This Bit of the Great Outdoors Isn’t Out of the Way

When you’re longing for a taste of the outdoors but don’t want to drive very far, O’Neill Regional Park is a good place to visit.

This hilly park, home to oak and sycamore woodlands, is on Orange County’s eastern border. But it seems worlds away from the bustle of Anaheim or Santa Ana.

10 to 10:20: Park inside O’Neill’s lot--you’ll pay a $2 fee--and walk over to Live Oak Canyon Stables, just across the road.

The stables offer guided, hourlong horseback tours of the park for $20 a person. Two trails, of the highlands and lowlands, are available.

Even if you don’t rent a horse, the stately animals trotting around these corrals are worth a look.

10:20 to noon: Rangers will give you a map at the entrance to the park. Choose a path--the Mesa area or Oak Grove--and you’re off.

The Mesa offers an uphill walk and some spectacular views of the foothills.

Oak Grove, a level pathway, has a jungle gym, swings and slides. There is also an arboretum at the far end.

We chose the Mesa for our walk, which was a bit more than an hour long, one way, with several stops to view the foothills below.

One warning about the Mesa walk: It is bordered by a condominium development to the south, so the feeling of getting away from it all is hard to sustain. But if you keep looking left (northward), you’ll be fine.

One particular beauty of the Mesa walk is the old craggy oaks. Many have dropped branches that are big enough themselves to be mature trees. These are easy trees to climb, and their strong foundations lead to daydreams of treehouses.

If you choose to take the Oak Grove path instead, an exit at the far end of the park allows you to walk over to Rose Canyon Road and Senor Lico’s restaurant.

From the Mesa path, you would have to scramble down a steep hill to exit, so it’s best to plan to walk back to the park entrance and take Trabuco Canyon Road to Senor Lico’s.

Noon to 1: Senor Lico’s is a charming restaurant, with prices from $7 to $10 for Mexican entrees. American dishes, such as hamburgers, are slightly less.

The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating. The tables behind the restaurant are quiet and shaded by huge oaks.

The fajitas and shrimp tostada were very good. But the service was a little slow on the day we visited, so be prepared to relax and spend some time.

1. O’Neill Regional Park

30892 Trabuco Canyon Road

(714) 858-9365

Open for day use from 7 a.m. to sunset; camping registration from 7 a.m. to noon.

2. Live Oak Canyon Stables

31101 Live Oak Canyon Road

(714) 858-9922

Horse rentals and guided tours, weekends, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3. Senor Lico’s Mexican restaurant

Rose Canyon Road

(714) 858-0724

Open Monday to Thrusday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 4 t 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

PARKING: There is on-site parking at O’Neill for $2 a car. Restaurant parking is free.