The El Modena Open Space is a compact little park where there are trails that offer both good workouts and good views.
As is often the case with hikes that are conveniently located, this trip suffers from the noise of nearby roads (the last mile of the loop is on Cannon Street), but there are a good variety of views, including most of northwest Orange County and the Santa Anas, and on clear days, Catalina, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, downtown L.A., the San Gabriels and even a little bit of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Location: East end of the city of Orange.
• From the 55 freeway, take the Chapman exit and go east for 2 miles.
• Take a left on Cannon St. and go 1.3 miles.
• Take a left on Patria Court and park on the side of the street.
• Alternately, take the 91 freeway to Imperial Highway and drive south for 3.9 miles (Imperial becomes Cannon along the way) and turn right onto Patria Court.