Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park is one of the more "wild" of Orange County's wilderness parks. About seven miles east of San Juan Capistrano, Caspers borders the Cleveland National Forest on its east side, a private preserve to the north, lightly developed land to the south and mostly undeveloped (for the moment) land to the west. As a result, there is more wildlife, excellent plant diversity, and most of the time more solitude available to hikers, especially on the park's northeastern trails.

Caspers offers a good amount of wildlife besides the ubiquitous three "B"s (bugs, birds and bunnies). One can count on eventually encountering deer, lizards, snakes, and even tarantulas (especially in September and October). Skunks tend not to be too secretive - nor, in my experience, do they seem particularly anxious to turn and run. Bobcats frequent the park, as well as other mammals like foxes, racoons and weasels.

Of course the apex species in Caspers is the mountain lion. These beautiful animals nearly always prefer to have nothing to do with humans, but unfortunate incidents have occurred. We've hiked hundreds of miles in Caspers Wilderness Park and have never been fortunate enough to see a lion, but we've found many of their tracks. I have come to accept the common wisdom that even though I've never seen them, they've very likely seen me. With that in mind I think it's prudent to remind potential park visitors of best practices in the event one of these cats is encountered - stand tall, make yourself look as big as possible, make noise and throw stones - in other words present yourself as a threat. If hiking with small children always keep them close.

Caspers is also rich in reasonably undisturbed plant communities. There are some areas, mostly meadows, where invasive grasses have intruded, and parts of some of the ridgelines have been invaded by non-native thistles. But to a significant degree, the habitat is as this part of California should look.

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Caspers offers multiple hiking opportunities, most concentrated in several distinct areas of the park, and these can be combined to create a trip of just about any length the day-hiker might desire. Below we have described the main areas and linked to some representative hikes out of each. Go here for a complete list of our Guides for Caspers Wilderness Park.

Bell Canyon

Bell Canyon is probably the most popular hiking area in Caspers. The Bell Canyon trail leaves from the north end of the park road and travels through the Bell Creek watershed, paralleling the creek bed and eventually crossing it a few times. The trail is just under 2.5 miles one way and is fairly straight and flat, ending at the park's border with Starr Ranch, a private preserve. One can enjoy a satisfying hike and never leave Bell Canyon trail, but it's also possible to remain in the broad canyon and take a short loop on the Nature trail or stretch your legs and climb a bit by including a part of Oso trail, which ascends to a terrace, after which you can return along Cougar Pass.

But Bell Canyon is also important in that it offers access to some other areas of the park, including East Ridge, West Ridge, and the northern areas reached by following Oso trail. All of these places can be reached without traveling Bell Canyon, but most hikes which include them usually involves an outbound or inbound track along Bell. 

Cold Springs Canyon

Caspers stretches north and then northeast. Since there is only one legal point of entry - at the park's southern end - the northeastern trails are less traveled. Oso trail, which connects with Bell Canyon and Cougar Pass in the middle of the park, takes you all the way up to the north end. The San Juan Creek trail, as well as Juaneno trail which connects to it, also allows the hiker to access these trails.

However, there is another way to get to these trails. About four miles farther along Ortega Highway you come to Hot Springs Canyon Rd. (next to the San Juan Fire Station). Down this road a few hundred yards there is a gate in the fence on the left side - this is a trailhead for the north end of San Juan Creek trail. It is illegal to enter the park here except on days when there are events or programs. Consult the rangers at the entrance or the Nature Center to find out when this opportunity is available.

We refer to this northern section as the Cold Springs Canyon area. Although the entrance is from Hot Springs Canyon, and the initial access is along San Juan Creek trail, the Cold Springs Canyon trail is the main draw. There is often water in the creek, and the botany is different from elsewhere in the park. Take the loop for an introduction to the area. For a longer hike, you can arrange a shuttle and follow Cold Springs to Oso and then down to the Bell Canyon trailhead. 

San Juan Canyon

Both Ortega Highway (CA 74) and San Juan Creek travel along and through San Juan Canyon. And although taking San Juan Creek trail can be worthwhile, one should understand that time spent on this path is also time spent in proximity to Ortega Highway. But it's possible to get away from the noise and activity by taking either the Juaneño trail - which winds through the foothills of the range on the west side of San Juan Canyon, or Mesa Loop - which travels across former marine terraces on the east side of Ortega Highway, or both.

Juaneño trail, as well as some of the spurs that connect it to San Juan Creek, often meanders into and across San Juan Creek, which is nearly always dry. This is fun, though often sandy and rocky, rambling through interesting plant communities and rock aggregations. It's also often quite hot so hikes in this area are best planned for cloudy and cool days.

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Hiking in Caspers is about as enjoyable an experience as can be had in an Orange County wilderness park. It's a popular camping park, and so is an excellent place to introduce children to outdoor adventures. Just be careful, keep an eye on the kids, and do your best to leave no lasting trace of your presence.

(All photos by Laura Camp. Use without permission is not cool.)