Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park

Located in the foothills of San Juan Capistrano, lies beautiful Caspers Regional Park.  Perhaps best known for a 1986 mountain lion attack,  this park has over 8,000 acres of riparian woodlands including oaks, canyons and mountain vistas.   In the early 1970's, the park was established through the efforts of Ronald W. Casper and others and over the years it has grown through acquisitions to its current size.  This park offers something for everyone from secluded campgrounds to an equestrian center to an extensive 35 mile trail network.

Before heading to the park , I tried to research trail access for biking and couldn't find much so I rolled the dice and headed out with only a trail map in hand.  After paying a $4.00 weekend toll,  I was happy to find a  ranger who was more than helpful with trail suggestions.  Actually I was told that over 70% of the trails are open to biking so that was encouraging.  Of course  I wasn't able to explore the entire park in a single morning  but I soon found out there is  some nice riding in the park.   The trail we took started going up the  East  Ridge Trail ( trailhead located across from the Live Oak Grove campground ) and then heading down the Sun Rise Trail and then back to our starting point via the Bell Canyon Trail. 

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A nice view of the park taken from the Sun Rise Trail heading down into Bell Canyon.  Let me warn you the East Ridge Trail is bit of a grunt at least from the direction we came from starting at the campground.  This is a hilly place to say the least.  If you don't like climbing stay in the canyon.

No need to drive to the desert to see wildflowers.  The timing was perfect  after a  winter of decent rainfall.  

The shot was taken along the Bell Canyon Trail.  This trail makes a great up and back with a few challenges along the way. 

Needless to say, along the canyon trail you will find  sites like these.  With all the development in the canyons of Orange County,  its nice to know  a few of the mighty oaks will  be preserved for future generations.   

A sign of how things used to be.  This area was once covered by the Pacific Ocean, then came the Indians, then the ranchers and the rest is history. 

Well sorry folks, but will  have to leave the rest for you to discover.  As I mentioned, my suggestion is to ride the Bell Canyon Trail up and back  and if you are feeling your oats check out the East Ridge Trail or even the Oso Trail that runs to the back of the park.  This park was no disappointment and I strongly suggest checking it out or why not bring the camping gear and make a weekend out of it.  See you on the trails!

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