Let me start with directions. East of the Main Place Mall and behind the Mother's Market center there is a walking and biking trail. Drive on Memory Lane which runs parallel to the trail and turn right into the small driveway for the Santiago Creek Wildlife and Watershed Center.
You'll see the recently built nature center to the right. Park in the dirt along the riverbed.
Follow the road a few feet to find the slides under the shade of a few large eucalyptus trees. There are two slides. The one to the right is the smaller of the two.
The large slide on the left is a beauty - just waiting for a family to slide down. Don't forget to bring wax paper or a piece of cardboard to sit on. You want to go faster don't you? Some daredevils try to go down the slides on bikes, skateboards, and even Tonka trucks. You'll even notice a few dings and dents on the slides.
Here's a view from the top of the larger slide. Looks pretty fun, right? See the bottom? It's past the last bit of shade- probably more than 25 feet down. Of course, many first-timers use the old-fashioned extended leg foot brake method the entire way down.
We've been coming to the slides for years. The slide steps and platform used to be in pretty bad shape and the park wasn't maintained as well as it is now. So I started telling a spooky little story about an overcast, cloudy day at the park and a girl who disappeared on the slide and whose voice can still be heard if you...
Sorry, time's up.
Story or no story the super secret slides are some of the best slides still around in Orange County. Just try to keep it sort of a secret, okay? And make it there before Santa Ana's insurance company or law firm suggests knocking it down.
The larger slide is 50 feet and the smaller slide is 30 feet! Like the nature center facebook to see what other fun activities are taking place at the park! https://www.facebook.com/SantiagoCreekWatershedCenter
ReplyDelete