Santiago Oak Regional Park – Orange, CA

If you are looking for a family-friendly park to hike, ride bikes, and picnic, this is the place! With over 30 hiking trails that offer scenic views, short hikes, and bike paths. Santiago Oak Regional Park is one to add to your list of places to explore!

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A summary from our visit to the Santiago Oak Regional Park

We had originally come to the Santiago Oak Regional Park for the 2-mile Peralta Hills Loop trail but unfortunately, with the recent rains, this trail had flooded along with some others. We arrived around 10:30 am and there was still some parking available for a Saturday.

From the parking lot of the Santiago Oak Regional Park, it was a short walk to the entrance of the park which leads to multiple trials.

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Trails

As we continued walking this path we came to a courtyard with the Nature Center on the right side and a trailhead marker for the Windes Nature Trail. We decide to take this trail since it was open. It was narrow but the area surrounding is level. There is poison oak, so be sure to stay on the path.

This path was easy but is labeled as moderate due to the slight incline. There is lots to look at and admire. See how many lizards you can spot basking in the sun. We saw so many! Slightly into this trail, we came across a second trail that forked off from this one. It was called Pacifica Trail. This trail is also a loop trail and takes you to the top of the hill. We decided to take this path to add some length to our hike. The Pacifica trail is marked as difficult due to it going up a hill. It makes for a good workout but is nothing too strenuous. The path is rocky so watch your step.

The Pacifica Trail was not shaded and even though we went during cooler weather, it did get pretty warm with the direct sunlight. Make sure to bring water, stay hydrated and bring sunscreen or hats. We made it to the top where there was a vista point for taking in the surrounding views. This is a great spot for taking a short rest before heading back down.

“Going down is always easier than going up.”

-Unknown

Break time

Watch your step while descending, it does get slightly slippery with all the loose rocks. This path will lead you back to the Windes Nature trail where you can continue where you left off. Further down this path we came across a wooden bench that was perfect for taking a water and snack break. Just be sure you take your trash back out with you. (There are trash cans near the restrooms.) At this point you are almost at the end of the trail where there are restrooms, picnic tables and a small playground.

The restrooms were clean and fully stocked with seat covers and toilet paper. There were sinks outside at the end of the building with soap and paper towels. Picnic tables are right next to the restrooms that are fully covered by the shade of trees. (I saw about 8 tables) A staircase leads down from the picnic area to the river with a few chairs out for you to enjoy the view.

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Our Thoughts

We enjoyed the Santiago Oak Regional Park along with the amenities that this park has to offer. We will definitely be back to check out more trails in the near future. If you are looking for more places to ride bikes, check out El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach: https://www.longbeach.gov/park/park-and-facilities/directory/el-dorado-east-regional-park/

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All the details for this adventure:

• Address:

2145 N. Windes Drive
Orange, CA 92869
United States

• Entrance fee: $3 per vehicle Monday thru Friday. $5 per vehicle on Saturdays and Sundays

• Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day: $7 for all parks, except Caspers
• Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day: $7 for all parks, except Caspers and O’Neill
• All other holidays: $3 or $5 depending on the day of the week

• Hours: Sunday-Saturday from 7:00am to Sunset (Trails may be closed for up to three days after rain.)

• Parking: There is a parking lot available

• Restrooms: There are 2 restrooms available at this park. One is near the park entrance and the second is near the Windes Nature Trail and playground.

• Accessibility: Some of the trails are stroller friendly with a wider path that is more flat but the two trails we hiked (Windes and Pacific) are not stroller friendly. They are narrow and rocky.

• Shade: There are trees throughout the park that offer shade but not all the trails are shaded. So come prepared with hats, sunscreen and water.

• Trails/Miles: Most of the trails are less than 1 mile. You can easily combine trails to make your hike longer. The Windes and Pacific trails combined was less than a mile. (About 0.9 to be more precise.)

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Recommend items:

• Water

• Snacks

• Sunscreen/hats

• first aid kit

• map of the park

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What are you waiting for? Go explore!