Ash Scattering over Disneyland
“Can you scatter my loved one’s ashes over Disneyland?”
This is a question we get a lot. Understandably, many people have wonderful memories of Disneyland. Many people wish to have their ashes scattered in a place that is meaningful to them and a place their families can return to when they want to feel close to their loved one. There have been several articles this week in the local and national papers about people getting caught trying to scatter ashes at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.
Unfortunately, we are not able to scatter ashes over Disneyland, but we have a good alternative. More on that later. State Law says we have to have written permission from the land owner or governing agency. It is considered a misdemeanor to scatter without this permission. Any request to Disney for this would be met with an emphatic ”no”. Also, there is a flight restriction over Disneyland. Pilots cannot fly over Disneyland unless specifically directed to do so by Air Traffic Control.
We do have a good option for you – scattering over the Santa Ana Mountains, also known as Saddleback. This mountain range is on the west end of Orange County. It has two large peaks, Santiago Peak at just over 4000 feet and Pleasant Peak at just under 6000 feet. These two peaks make up the “Saddle” in “Saddleback”. It is home to the Cleveland National Forest, and actually gets snow this time of year. We have permission from a property owner to scatter cremated remains here. The location where we do the scattering is on the west slope of the mountain range, close to Pleasant Peak. From this location, one can overlook the southern California beaches, Catalina Island, and all of Orange County including Disneyland. Since it is on the western slope, sunsets are a nightly phenomenon. This is a beautiful place. In fact, this mountain range is viewable from almost anywhere in Orange County at any time, you just need to look east.
Scattering flights can be done unwitnessed, witnessed,or by a private flight. In the unwitnessed flight we take off from Fullerton Airport. Family members will be invited to the airport to witness the take off. For the witnessed flight, families can view the scattering from a O’Neill Park in Trabuco Canyon. Families can gather at the Mesa Day Use Area and look up towards Pleasant Peak to view the plane as it is scattering. On a private flight, any family members wishing to participate as crew on the scattering flight will depart with us from Fullerton Airport. Once over Saddleback, one of the family members will pull the lever to release the ashes. While flying, the aircraft crew can look towards the west and see Disneyland.