A Fitting Tribute and Valued Resource : Riley Wilderness Park Offers the Greatest Amenity of All--a Natural Getaway

Orange County residents are in for a treat next weekend. The park at the end of Oso Parkway will open, with a new name, trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riders, and above all a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle for a while.

For years the 475 acres was known as Wagon Wheel Canyon Park, a gift to Orange County from the Coto de Caza Corp., developers of the community by that name. The problem with the park was that it was virtually impossible to reach without trespassing. The three-mile extension of Oso Parkway enabling traffic to reach the park opened only last month.

Supervisors have renamed the park for one of their own, Thomas F. Riley, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general who is leaving the Board of Supervisors next month after a 20-year career. It is a fitting tribute to a man with a deep love for parks and wilderness areas and who insisted that developers include open spaces in the communities they built.

Wisely, the acreage has been designated a wilderness park, meaning there will be only a minimum of facilities. No playgrounds, no hookups for recreational vehicles. Those are available in other parks. The Riley Wilderness Park is due to open next Saturday with hayrides, tours and refreshments. The park will have the trails and some paved roads, a few exhibits and some picnic tables. Oh, yes. A few portable toilets too.

The heavy development of Orange County in recent decades has removed natural areas and forced people to travel farther to glimpse birds and wildlife. The paving of grasslands and leveling of hills was inevitable; without it, there would not have been houses for newer Orange County residents. Yet there is no denying that we have lost a part of the county and must be vigilant to preserve what open space we can. The park will be a fitting addition to the county’s inventory of areas that allow residents to slip the bonds of civilization, at least temporarily.