Santa Ana Canyon, or the Santa Ana Narrows, is the water gap where the Santa Ana River passes between the Santa Ana Mountains and the Chino Hills near the junction of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Once crossed by an Indian trail used by Benjamin Wilson in 1845 and later by trappers, hunters, prospectors, and miners heading to Big Bear during the 1860 gold rush, it became a vital route until flood damage in 1916. Today it is one of Southern California’s most important transportation corridors, carrying major highways, rail lines, and a bicycle path, while also remaining vulnerable to destructive wildfires.