Orcutt Community Park Trails

In May of this year (2012), the trail systems opened at Orcutt Community Park. The trails are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians, and unlike Los Flores Ranch Park, which charges a fee for non-residents of the city of Santa Maria, Orcutt Community Park is free for all. It does not have as many trails as Los Flores Ranch, however, it is more conveniently located in Orcutt, at the south end of Bradley and the trails are a decent length, varying from easy to moderate in difficulty.

There are two main trails to choose from. One starts inside the park entrance and has a moderately steep climb at the beginning of the trail. This is my hike of preference due to more greenery and trees than the second trail. The picture above is a view from the top.                   

The picture on the left is another view from the top of the first trail. It is a very relaxing trail. I have seen a couple of cows, birds, bees, wildflowers, and lots of red ants. And how can I forget the flies. There are plenty of flies, and they're the kind that like to hover around you. This does not mean that the wildlife is not present. One hiker mentioned that there was a mountain lion sighting the day before and there are signs posted that mountain lions are in  the area.
                                                 

As for the traffic on the trails, there have been people every time I have gone, but just a few and everyone I have encountered has been very friendly.   

The second trail is also nice and is more open than the first. It seems to be a drier trail with not as many trees or covering. I should also mention that there are signs that say "Open Space Boundary" on both trails (as seen below), and from what I understand, visitors are not to go beyond these signs. Doing so would take visitors to private property or portions of the park that are prohibited. On this particular trail, I have seen deer, a horse that lives at a nearby house, and the insects that were on the first trail.

Here is a link to a map of the trails, courtesy of Santa Maria Valley Open Space, an organization that was instrumental in getting the park ready and opened to the public.



Orcutt Community Park

5800 S. Bradley Ave.

Orcutt, CA 93455

County of Santa Barbara Parks