Trabuco Canyon, CA Real Estate

Trabuco Canyon

Trabuco Canyon is a small unincorporated community located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in eastern Orange County, California, north of Rancho Santa Margarita. It lies partly within the Cleveland National Forest. Plano Trabuco Road leads from the top of the Canyon, south, to the city of Rancho Santa Margarita. There are two year-round waterfalls up in the canyon, best reached by 4-wheel drive vehicles. The county’s O’Neill Regional park is in Trabuco and Live Oak Canyons; hiking and camping and nature walks are available here.

A landmark is the Trabuco Oaks Steak House, known for its good food; it was a favorite restaurant of President Richard Nixon – just don’t wear a tie or you will find it cut off and hung in the rafters! Another hangout is the small bar and café at Cook’s Corners, which has been featured in many movies. There is also a popular Mexican restaurant, Rose Canyon Cantina on Rose Canyon Road. A monastery of the Vedanta Society is also in the canyon, as well as the Trabuco Canyon Community Church.

Trabuco Canyon was the site of attempts to mine tin in the early 1900s. Remains of this activity are tunnels into the sides of the canyon, the stone foundation of an ore-processing mill, and some dams along the creek.

Homes in Trabuco Canyon include everything from rural cabins to opulent estates; town homes and condos, horse properties, family homes, large acreage, lots, land, ranches, second homes, and investment properties. The region contains several residential communities, including Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Rancho Cielo, Robinson Ranch, Wagon Wheel, and Walden, as well as rural Saddleback/Santiago Canyon real estate in the communities of Modjeska Canyon, Silverado Canyon, and Trabuco Canyon.

Searching for Trabuco Canyon homes and separating the communities in the area is difficult. Real Estate professionals frequently use "Trabuco Canyon" as a catch-all category for homes in Dove Canyon, Rancho Cielo, Walden, Robinson Ranch, etc., and they often miss-classify homes in these areas when entering information into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).