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Directions to Park The entrance to the park is just off Santiago Canyon Road on Windes Drive in Orange. By expanding the Google Trail map on the right you can easily ascertain the best way depending on your location. Parking The parking fee is $3. There is ample parking inside the park. Park Hours 7:00 am to sunset. Dogs Dogs are allowed in the park. Facilities There are 2 restrooms; both located near the park entrance. See map on right. Newsletter Click here to sign-up for our free monthly newsletter. It's filled with all sorts of cool info including upcoming events and the latest in running/biking/hiking news. Help Support Us By clicking on our sponsor sites you will help support the maintenance of this site. Thank you.  |
Santiago Oaks Regional ParkSantiago Oaks Regional Park is a relatively small park with a surprising abundance of trails. In addition, many of the trails connect to trails outside of the park boundaries creating even more running, mountain biking or hiking opportunities. In
fact, if there is a downside to the park, it's the difficulty navigating
your way around. The trails are well marked but there are no maps,
within the park which indicate where the trails go. Even the map
provided by the park (see below) is lacking, especially if you want to
venture up to Robbers Peak which is not even shown on the park
map.The highlight of the park is most certainly Robbers Peak (see photo), though technically it is outside the park boundaries for some reason. The historic dam is not much more than crumbling concrete and has been replaced by the newer Villa Park Dam, which is not much to look at either. The park is nestled among residential neighborhoods and accordingly, most views are more likely to include homes versus wilderness. From a running, mountain biking, hiking perspective there are lots of options here. This park, very close to residential areas, can be crowded with runners and bikers. There are wide open fire-roads and quad-burning single tracks. There is very little in the way of flat trails except those along the Santiago Creek. The surrounding neighborhoods provide multiple points of entry. The following map, with trail distances, is provided by OC Parks:
I've noted one trail which loops around and takes in Robbers Peak:
Running There are so many options here and there are multiple places of entry. This park butts  up
to many residential areas in all directions except east. For those
looking for fairly flat runs those trails are mostly along the canyon
floor and parallel the Santiago Creek. It's pretty easy to create
a relatively flat 2+ mile loop by taking advantage of the half dozen
trails in this area of the park. For those seeking hills there are
just as many options with Oak Trail being the most common.
Because of the extensive trail network you can create loops from 2 miles
to however many miles you can handle. For example, Santiago Creek
Trail extends southeast towards Irvine Regional Park which is 1.4 miles
from the Villa Park Dam.Biking Just as with runners, mountain bikers have a billion options here. There are so many trails coupled with trails in adjoining areas you could easily spend all 
day zigzagging about. In fact there are so many options ... every
rider, regardless of skill level, will have a blast. There are easy
trails and there are moderate climbs that will still leave you with some
gas in the tank when you reach the top. And not to worry, there
are ball-busting climbs for even the fittest of souls and descents which
should scare the crap out of you. There are multiple points of
entry and I suspect very few riders even park in the park.Hiking This park is better suited to fitness hikers versus those looking for peace and solitude. The park is more urban than most; residential neighborhoods surround the park and are clearly visible. Most of the trails, with the exception of those near the park entrance, are in the open and offer little in the way of shade. Finally, the park is really popular with mountain bikers so you'll need to stay alert. But if a fitness walk/hike is your thing, you'll enjoy the hills and various trail options this park has to offer. Photo Gallery Robbers Peak Loop... Click on the lower portion of the photo to start slideshow More Info For additional information... OC Parks - Santiago Oaks Regional Park Tell Us What You Think |
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historic
dam and then make our way up the challenging Hawk Trail.
Starting at east end of the parking lot make your way to the
Historic Dam Trail. It won't take long to reach the
historic dam (less than 0.3 miles). The dam is really not
much more than a large slab of concrete, overgrown vegetation,
and a small pool of idle water. Hardly worth the effort.
At this point
cross
the creek and make your way up the stairs (yep...stairs) and
turn right on Santiago Creek Trail. In a few
hundred feet stay right on Pony Trail and head in the direction
of the new Villa Park Dam. In half a mile you'll reach the
dam which isn't all the exciting either. Cross the dry
Santiago Creek and make your way to Bobcat Trail; stay
right until you reach Hawk Trail.
This
is where the fun begins. Up until this point (1.1 miles)
the trails have been flat and easy going. That'll all
change. Hawk Trail is single-track, rocky, and
steep. On the plus side the ascent to the top is only 0.4
mile. At the top of Hawk you'll get a nice view of the
damn and the valley below. You'll also get your first
glimpse of Robbers Peak which is less than a mile away. A
bunch of trails converge near the top of Hawk including
Grasshopper,
Bumblebee,
and Oak. To get to Robbers Peak we head
north along Oak Trail. This trail and the Edison
Trail it turns into is standard utility/fire-road; it's
wide-open with only a modest climb. Robbers Peak beckons.
Just before you get to Robbers Peak there's a very short trail,
Robbers Roost Trail, that takes you the top. The
views are nice from the top but to the north and west you're
practically
in someone's back yard; I guess they call that urban
encroachment. Oh well, time to head back down. We'll
follow the trail we just took heading in the direction of
Hawk Trail. However, instead of going down Hawk
we'll elect to stay on Oak Trail, a much more
easy-going trail than Hawk. It's a good thing
this trail is standard fire-road because you'll likely encounter
a lot of bikers heading up. When you get to the bottom of
Oak Trail, make your way over to Santiago Creek Trail which will
take you back to the parking lot.