Small Gem in the Orange County Foothills: Santiago Oaks Park

If you're seeking a pleasant, none-too-strenuous hike in Southern California, you will enjoy Santiago Oaks Regional Park, part of the Orange County parks system. At 350 acres, several miles of easy trails provide for a couple hours of fresh-air hiking with the opportunity for great vistas amid the company of horseback riders.

From the parking area, head first to the Santiago Creek trail (be sure to pick up a map at the park entrance). You'll cross the creek, which is the signature feature of the park, by skipping across a series of man-made steps. They'll keep your feet dry when the water is up. If you turn right, you can head down the Historic Dam Trail to...well, a historic dam.

The dam, no longer in use, dates to 1892. It was erected to help irrigation when the park was still private agricultural land. A variety of landowners held portions of the property, including the Bixby family, James Irvine and Norment Windes. When Windes died in 1955, the property was sold to his brother-in-law, Harold Blome. The Windes residence is now the park's Nature Center, although on two visits I've yet to see it open.

The area was heavily damaged by the Paseo Grande Fire of 1967, which burned more than 48,000 acres and destroyed 66 homes, and later by flooding in 1969-1970. Winter rains were so intense that season that the U.S. Marine Corps used helicopters to lower old car frames into Santiago Creek in an attempt to create a makeshift dam. Eight lives were lost and 50 homes were damaged by the floods.

The park is an oblong running northwest to southeast. The central portion of the park comprises gently rolling hills crisscrossed by the Santiago Creek Trail, Wilderness Loop Trail, Rinker Grove Trail, Sage Ridge Trail and Bobcat Loop. You may retrace your steps in places, but to enjoy the open meadows and groves of live oak and sycamore, be sure to explore as many of the trails as time permits. You'll find an occasional bench here and there to rest on, and a serene stopping place at the northwest intersection of the Santiago Creek and Wilderness Loop Trail, where an Eagle Scout project has constructed a gazebo adjacent to the creek.

A three-quarter mile climb up the Peralta Hills Trail, reached from the Wilderness Loop Trail, takes you to some fine views of nearby homes and south towards Orange County high-rises. Rains had seriously rutted and eroded this trail when I hiked it yesterday, so watch your step.

Good views can also be had from two other trails, both of which start by the Nature Center. The Windes Trail and the Pacifica Trail both climb a small hill aided by wooden steps. Take your time, and enjoy the scenic overlook of the park and eastern Orange County. 

Santiago Oaks Regional Park is located at 2145 N. Windes Drive in the town of Orange. It can be easily reached from the 55 Freeway or 261 toll road.

Best bets: stock up on snacks at the Pacific Ranch Market before heading to the park (there are plenty of picnic tables near the parking area and a pair hidden under trees by the intersection of the Oak Trail and Bobcat Loop). After your hike, return to the same shopping center for a cool treat at Goldmine Yogurt.

View more photos here.