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

               

Santa Ynez Recreational Area (Camuesa OHV Route)

The Santa Ynez Recreational Area is located about 15 miles north of Santa Barbara. You take HWY 154 (San Marcos Pass) to Paradise Road and turn right. There are several campgrounds in the area and the famous Red Rock swimming hole.

My recent visit consisted of hiking the Camuesa OHV route. I actually didn't know what trail I was on until later but seems to be a popular place for OHVs (Off-Highway Vehicles) and horseback riding. To get there, you drive about 8 miles along Paradise Road, passing camp sites and even driving through water (it was about 1/4 ft deep but gets much deeper in rainy seasons) until you get to Upper Oso Campground. There is a parking lot there although you will need an Adventure Pass ($5 from one of the kiosks along Paradise Rd or the Ranger Station) in order to park.

 The trail starts at Upper Oso Campground and the beginning of the trail is along a stream. A little ways down the trail, there is a fork in the road. The one I didn't take (Santa Cruz Trail) was a narrower path and looked absolutely beautiful (I'll try it next visit). The path I took wound around mountains, with sometimes a very steep slope. At the top of the mountains, the view of the surrounding area is spectacular. Besides a couple of people at the campground, I didn't see one person on the trail the entire 2+ hours. I didn't run into any wildlife while on the trail, but there are surely plenty in the area and there were about 8 dear in the parking lot as I was leaving.

Los Flores Ranch Park

There is plenty of "nature" surrounding Santa Maria, so I was excited to see something like this actually in Santa Maria (well, pretty close anyways). The park is located at 6721 Dominion Road, just southeast of Orcutt, CA and opened in June 2009 for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

There are around 8 miles of trails (Los Flores Ranch Trail Map) and plenty of wildlife, including cattle, snakes, lizards, squirrels, and I even saw a roadrunner and some jackrabbits. There are around 12 trails to choose from, some more strenuous than others and most with beautiful views of the surrounding area. There are also benches for you to rest or just enjoy the scenery(jugs of water provided too!) , and porta-potties throughout the park on some of the trails.

According to the City of Santa Maria park website, there is ongoing oil production operations on the site, however, besides a few pipes, I didn't really notice anything.

Visitors to the park must stop at the Visitor Center and sign in and out of the park.  New visitors must fill out registration forms and are given an access card upon completion of the registration, which is then used for future visits. Admission to the park is free for visitors residing within the Santa Maria city limits ( Santa Maria business owners also free), however, for Orcutt residents and other non-Santa Maria residents, the fee is $3.00 ($1.50 for seniors and children 15 and under are free).

For more information on Los Flores Ranch Park, visit the City of Santa Maria Recreation & Parks website.

Los Flores Ranch Park
6721 Dominion Road
Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805)-938-7618
http://www.ci.santa-maria.ca.us/LosFloresRanchPark.shtml