Programs

 

There is always something happening here at Mission Trails Regional Park, whether it’s guided nature hikes or an engaging lecture from a local expert, there is something for everyone.

Trail Tykes: A Program for Little Explorers

Join us in and around the Visitor Center and on nearby trails a fun nature-filled morning for your little ones! This program is for children 2-5 years old and includes story time, and a craft, and/or a short guided walk on a nearby trail. This free program for children and their families takes place at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center every second and fourth Sunday and Monday of the month. Each event runs approximately one hour, and each session can accommodate up to 30 children.

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The “Re-wild” Garden Concept: A Case History with Mike Evans

Join us for a talk with Mike Evans at the Visitor Center to learn what it means to build a natural garden that is beautiful, sustainable, and functional, and how to do it.

Mike Evans is the founder and president of Tree of Life Nursery (TOLN) in San Juan Capistrano and has produced and sold California native plants for 45 years. TOLN is the largest native plant supplier in California and promotes a style of authentic horticulture, specifically the concept of appropriate landscaping with native California plants.

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MTRP Visitor Center Film Program

Support Mission Trails by watching a movie? Yes, please! Did you know that the Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Visitor Center is equipped with a comfortable 94-seat theater. Each month, the nonprofit MTRP Foundation will host multiple screenings of an educational documentary for a ticket price of $8. Learn something new and enjoy visually stunning films while supporting the park. Get tickets.

Upcoming films:

Pushed Up the Mountain

  • February 22, 6:30PM
  • February 29, 6:30PM

Pushed up the Mountain is a poetic and stunning documentary about plants and the people who care for them. Through the tale of the migrating rhododendron, now endangered in its native China, the film reveals how high the stakes are for all living organisms–including native plants–in this time of unprecedented destruction of the natural world. Get tickets.

Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf

  • March 7, 6:30PM
  • March 10, 2PM
  • March 12, 6:30PM

Revolutionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf is known for designing public works like New York City’s popular High Line and the Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park that redefine our conception of gardens as works of art in themselves. This gorgeous, meditative documentary directed by Thomas Piper immerses viewers in his work, taking us inside Oudolf’s creative process. Get tickets.

This public programming is organized and presented by the nonprofit Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation and made possible thanks to the generosity of MTRP Foundation donors.