Santiago Canyon Real Estate
Modjeska
Canyon, Silverado Canyon, & Trabuco Canyon, homes and real
estate
The Santiago
Canyons are unlike any other place in Orange County, CA. In
these rustic canyon communities, you are minutes away from
freeways, shopping, and the major cities, yet you feel like
you are living in a different world. Mature landscape, vintage
cabins, freedom from homeowners' associations, and miles of
open space, separate these areas from all other communities in
Orange County. If you are looking for a true
"getaway" location that is surrounded by nature, yet
is only a few miles from traditional urban living, a home in
the Santiago Canyons may be for you. You can learn about the
history of the canyons here.
The Santiago
Canyons include Modjeska, Silverado, & Trabuco Canyons, as
well as number of minor canyons, including Holy Jim, Ladd,
Rose, Harding, Black Star, and Williams Canyons. They are located at
the base of the Saddleback mountains in South Orange County,
CA. and because of this, the area is also known as Saddleback
Canyon. Surrounded largely by the Cleveland National Forest
and the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve, the area is dotted with
ancient live oaks, majestic sycamores, seasonal streams, and
picturesque views. Homes and real estate in Modjeska,
Silverado, and Trabuco Canyons range from decades-old cabins,
rustic bungalows, modest family homes, impressive ranches, and
equestrian estates. No condos or town homes here, but you will
find single family cabins, fixer-uppers, bank owned, horse
properties, and custom homes for sale, lease, rent, as well as
land. Cabins in the
Cleveland National Forest and build able lots can be found
here.
The canyons have a
lot of wonderful attributes but they are not for everyone. If
you haven't been out to Orange County's canyon communities,
it's a good idea to take a drive around the canyons and get to
know the area before requesting any home showings. Prices
for homes in the canyons may often be lower than comparable
homes in the suburbs. Please keep in mind however, that many
canyon homes are older (1930s to 1950s). These homes may be in
need of maintenance or rehabilitation; especially if the price
looks too good to be true. It is also not unusual to discover
that a canyon home has additions that were done long ago (and
often without permits). This can often be uncovered when the
County tax records indicate a smaller square footage than is
advertised in the MLS. If you decide to buy a canyon
home, it is always advisable to get a professional home
inspection. Be sure the inspection includes
checking the electrical panel and wiring, roof, foundation,
exterior drainage (especially near slopes), and the septic
system. Some of these additional inspections may be at an
extra cost, but they are well advised.
Modjeska
Canyon
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Modjeska
Canyon is best known for Arden,
the Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens, plus the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, a local nature
preserve. Modjeska Canyon is located off of Santiago
Canyon Road between Silverado (east) and Trabuco
(west) Canyons. This area has many newer single
family and luxury homes, as well as decades-old
cabins. The following links contain searches for
Modjeska Canyon real estate, homes for sale, lease, and rent, as well as lots and land, and
bank owned properties. |
Search Modjeska Canyon homes for
sale
Silverado
Canyon
| Historic
Silverado Canyon was once home to silver mining in the
1800s. Most of the homes here, were built in the 1930s
or 1950s, giving this canyon a rustic feel. Silverado
Canyon is the eastern most canyon of the three, and is
closest to the North Orange County cities of Orange
and Villa Park. Listed under Silverado Canyon are also
the areas of Santiago Canyon Estates, Wildcat Canyon,
and Williams Canyon. Use the following links to find
Silverado Canyon homes for sale, lease, lease option,
and rent, plus lots, land, acreage, and bank owned
homes or houses. Silverado Canyon Realty. Call me if
you are interested in Silverado Canyon real estate. |
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Search
Silverado Canyon homes for sale
Trabuco
Canyon
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Trabuco
Canyon runs along the length of Live Oak Canyon Road.
It is easy to reach from both Lake Forest (via El Toro
Road) and Rancho Santa Margarita (via Plano Trabuco
Road). A notable landmark on the north side of Trabuco
Canyon is Cook's Corner, a weekend biker bar that was
originally a military barracks, brought over and put
in place at the mouth of the canyon. At the opposite
end is O'Neil Regional Park, as well as Rose Canyon
Cantina and Trabuco Oaks Steak House. It is the canyon
closest to the South Orange county cities of Rancho
Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, and Lake Forest.
Trabuco Canyon includes many smaller canyons and
whimsical roads, such as Rose Canyon, Holy Jim Canyon,
Hunky Dory Road, Hamilton Trail, and Mountain View
Road. It is also close to Live Oak Canyon Sables, a
local horse boarding facility. Use the following links to find Trabuco Canyon
real estate and homes for sale, lease, and rent, plus
lots, land, acreage, and bank owned (REO) homes or
houses. |
Search
Trabuco Canyon homes for sale *
* Some
of the Trabuco Canyon homes listed may be just outside of the
canyon in neighboring housing tracts
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Misc
Canyon Searches |
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All
canyon properties may be used as horse properties, assuming
enough room on the lot. There are several properties with
horse facilities along Mountain View Road n Trabuco Canyon. There are also a good number of vacant
lots
available. Many may already have utility and water lines to the
property. Permits to build may be challenging however, and you
should check with the County of Orange on how long it will
take to get permits approved.
There are never many homes for
lease or rent in the canyons. The few that do come up on the
MLS will be listed below. It's always a good idea to take a
drive through the canyon's' winding roads to be sure that this
is the area you would like to call home. In fact, I will not
show a home in the canyons unless you are very familiar with
the area. Note:
I have a new FAQ page for buying and building on lots in the
canyons here. Please
visit this page if you are thinking of buying a lot in the
canyons.
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Other
Canyons |
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Hamilton
Oaks is a gated community of custom homes in Trabuco Canyon, not far
from Cooks Corner. It is the home of Hamilton
Oaks Vineyards, a small, family-owned canyon
winery. There are never many homes for sale in Hamilton Oaks,
but they are definitely worth seeing when one comes on the market. Many
of the homes are large and they are also on generous
(sometimes multi-acre) lots. It is also a great, though
relatively unknown, horse property area with miles of trails.
Please contact me if you are interested in getting a list of
homes for sale in Hamilton Oaks.
Harding
Canyon is
a small canyon off of Modjeska Canyon (see Modjeska Canyon
map) . There are a few homes that occasionally come up for
sale in this canyon.
Jackson
Canyon is
a small canyon off of Santiago Canyon road. There are a few
homes that occasionally come up for sale in this canyon.
Ladd
Canyon is
a small canyon off of Silverado Canyon (see Silverado Canyon
map). There are a few homes that occasionally come up for sale
in this canyon.
Modjeska
Grade A hillside area of custom homes off of Santiago Canyon road
and connecting with Modjeska Canyon. Many of the homes on
Modjeska Grade are elaborate custom homes with large lots and
magnificent views, due to the hillside location.
Rose
Canyon - A sub-canyon of Trabuco Canyon (see Trabuco Canyon map). Rose canyon does have homes that occasionally come up for
sale. It is also the location of Rose
Canyon Cantina,
a fine, indoor and outdoor Mexican restaurant, and also the Joplin
Youth Center a
juvenile correctional facility. The road is owned by the homeowners and can be a bit rough, but I heard that they like it that way, as they don't want any expansion of the Joplin Youth Center (that would reqire a better road),
Santiago
Canyon Estates is
a community of luxury tract homes built
in the late 1990s, and located off of Santiago Canyon Road,
past Cooks
Corner. You can search for homes for sale in
Santiago Canyon Estates by searching Silverado Canyon homes for
sale.These are not actually canyon-style homes, but more like luxury tract homes.
Williams
Canyon is a small
canyon located off of Santiago Canyon Road, between the
entrances of Modjeska and Silverado Canyons. An enclave of
large lots, horse property, and custom homes, Williams Canyon
homes, lots, and real estate can be searched by using the Search
Silverado Canyon homes for sale link.There are many nice homes in this canyon so it's worth searching there if you are looking in the canyons,.
Black
Star Canyon Located off of
Santiago Canyon Road and at the mouth of Silverado Canyon.
This canyon has a mysterious nature and its
colorful, often dark history has given rise to a whole host of
urban legends and ghost stories throughout the Orange County
area. It is a popular destination for mountain bikers due to
its scenery and the fact that its main access road is closed
to automobile traffic. There are no homes for sale in this
canyon. You'll sometimes find a lot or two for sale in Blackstar, and usually at pretty low cost. But don't be fooled. It's nearly impossible to build in this canyon.There are no paved roads, no utilities, no fire protection.
Holy Jim
Canyon is on Fedrral land, so no actual real estate exists there. It's located in Trabuco Canyon on the other side of
a rugged five-mile dirt road known as Trabuco Creek Road.
Popular with hikers and mountain bikers, this canyon is the
home to several dozen recreational cabins located on National
Forest land. The cabins are have a renewable 20 permit (lease)
on the land but the structures are privately owned and a few
do come up for sale occasionally. They are
intended for recreational use only however, and full-time occupancy
is not really allowed. Holy Jim Canyon cabins for sale
in the Cleveland National Forest are typically listed under Trabuco
Canyon. Cabins have addresses listed as
either Holy Jim Road or Trabuco Creek Road. .
You can read more about cabins in Holy Jim here.
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Canyon
Maps
(click to enlarge
photos)
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Map of
the canyons |
Map of Silverado Canyon |
Map of Modjeska Canyon |
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Map of
Trabuco Canyon |
Detail
of Trabuco Canyon North |
Detail
of Trabuco Canyon South |
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Photo Album
(Click to enlarge photos)
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Scenery along Trabuco
Oaks Road |
Flowers in
bloom in Rose Canyon |
"Downtown"
Trabuco Canyon |
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Trabuco Canyon
General Store |
Another
shot of the general store |
Bus stop in Trabuco
Canyon |
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Along
the road to Holy Jim Canyon |
Street
scene in Silverado Canyon |
Mountain
biking |
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All
photos � Ron Denhaan |
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Important
Articles
Modjeska,
Silverado, and Trabuco Canyon links
| Silverado Elementary School is a small school located on Santiago Canyon blvd very
close to Silverado Canyon. (Regrettably, this
school has been closed). |
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to Top
I will be glad to help you buy, sell,
or lease a home or help you locate Modjeska Canyon, Silverado
Canyon, Trabuco Canyon, Santiago Canyon, or Saddleback Canyon
real estate and ranches for sale. Please call me to discuss your needs!
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