I have two copies of Jerry Schad's book, I have another copy of the very, very old "Santa Ana Mountains Trail Guide" by Kenneth S. Croker (Fourth Addition from Aug 1991
Though not much has changed over the years there are some trials that are not in the books. The books typically divide the main area's into three sections, Saddleback to the 91 Freeway, Ortega to Saddleback and then South of Ortega. Or north, central and south (with the south being considered the San Mateo wilderness area).
Schad's book divide's them further into M-1 (the north main section), M-2 the Middle section) and M-3 the southern section with some overlap in each (why he does this is a mystery), he goes on to sub-divide the foothills that lead into the mountains as F-3, F-4, F-5 (west side with overlaps into M-1 and M-2 and F-6 is over on the east side south of Lake Smells-some-more and leads into the east side of M-3. These sub-divided sections are just county parks or city parks that sit at lower elevations that are great for family outings that don't require the full day to tackle.
Sections F-1 and F-2 are Chino Hills State Park and those other parks that sit inside Anaheim Hills and the city of Orange.
There are over 70 hikes in the Santa Ana's that can be found in both books, the main thing to remember is that water is a problem, yes you can find it at low elevations but above 1,500 feet it becomes more and more scarce but it's out there. Like the front range on the San Gab's there's plenty of poison oak and for half the year it's hot out there.
The other thing to remember is that certain trails get extensive use by mountain bikers, you can tell right away by the rutting, but also remember that they use all the trails, not just the primary one's. The location to the suburbs' gives easy access to a very large number of a healthy group of individuals, so be vigilant about watching out and be very vocal on the trails as they come down the trails super fast sometimes.
Schad's book is onsale
here for a dollar 99.
Croker's book is much harder to find as it's out of print but you can start
here
And you can find copies of Schad's book online where you can view some of the contents before buying the book.
If you need any BETA on any trail feel free to ask.
Sam Page and I have done quite a few of the trails on the west side. Some of which are not listed in the books, but have become favorites over the years, one of which is "Bell Ridge to Los Pinos Peak"
Look forward to seeing you in the neighborhood
Lilbitmo
Been in Glendale/Pasadena/Eagle Rock/Tujunga/La Crescenta pretty much since 1962 but time to move.
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