Trabuco Creek - Course

Course

Trabuco Creek begins in the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest, just west of the Orange–Riverside County border, at an elevation of 4,310 feet (1,310 m). The headwaters of the creek are in the large and deep Trabuco Canyon just north of 4,400-foot (1,300 m) Los Piños Peak and south of 4,604-foot (1,403 m) Trabuco Peak. The creek flows in this 2,000-foot (610 m) deep gorge for its first 4 miles (6.4 km), receiving Holy Jim and Falls Canyon creeks before it passes the unincorporated community of Trabuco Canyon, where Live Oak Canyon Creek joins from the right.

Once out of the mountains, Trabuco Creek changes from a swift mountain torrent to a meandering, braided stream crossing a wide sandy bed known as the "Plano Trabuco". After entering the city limits of Rancho Santa Margarita, the creek flows southwest through the long, narrow wilderness preserve of O'Neill Regional Park. It crosses under California State Route 241, a toll road that follows the western foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, and passes close to Lake Mission Viejo, a popular recreational lake in the city of Mission Viejo.

Still steadily bending southwards, Trabuco Creek is joined by Tijeras Canyon Creek from the left bank, then passes under a high bridge for Oso Parkway and leaves the southern boundary of the regional park. After passing Saddleback College, located near the southern junction of California State Route 73 and Interstate 5, the creek flows through a residential community and is diverted into twin culverts underneath the interstate.

The creek flows over two large man-made drop structures, the first of which marks the beginning of a small canyon that it flows through almost until it reaches downtown San Juan Capistrano. Passing into the northernmost extreme of San Juan Capistrano, it is joined by its largest tributary, Oso Creek, from the right. The creek flows south through orchards until it is forced into a concrete channel, passes by Mission San Juan Capistrano, and joins with San Juan Creek in downtown San Juan Capistrano.