Southern Orange County's view across a sea of development toward Saddleback is a rugged reminder of wilder times. Forming the saddle at 5,687 and 5,496 feet respectively, Santiago and Modjeska peaks mark the highest, and most visible, points in the 35-mile-long Santa Ana Mountain Range. The Acjachemen people considered Saddleback sacred and maintained settlements in the area before Spanish explorers arrived. Early pioneers encountered thick, almost impenetrable, chaparral and the densest grizzly bear population in the state. While Acjachemen legend held that the grizzly would punish transgressors against nature, the last one in Southern California (a female misnamed Little Black Bear) was ultimately shot and killed in 1908. Saddleback's history embodies the age-old struggle of civilization against nature, a constant testament to our quest to KEEP IT WILD!