Saddleback - Member Hike
| Hike Name: | Saddleback |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | California |
| Nearby Town: | Rancho Santa Margarita |
| Rating: |  |
| Directions: | Head up into Santiago Canyon by 4-wheel drive to the trail base of the beginning of "Holy Jim trail". This is the base of the mountain, which ultimately brings you to the summit of Santiago Peak. After about a 4,500 to 5,000 foot ascent! |
| Total Hike Distance: | 12.00 miles |
| Hike Difficulty: | Moderate to Difficult |
| Permit Required: | No |
| Hike Type: | In & Out, Backtrack Hike |
| Hike Starts/Ends: | Holy Jim Trail, O'Neal Park (?) Rancho Santa Margarita |
| Trails Used: | Holy Jim Trail, |
| Backcountry Campsites: | Yes |
| Backcountry Water Sources: | Streams |
| Management: | State Forest Service |
| Contact Information: | Unknown |
| Best Season: | Spring |
| Users: | Hikers |
| Road Conditions: | Four Wheel Drive Recommended |
| Hike Summary: | We made our way up Santiago Canyon in our BMW X3, All-Wheel-Drive, to the base of Holy Jim trail. This was the beginning of our hike. It took us about three and one half hours to , a 4,500 to maybe 5,000 foot ascent, to reach the summit the Santiago Peak. My wife Miki and I , Dr. Jeff Olsen, made the hike together. Once at the summit we got a stunning view of Orange and Riverside counties, as well as some of Los Angeles and San Bernadino counties! It was a fairly clear spring day. Miki made it far more comfortably than did I, as I ended up loosing all the toenails off my right foot ...and the two largest nails off of my left foot! It was the last two hours or so of our descent back down the mountain where my shoes were clearly too loosely fit and my toenails not sufficiently trimmed setting me up for the agonizing final mile or two! |
One reply on “Saddleback - Member Hike”
Wow…4500 – 5000 foot ascent huh…Thats a challange!