Mule Deer Trail winds past oaks and cactus patches into the heart of the park. A bit of wooden boardwalk helps hikers over a sometimes-soggy meadow. The path climbs gently into a coastal sage scrub area. At a signed junction, detour north one-fifth of a mile to ascend the bald ridge capped by Skink Vista Point. Return to the junction and descend briefly but steeply on Oak Canyon Trail.
Seasonal rains fill an old cattle pond that today is a watering hole for animals.
Two short loops off Oak Canyon Trail add to the hiker's perspective. A final quarter-mile of northward travel returns you to the trail head. . From Interstate 5 in Mission Viejo, exit on Oso Parkway and travel a bit more than six miles east. Just before the parkway ends at a junction with Coto de Caza Drive, turn right at the signed entrance for Gen. Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park. Follow the park's gravel access road to a parking area and signed trails.