Editor’s Note: This is part of a monthly feature on notable regional parks in Orange County, which is rich with places to get outside and have fun with the family and explore nature.
Roman and Cristina Cota enjoy weekly 3-mile walks in nature.
“That first whiff of pines,” Roman explained, is invigorating.
The couple drives only a few miles from their Whittier home to a “hidden wilderness” nestled at the foot of Coyote Hills in Buena Park: Ralph B. Clark Regional Park.
Clark Regional Park’s 104 acres include an open grass area with sports fields and a human-made fishing lake stocked with catfish from March through October and trout from November through February. It also features a horseshoe pit (bring your own horseshoes), three playgrounds, including one with a small rock climbing wall, and climbing rocks packed with fossils for kids to discover.
The treat for many visitors, however, is a 1.1-mile dirt trail, nestled between dense trees and native foliage, that snakes along the park’s perimeter.
From above, there’s a view of the park’s bright green fields and stunning sandstone cliffs to the north. Benches along the way invite walkers to sit, take a breather from everyday life, and perhaps ponder the area’s history.
Laura Sanchez and Miguel Rodriguez share a romantic day together in the lush greenery of Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kevin Domagas gets his weekly steps in at Buena Park’s Clark Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Children from Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in L.A., visit Clark Park’s Interpretive Center where they look at fossils and pose for a photo inside a replica of a megalodon jaw on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The center holds the largest collection of fossils from OC in OC, said Sarah Hoemke, a resource specialist. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) David Servin, a grocery store manager, fiinds fishing at Clark Park’s lake a relaxing way to spend his lunch break on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) David Lucero, left, and his long-time friend, Jimmy McGowen, play horseshoes at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. The retired carpenters usually walk the park’s trails but discovered the horseshoe area recently. They say the park is a peaceful paradise.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Two-year-old Samuel Aguilera gets a dose of adrenaline as he whips down the slide at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. His mother, Rebecca, says she likes that the park has three playgrounds.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A blue bird stands out in the green grass at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Eugene Bryant helps his son and namesake, Eugene, play on the monkey bars while his daughter, London Love, plays nearby. The family was visiting from Sacramento when they decided to stop at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Roman and Cristina Cota disappear into the greenery as they walk the trails at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A Western fence lizard, with a blue neck and belly, sits appropriately on a fence at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Wendy Cha stands under a tree and reads “The Four Agreements,” a spiritual self-help book, while barbecuing with her parents at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. She is visiting from Portland but grew up in Orange County and says she has “nostalgic” memories of going to the same park as a child. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A gosling eats grass with its mother nearby at Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Roman and Cristina Cota of Whittier say they like the hidden wilderness feel and dirt trails at Clark Park in Buena Park as they walk three miles on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) A goose squawks when a visitor to Clark Park invades its space in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Alex Gron, 4, left, and his new friend, Samuel Aguilera, 2, look for fossils on a rock in Clark Park during an outing with their mothers on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 15Laura Sanchez and Miguel Rodriguez share a romantic day together in the lush greenery of Clark Park in Buena Park on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) Expand
More than 10,000 years ago, this part of today’s Orange County was inhabited by mammoths, ground sloths and ring-tailed cats that roamed marshes, grassy meadows, and oak woodlands.
When the California Division of Highways was building the I-5 and 91 freeways from 1956 to 1973, workers used sand and gravel from the area, then the Emery Borrow Pit. They discovered rich fossil beds there. Those beds have been preserved, but can only be visited during scheduled guided programs.
The significance of the site led to public demand that it be preserved, according to an OC Parks website. As a result, Orange County acquired the property in 1974 and opened Los Coyotes Regional Park in 1981. Six years later, it was renamed after retiring County Supervisor Ralph B. Clark, who was also an urban environmentalist. He died in 2009 at 92.
The park’s interpretive center, which reopened in 2023 after an $800,000 renovation, gives visitors access to some of the county’s collection of fossils and artifacts, many uncovered in the park but also elsewhere in Orange County. A fishbowl lab lets visitors watch how the fossils are prepared for research and display.
The center is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
On a recent weekday, the park had a steady flow of diverse visitors.
Retired carpenters and long-time buddies Jimmy McGowen and David Lucero were pitching horseshoes. They usually walk around the park’s three miles of paved and unpaved trails.
“It’s a peaceful little paradise,” Lucero said.
Wendy Cha was standing beneath a tree reading a spiritual self-help book. The Portland resident was visiting her parents, who were grilling lunch near a park bench. “I like taking in all the greenery and nature,” the former Orange County resident said. “There’s not much sun in Portland.”
Meanwhile, grocery manager David Servin used his lunch break to get in some catch-and-release fishing.
“I find it relaxing,” he said, although he didn’t have much luck catching.
Four-year-old Alex Gron and 2-year-old Samuel Aguilera were looking for fossils in boulders. They explored together like two old friends, although they had just met.
Alex’s mother, Nancy Gron, remembered climbing on the same rocks her son now scurried over.
“My mom had six kids so she took us here a lot,” she said. “I’ve come full circle.”
Get outside
Location: 8800 Rosecrans Ave., Buena Park
Hours: Open 365 days a year, 7 a.m. to sunset
Amenities:
• Amphitheater
• Barbeques
• Baseball fields
• Family picnic area
• Lake for fishing: Five-fish catch limit for catfish and trout. California fishing license required for anyone over 16.
• Hiking trails
• Horseshoe pits
• Interpretive Center
• Model sail boating
• Three playgrounds/tot lots, one featuring a small climbing wall
• Restrooms
• Tennis courts
• Volleyball courts
Parking fees: $3 per vehicle weekdays; $5 weekends
For more information and schedule of planned events: ocparks.com/clarkpark
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