Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
Perimeter Trail
From west park boundary to Camel Hill is 1.5 miles round trip with 100-foot elevation gain
Located in the northwest corner of Orange County on the Buena Park/Fullerton border, this park owes its origin to our fascination with fossils. It seems twelve thousand years or so ago, the ring-tailed cat, ground sloth, and ancient mammoth roamed a region of meadows, marshes and woodlands, an environment altogether different from present-day Orange County.
Extensive fossil beds were discovered when sand and gravel was excavated during the 1950s and 60s for construction of the Santa Ana and Riverside freeways by the  California Division of Highways (now Caltrans). Paleontologists identified the remains of prehistoric whales, bison and even a camel. By public demand, Emery Borrow Pit, as the excavation site was known, was purchased by Orange County in 1974, opened as Los Coyotes Regional Park in 1981, and later renamed for Ralph B. Clark, a county supervisor.
Exhibits in the park interpretive center tell the intriguing tale of prehistoric Orange County. The discovery of turtles, tapirs, turkeys and an unusual number of vertebrates prompted some researchers to mention the site in the same breath with the legendary La Brea Tar Pits. Other exhibits suggest what the OC was like from way, way back in time—the Pleistocene period of 100,000 years ago and the Late Cretaceous period of 75 million years ago.
The park also provides lots of ball fields and a lake stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish. Hikers have Perimeter Trail, which winds halfway around the park, some dirt paths around Camel Hill, plus some cement walkways that lead to the lake and picnic grounds. Perimeter Trail is that rare county trail is that is not multi-use; no bikes are allowed!
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Directions to trailhead: From the Santa Ana Freeway (5) in Buena Park, exit on Beach Boulevard and drive 2.2 miles north to Rosecrans Ave. (Or from the Artesia Freeway (91), exit on Beach Boulevard and drive 3 miles north to Rosecrans.) Turn right (east)and head 0.5 mile to the entrance of Ralph P. Clark Regional Park on the right. Turn right on the park road, then right again just past the tennis courts. Park in the lot located by the tennis courts or curbside along the park road. Perimeter Trail extends along the top of an embankment, where the park borders a neighborhood.
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The hike: Head south on Perimeter Trail. Pine trees partially screen the trail from the nearby housing and park maintenance yard. The trail bends east, staying with the boundary between the park and neighborhoods.
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Perimeter Trail meets a dirt road leading up Camel Hill which in turn divides. The left branch climbs right up the hill while the right branch circles around the back side of the hill. Choose either one and gain the top. Enjoy the good clear-day views of northern Orange County and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Two dirt trails descend Camel Mountain: one path descends alongside Rosecrans to the northern end of the softball diamonds; a second path drops more directly to the south side of the ball diamonds.
Make your way to the interpretive center, tucked between Elephant Hill and the lake. After learning about Orange County’s fossil record, walk past playgrounds and picnic grounds back to the trailhead.
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