Editor’s Note: This is part of a monthly feature on notable regional parks in Orange County, which is rich with places to get outside and have fun with the family and explore nature.
A bright moon peeked through the trees, rising over a nearby ridge, as I sat with my wife around the warm orange glow of a fire at our campsite at O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon.
The park’s Arroyo Campground was a relatively quiet on this cool weekday evening. My tent was pitched close by beneath the expansive spread of a large oak tree with other oaks and sycamores nearby that offered much-welcomed shade during the daytime sun.
The campground has 79 campsites that accommodate both tent and RV camping. In addition to the regular campsites, there are eight large group campsites and five equestrian campsites that feature horse corrals, fire pits and barbecue facilities.
Two men ride their horses through O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A group of cyclists ride on a spring morning past oaks and sycamore trees on the Arroyo Trabuco Trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A man walks his dogs across Trabuco Creek on a spring afternoon in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)O’Neill Regional Park is approximately 4,500 acres nestled in the wooded Trabuco and Live Oak canyons, offering more than 23 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding.
Rising just to the east of the park are Modjeska and Santiago peaks, located in the adjacent Cleveland National Forest, both of which tower above the surrounding landscape at more than 5,000 feet.
Seasonally, during winter and spring, the Trabuco and Hickey creeks flow through the park, with Trabuco Creek located adjacent to the campground. It provides a source of water for birds and other wildlife of the area, including mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and other smaller animals. Recent signs posted at trailheads announce that a mountain lion was last seen in the park on May 20.
A Lesser goldfinch hops from one rock to another in Trabuco Creek on a spring afternoon in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The creek, which has water flowing seasonally, runs through the park’s 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A western fence lizard sits on a rock in the warm morning sun at O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) The many colorful blooms of the prickly pear cactus grow along a trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A mountain biker rides past a mountain lion sighting sign along Arroyo Trabuco Trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)With the park being a short drive from much of Orange County, one can get away for a weekend of camping or even for just a few hours for a picnic or a walk along the popular Arroyo Trabuco Trail to experience the solitude of nature.
A variety of spring wild flowers, lizards, squirrels and hawks can be seen even on a short hike. If you’re lucky, you may see other wildlife. If not, the drive is worth a few hours of adventure.
For more specific park information and reservations, go to: ocparks.com/oneill. The park office can be reached at: 949-923-2260.
Park officials encourage making reservations three to four weeks ahead because they can fill up, especially on the weekends. Picnic areas are first-come or by reservation and include picnic tables and barbecues.
For children, OC Parks hosts a Jr. Ranger program featuring activities and exploration with the rangers as well as a booklet for self-guided activities to earn a badge. Find out more about the program and upcoming activities at this park and others at ocparks.com/jr-ranger.
Cyclists and hikers make their way beneath the 241 tollroad along Arroyo Trabuco Trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) Visitors stop to view a park trail map in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A mountain biker rides into the shade of an oak tree along the Arroyo Trabuco Trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) The many blooms of the Parish’s goldenbush grow along a trail in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) The amphitheater is located behind the nature center at O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) A squirrel sits on a fallen oak tree in the warm morning sun at O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon in early June 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)A woman walks across Trabuco Creek on a spring afternoon in O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The park encompasses 4,500 acres in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons and includes 23 miles of trails and a campground. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Get outside
Location: 30892 Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Canyon
Hours: Open 365 days a year, 7 a.m. to sunset
Amenities:
Amphitheater
Bike Trails
Camping
Conference Rooms
Dump Station
Equestrian Trails
Hiking Trails
Horseshoe Pits
Interpretive Programs Center
Picnic areas
Restrooms
Playgrounds
RV Camping
Scenic overlook
Showers
For more information: ocparks.com/oneill
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