Good and Bad: Good: Nicely decorated, lots of greenery, play areas, left side of park safer Bad: Homeless took the right side of the park (closest to discovery cube), park ranger not present during day, saw homeless sleeping in one of play areas for kids Pro tip: Walk vigilantly! Be alert and present. Be around other people! You don't want to get attacked or robbed. read more

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Santiago creek is a mixture or even a combination of two major parks. One, hart park and the other Santiago park. The watershed is the in between. Both offer goof parking availability, both are well placed for long distance running, with paths consistent of dirt trails of pavement and concrete, with a few obstacles, all of which are easy to moderate. It seems like a good place for walkers, joggers runners and for bikers . The paths at hart park starts by the old buildings of the swimming pool area. Crossing towards the west, you'll come across a few highway overpasses and an archery park, and a open air auditorium . Along the way, a dry water shed that connects to Santiago park, which has been in redevelopment . New trails, new kids park, new arbory and cleaned up trails. The trail extends into and past the science center and willl make its way to the entrance of the mall, by Broadway. On your return trip, there will be outlets by the rail, that lead out to the neighboring community. Total path in and out can 2 to 4 ... but can extend to over 8 miles... if one follows east of hart park. Overall, great family trails, clean, quiet and welcoming and beyond all else, made for everyone to have fun. Rating of 3.9 to 4.1 stars read more

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The good: I came to the playground here and enjoyed how clean and open it was. The grass here was so lush and green. There were lots of cement picnic tables. There were shady areas. There was no sand, gravel or wood chips in the playground area (which is great for me because my kid loves making messes in those). The floor is the cushiony material. There was a playground for ages 2-5 and a bigger kids one for age 5+. The bad: We didn't get to stay long because the park closes at sundown and there's a park ranger who rolls around to inform people they should leave so they can lock up the gates to the other side of the parking lot across the small bridge. The interesting: There's a paved walking path through this area. read more

Good for runners, kids on bike. The playground is beautifully new and good for 8 and under. Not much for older kids or people looking for more nature. With all of the rains in 2023, water is flowing in the creek. read more

Santiago Park - Creek - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Stopped here to eat lunch with the kiddos and what was supposed to be 30 minutes turned into a full afternoon with nature walks, family photo shoots, and multiple play grounds. read more

I have lived around this neighborhood for over 10 years. Back then I would give it a solid 5-stars. I now have to rank it as a 4-star review because as time goes by, nature is ever so changing and over population is a major issue, especially the homeless population. That is truly what makes my neighborhood park makes it feel unsafe and ghetto. I will only go here during the day. At least I see Santa Ana PD always around this area though. So about the nature side! I do enjoy nature walks here in the morning. The sunrise hits the trees and leaves so beautifully. It draws me into nature and the cool/chilly morning air adds to the experience. The trees are pretty during spring when it is flowering. Then autumn is when berries and fall color leaves come in to play. There is even a nature center area that used to have a ton of California native plants/flora. Not sure what happened the last year or two, but they are dwindling away. Speaking of California native plants, by the K-9 training grounds is a nursery! They sell Cali natives and it is charming. They are called Back to Natives Nursery at Santiago Park. They are located to the leftside right before the overhead train tracks and archery range. Yup, you read this correctly! They have an archery range. One of the bests in my opinion. Sadly during COVID-19, they are closed. The jungle gyms for kids and seating areas like tables and benches are closed too. This park is friendly for walkers, joggers, bikers, and also sports players. There is a baseball field on the side next to the Santiago Park neighborhood. And also two tennis courts. There is apparently an outdoor bowling area. I think it is by the building that is over in that same area. I've never seen anyone play the outdoor bowling. Parking wise - there is a major lot of Memory Lane and Lawson/Santiago. There is a side road that gets you to the archery range, but there are some parking spots along that road. This side road is accessible off Memory Lane where it curves by a business complex of buildings and you can barely see the Nature Center there. Now here comes the negative where I subtracted a star. *sigh* It is now ghettos-ville on the dirt road side of the park. You will notice along the main bike path, it will take you pass the archery range, then under the 22 Fwy, and following that is a bridge. That bridge makes it accessible to another park called Hart Park (left side) and also a dirt path (right side). That dirt path area has a lot of homeless camping out there. I usually avoid if now unless I am walking with one of my guy friends. Bonus to this park is -- like I said earlier-- it connects to Hart Park in the city of Orange off Glassell St. That park is huge and has larger baseball fields. I want to say Chapman University and some high schools will play there. I remember when I was an avid runner -- I would jog from Santiago Park to Hart Park and then take the bike trail along the dried river bed, which takes you to the dog park off Chapman Ave. and the 55 Fwy in Orange. I seriously miss being active and staying fit. Now that we are down to COVID-19 shut downs again,, what better than to get my butt back into shape and run my heart out! This park is great for being active (again -- only during the day). Note -- this park is considered closed at dusk, which is after sunset. It "opens" again at dawn. Side note -- I love it when I see SAPD when they are on horseback. So come out and stay active. Be safe, healthy, and well! And won't you be my neighbor? :) read more

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Cool park in the Santa Ana area. There's some wild life and there's some tennis courts as well. Would definitely recommend checking out if in the area for an extended period of time. read more

There is a new playground across the street from Discovery Cube. Foam padded with swings and two playgrounds right next to each other for different ages. Currently, they are renovating the surrounding areas So the restroom and picnic tables are inaccessible. It looks like they are redesigning the path and park area so looking forward to coming back when it is all done. read more

Santiago Park - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Not the safest park...not even a little lol but i guess because it's in a neighborhood it can be deemed slightly safe. nonetheless, there's constant homeless people, constant drug use happening behind bushes, as witnessed by myself. There are never any cops in the area (big surprise); you can call an officer out & because it's not deemed vital, they'll be out within an hour or more. I love that the park does do random movie nights but overall...not the best. There are much better parks a few minutes away, much safer for kids and families! read more

Santiago park is clean, newer than most other surrounding parks, but a bit small. They are under construction near the small parking lots. If you like small everything, this is the spot for you! read more

I really enjoyed this park ! Only thing I'm iffy about is walking on the rocks,although fun, I saw needles and beer bottles of alcohol. The grassy area for my toddler to chase squirrel. The the right area, two playground sets. One for older kids and one for toddlers. I love that the playground has a lot of climbing activity to tire the kids out read more

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Ok for a stroll during the day. I would not come here at night, I feel like it could be dangerous.

It's not safe coming here! This park seemed to be taken care by no one for a long time. We came here by 2pm Monday afternoon, there was only few bikers and many homeless. They were gathering and drinking. Everytime we passed a homeless, he/she gave us a weird look... Did not feel right and we left right after 15 mins. The park is dirty itself too. If you really wanna come, make sure you have more than 3 people when there's still daylight. read more

So first the good: I've been coming here for many years and now that I have kids I have been taking my daughter more frequently to the park. Its really a kind of hidden gem in the middle of Orange/Santa Ana. Really nice trails with a lot of trees. It feels like you've been transported out to the canyon areas in eastern Orange past the college. There is a nice new park for the kids and the trail goes on for a while if you feel adventurous! The bad: This place is getting scarier with all the homeless and drug addicts and hookers seemingly multiplying in numbers. A woman walked past me today who obviously was cracked out and asked me how my day was. Doesn't take an expert to figure out what she was up to. I have and will NEVER use the bathrooms by the park. I see too many sketchy looking dudes going in and out of there. Its really too bad because my daughter loves the park. I have seen horseback cops patrolling the area before but maybe three times in 20 years. Also do not go to this place after dark. A bit of good news is I think they hired a security company to patrol the park. I have seen a car with flashing lights in the park the last few nights. Overall do I recommend the park/trail? Yes and no. As I said its a unique spot in the city but I hope they really start cleaning up the homelessness and other unsavory issues I know happen there. Go during the day and enjoy the trees and squirrels and trails. Take the kids to the park but don't use the bathrooms. Take em to the Mother's Market across the street for that! Please Santa Ana clean up this trail! read more

This park has a nature center with some cool displays and helpful staff. They often have activities for children. The dirt trails wind through some brush and trees where little critters and birds reside. It's an okay spot for birding. There is also a long paved path along the river bed for walking, jogging or biking. An archery range is also on-site. read more

Santiago Park - nature center - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I love this park for a few reasons... It's close by so I can take my bike, scooter or dog almost whenever I want, so out of convince, it's great! There's an area for children to play, Sandy areas with (rusty but solid) swings, a jungle gym, miles bike paths, lawn bowling, a tennis court, and baseball field... the list goes on! It's relatively clean and sometimes I see Police Horses riding... the officers are so friendly and being from the east coast, it's very unique for me to see. The downside to this Park would be at night, there are usually strange characters lurking in the dark... sometimes I get weird stares so I have decided it is no longer safe for me to go at night as other officers have agreed. It would be nice if they had some security as the park is closed at night anyway. In the park you may also find to beautiful path to walk, bike, stroll or whatever else you may want to do. Although the river is completely dried up there are some spots were you may find some water remaining generally in a small puddle. Other than this, there is a nature preserve located within the park just a short distance from the entry. I have never seen any large animals but the grounds are kept well and squirrels seem to have made a home within that park. All in all, I would see the park is more sentimental than incredibly unique but it's definitely a go to spot and a fun place to have fun for free and enjoy the Sun! read more

Santiago Park - In the tennis courts for a quick photoshoot:) - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Eh, it's a pretty odd park. There's a huge watershed in the middle and to the left and right of it, there are paved paths for people to walk/run/bike on. The only thing good I can say is that since it's sort of in the middle of a very developed area so it's perfect for people working nearby to come for a stroll during a break to get some exercise in. In fact, I saw some people in work attire walking on the paths during lunch time. Interestingly, there's this archery range and also a lawn bowling field, two things you don't see at most parks. But I don't do either of those and in the end this really isn't my type of park. read more

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I come here strictly for the archery range. It's open everyday (not sure when it opens) till some time around dusk. The ranger will drive by and let everyone know the park is closing. The range itself is great. There are several picnic tables for people to chill at and a big 'ol trash can so the place doesn't get trashed. The people are really friendly and helpful. There are several targets ranging from 20 to 80(-100?) yards all laid out so you can choose whatever you want to shoot at. Sometimes people will even bring their own targets! Of course, the range itself is free to use, as long as you have your own equipment :) read more

I used to feel safe jogging here on the weekends. Be warned, there's a homeless man with a construction helmet and hazard vest who sleeps on the park bench at the Nature Center. I passed him once and he jumped up and started asking me for change (I was in my jogging shorts and t-shirt and clearly didn't have pockets for a wallet). When I explained this to him and kept on jogging, he shouted after me that I was a cheap bum (ironic coming from the homeless man sleeping on the park bench). This happened in the early morning around 7 AM. Be warned, I've also seen this guy at the Barnes & Noble of Town & Country and he's pretty sleazy there, too (surfing porn sites on their Wi-Fi). To my fellow joggers who used to use the park: a safer route to jog is actually East Memory Lane (on the side of the street with the retirement home), then left onto Town & Country Road, then left onto Lawson Way and back to East Memory Lane. It's considerably shorter than my older jogging route (it's only 3/4 of a mile), but jogging 4 laps here is considerably safer than the park. read more

We arrived at the parking lot of the address given. My first impression of the park was "Really? Is this it?" The playground area looks more like a dog park than a human park, dirt everywhere, not much green grass. Zulu and I took the path to the right of the parking lot first and it is more of a sketchy area, tunnels that lead under the street, lots of graffiti and such. Perfect places for homeless people and drug dealers to hang out. If you go, I 'd go to the left of the parking lot, this was the area I saw in pictures. The walking/biking trail is quite nice, and it's long enough to feel like exercise and not just a stroll through a small park. There are some minor paths my dog and I would like to explore again, but we probably won't be frequent visitors. Overall if you are a walker or cyclist the trail can be quite pretty. Just be on the lookout for random people sleeping/hanging out in the bushes and past the trees. It's a bit of a sketchy area but there were other people out for a run on the trail. Go left of the parking lot, not the right (or at least don't linger). We also saw a random chainsaw and weed whacker abandoned next to a shopping cart. Umm yeah... As other people have mentioned, it does sort of have a creepy vibe to the place. read more

Santiago Park - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Honestly, such an odd odd place. I wouldn't make the effort to come here, this park makes no sense and it has a weird deserted and eerie vibe even in the middle of the day in broad daylight. There's a bunch of stairs leading to the dry creepy creek, very strange and looks quite different in person than it does on Yelp. It seemed like there was some sort of trail but I personally would not be comfortable coming here on my own, even with my family we were here no longer than 15 mins. read more

When it's time to get away from the hustle and bustle of things for a bit of down-time and reflection, Santiago Creek is a great place to head for. It's so peaceful and quiet; when I'm here it's easy to forget in actually still in Orange County. Santiago Creek has trails that are perfect for running, hiking, or biking. With Hart Park on one end, and another small park on the other end, there's always a place to work in a mini-workout too :-) Santiago Creek WWCSP is one of Northern Orange County's hidden gems! read more

This park is one of a kind! It has a playground, baseball field, archery range, lawn bowling, bike and trails thru a nature reserve full of cool Socal native plants and wildlife. The Santiago creek also runs down the middle of the park. There is new construction that is near completion! read more

This natural area is one of the most important assets in North Santa Ana, or all of Orange County for that matter! It is also an invaluable amenity within an urban context , especially for adjacent neighborhoods such as the Park Santiago residential area and the new City Place mixed-use development. The City of Santa Ana deserves credit for adding hardscape bicycle paths without removing natural f dirt walking paths that weave through grassy areas and wander beneath broad-armed California oaks with large boulder accents securing a natural landscape. Recent attention to increase the role of native plants is a welcome plus. The new work includes iron, trestle-style, pedestrian bridges and limited signage for educational and historic value. The Nature Center, a centerpiece for leisure classes and hiking tours, with its large boulder amphitheater and fire pit, recently welcomed an environmental art piece donated to the City of Santa Ana by Diana Markessinis, a Santa Ana-based sculptor. It occupies the wast wall area of the nature center and stands in soft light accents after dusk. The archery range and historic lawn bowling greens add to the existing tennis courts and softball diamond, and it's proximity to the Discovery Science Center, as well as to Main Place and City Place with the larges Mother's Market in Orange County, make the area a terrific urban natural integration. Living in the area myself, I often reflect on my good fortune to find myself in this part of Orange County. I get t he feeling that many that live in this area feel the same way, largely because of what it means to have such a great piece of nature along Santiago Creek greenway. read more

LOVE IT! Archers welcome! It was my first day starting my new hobby. I've never been to an Archery Range before, but everyone there was super helpful and friendly. I was told it is a pretty tight community and you will see a lot of the same faces the more you go. That works for me! The place is well kept and regulated. Like a dumby, I was waiting for the all clear to start shooting after everyone collected their arrows, but I strung up an arrow on my bow and held it with one hand as I waited. Not 3 seconds later, a man from across the field yelled out not to put an arrow on your bow until the all clear was announced. It makes sense...I was a foolish newbie. I am glad they take safety so seriously. I don't know if I was just lucky or if this happens all the time, but this particular Saturday had BBQ and 3-d shooting. For a modest donation of a couple bucks, the archers were able to partake it delicious BBQ, chips, sodas, water, nachos and all kinds of other yummy treats. I think this was for the range upkeep, but I am not sure. It was one yella'va deal! Although it seemed intimidating and crowded at first, I never missed a bout with those target bales. Everyone was very accommodating. Don't be intimidated either! Everyone I talked to was quick to give advice and explain the functions of your bow and theirs. I bet they would have even let me try their bows if I asked, but I didn't want to be a more of a burden. Others even helped me find my arrows when I shamefully missed the target bale completely. I love this place! I am going to try to hit this place up at least once a week. I hope I see you there! Note for new archers: I brought 6 arrows. 12 would be better. A quiver makes things much more manageable, but you can get by without one. Get ready to lose track of time. The only reason I left after 3.5 hours was arm fatigue. read more

Dirty park. Tons of trash and beer bottles. No shade at the playground so it's very hot, my child didn't even play on the playground because there was glass and it's a sketchy park so we left quickly. Lots of homeless camps and drunks hanging around. It could be a nice park if the city actually gave a shit. read more

HELP SAVE THIS PARK! Sign a petition that prevent developers from taking a portion of it (cutting down trees) in exchange for a worthless portion of their asphalt driveway. Turning our park into a developers driveway. We need to protect our green spaces! Thank you! https://www.change.org/p/nsapainfo-com-support-for-stopping-a-irresponsible-development read more

A great area to get away from the hustle and bustle from the city. I went to the Santiago Nature Park. This is where the ground and tree squirrels call home. Nice to see nature. It is a park among residential and business. A peace and quiet walk through the park. read more

I like this trail. My homie and me usually hit it up because its close and there's sooo many hidden spots to smoke out. I think I'm going to hit this spot up for my running. Yes, I am a Pothead, and Yes I enjoy exercising my lungs out by running. Oh, and I always have a pre-ritual blunt before I run. Can you handle that? Come along and join me! read more

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Great little park/trail by my work. It's completely hidden (on memory lane) and goes from a trail into a park. My coworker says the entire pathway is 10 miles! I only got to experience 3 miles and will have to make time to explore the entire park soon. read more

I frequent this park a lot and I must say that it's a great park to go for a stroll with your dogs and kids . However, this last time I went I noticed that there were more man ( creepers )hanging around smoking cannabis and a few homeless squatters within the bushes . Hopefully, something gets done about them . The park itself is a beautiful park, it has a jungle playground for the kiddos and small bridges. It also has picnic areas. Great park . read more

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This park is located in the city of Santa Ana. It's build right underneath the 22 freeway which was pretty weird to walk through. It looks like the park could use some service cleaning. There was a lot of dog poop, broken beer bottles, and clothes on the floor. Other than that if you stay in the pavement you could run or take long walks. They also had a archery spot which I've never came across before so that was pretty neat. Overall, the park would be a whole lot better if it was just a tad bit cleaner. read more

This is one of the top hidden gems in North OC. I ride my bike through here about 10 times a year. It's always peaceful and their trails are always fun to ride. If you need to get away from the city and reflect a bit I recommend this place. It's very peaceful and I forget I'm even in Orange County when riding through here. Great for their trails if you're biking or running. You have a small park on one end and Hart Park on the other end if you want to get a mini workout. Would not recommend this for kids. Yes they have a nature center but if you want to keep your kids entertained for a couple hours, there are other better parks in OC for this or just head to Discovery Science Center which 2 minutes away. read more

Ohhhh My place... I love this place you can run you can walk with nice ppl around you nice view everywhere is green :))

I pulled into the parking lot right off of Memory Lane. The sign says it is where the lawn bowling center is. I don't recommend parking there. I had my infant in the stroller and we walked for maybe 10 minutes before something told me to get back in the car and leave. I haven't been able to find a public space in Orange/Santa Ana where I feel safe even during daylight. Drug deals were undoubtedly being made in that parking lot. It is down below the main road, so you cannot immediately see if you were just driving by. There may be parking somewhere else that seems safer, but I couldn't find it. I would not go back here unless my husband were with me. read more

I come here everyday to run because I'm training for a half and I don't like to be stopped by the street lights. If I could I would go elsewhere, this park is dirty beyond belief. I constantly have to run with my eyes on the ground because I have nice running shoes and I don't want to run on dog poo. The archery is nice and fun which is why it got 3 stars. read more

This place is great for a quick quiet time any time of the day and week! Some parts of the park seem to be still under "construction ", but its great for a walk-break! Half this park is a natural reservoir in which you can find yourself looking at exotic flowers & cute creatures roaming free thru out the park. Another reason why I love this place it's due to a walking distance of Mother's market so why not grab a healthy snack while admiring nature during lunch time! read more

Santiago Park - So quiet and peaceful!not to mentioned clean and fresh! - Parks Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This review is for the Nature Reserve. What a gem! My kids love going to nature centers, so I'm always looking for them when we are exploring. This one we have come across many times while on our walks or when we visit the giant slides across the way, but unfortunately we always seem to just miss them being open. Today while we were out early with friends, we decided to see if they were open and they were! It was so nice, clean, and bright inside. They have lots of animals (stuffed and alive) to look at including skulls and even different types of animal scat to see the difference between animals. My kids personally find that interesting. There are two large rooms inside and on the left side they had crafts and coloring pages to make and take with you. The women inside was very helpful and told us about the mountains connecting to the river (dried) in front of the center and how it flows to the west connected to the sea. She answered questions about some of the animals we saw. They have lots of books set up all over to look at, with a section of several seats facing a single seat. I will have to pay attention to any events they may hold. We walked here, but there is parking outside next to the center. I would recommend this place and after take a visit to the giant metal slides next to it. Sadly one slide is closed, but the other is open. You will find cardboard along the ground to use to go down faster. Lots of fun! read more

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We were exploring Santa Ana and came to see the super slide. After driving around the park I found out they took it out.

This place is great to take kids for real wildlife and nature. The nature center is amazing and staff is friendly! Story time on Fridays, easy parking and a true gem to orange county. read more