Orange County's Crystal Cove State Park trails to reopen after repairs due to winter storms

All the blossoms from the winter rains have made Crystal Cove State park even more beautiful. But the problem has been getting there because of trail closures due to the storms.

"It's been really hard for the public to not have access," Lt. Paul Andrus with California State Parks said.

Some of the most scenic hiking trails in Orange County at the park have been closed for months due to erosion damage caused by this winter's powerful storms.

"It's a beautiful time of year to be here, Crystal Cove State Park, and we know how important that access is for people to get out and recreate and see this beautiful park," he said.

Andrus said they have three major areas throughout the park's 2,800 acres of backcountry that need repair.

"Down in the canyon we've had the entire road wash out along the creek area. So we are not able to get emergency vehicles through that area at this time," he said.

On top of the ridge, crews are using heavy machinery to fix ruts in the trails.

"Erosion is a natural process that we do see here at the park but these are larger bits of damage that we haven't seen this significant before," Andrus said.

Also, he said repairs would have started sooner but the park's equipment operators were tackling other issues throughout the state.

Now that they're here Andrus said they plan to take advantage of the equipment to prepare for a possible fire season.

"They're going to maintain the road accesses to help create the fire breaks that are required. It also allows for the fire authority to get in here and access the areas that they need to ensure we have proper fire protection."

California State Parks hope to have the trails reopened by this weekend.