartmoor Avenue above Crescent Bay. The land, which was donated to the County, was valued at $30 million dollars in 2000. It is now managed as part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
An Opportunity to Enjoy Spectacular Coastline Views
Don Young, senior vice president at The Irvine Company, said upon donating the land, “We are making this gift of land for the benefit of the people of Laguna Beach and Orange County to provide an opportunity for the public to enjoy the spectacular views of the coastline from this hilltop forever.”
Guna Peak is considered “one of the most prominent features in the local wilderness” according to remarked Eric Jessen, who was the chief of the Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department at the time of the donation.
With views to the North of the Laguna coastline, Newport Harbor and the Palos Verdes Peninsula; to the west of the Channel Islands; and to the south of Laguna Beach and the various points and headlines stretching south to Dana Point, this is un doubtedly one of the finest views in Orange County.
A Five-Million-Gallon Buried Reservoir for Wildfire Protection
Just prior to the land’s donation, the Laguna Beach County Water District had started the construction of a five-million-gallon buried water reservoir at the site. Local residents, concerned about the development, approached the Laguna Beach County Water District with their concerns. The Laguna Beach County Water District in turn contacted The Irvine Company and negotiated the donation.
The buried reservoir (named the Louis J. Zitnik Reservoir) is deemed essential to effective wildfire management in the event of a fire such as the one that devastated portions of Laguna Beach in 1993. The 1993 fire destroyed or severely damaged 441 homes, burned 14,337 acres and caused $528,000,000 in damage. While fighting the 1993 fire, six of the Laguna Beach County Water District's twenty-two existing reservoirs were drained.
Open to the Public and Easily Accessible by Way of the Boat Spur Trail
Once the reservoir at Guna Peak was completed, the land was restored to its natural state and has been open to the public ever since. Native plant restoration remains in progress, so it is essential to stay on the trails and roads at all times.
Benches and an interpretive marker are located at the edge of the reservoir overlooking the Pacific.
Guna Peak is on the ridgeline between Boat Canyon (to the southeast) and Emerald Canyon (to the northwest). A dirt fire road, called Boat Trail, connects Guna Peak to point 912 on the Bommer Ridge Road. The summit of Guna Peak is most easily accessed from gate #14 (Boat Spur trailhead) at the end of Dartmoor Avenue, which is at about 300 feet above sea level. It is about 0.7 miles to the top of Guna Peak. This is called the Thomas A Cummings Wilderness Park Access Point.
Other Buried Reservoirs in the Area
Another buried reservoir is located less than a mile west-southwest of the Guna Peak reservoir at the end of the Water Tank Road Trail. Named The William V. Moorhead Reservoir, it holds 3,500,000 gallons of water and was completed in 1972. A radio tower which transmits a county-wide public safety radio band is situated above that reservoir.
There is another buried reservoir at Top of the World on Temple Hill, called the Richard Jahraus-Top of The World Reservoir. Richard Jahraus was the president of the Laguna Beach County Water District at the time that the Guna Peak parcel was donated to the County.
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