Caspers Wilderness Park

30Jul07 | 1 comments

Many years ago, on a beautiful fall day, I went on a hike in Caspers Wilderness park with a friend. We decided to take a trail that was on the map but in real life was a narrow path of beaten down tall grass. We didn't get far before we ran into our first Tarantula. There wasn't any room to go around, so we jumped over the huge furry spider. After walking a few more feet, there was another one. This continued on for the entire short path down the hill. Even along the dirt path that paralleled Ortega highway, we saw plenty of Tarantulas. From that day on I dubbed that hill "Tarantula Hill". Later I found out that fall is the mating season for tarantulas, otherwise I'd never see them.

Caspers Wilderness park is one of the best Orange County parks to go hiking, camping, birdwatching, horseback riding and more. Located off Ortega Highway just a few miles up from the intersection of Antonio Parkway and Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano, it is right below the Cleveland National Forest in the Santa Ana Moutain Range.

My daughter has been asking to go hiking and camping for awhile so I decided an easy group hike would be the safest and most enjoyable. Finding a Kid friendly hike in Orange County isn't as easy as it would seem. But, as I was checking out events at OC Parks, I found out that Casper's has a naturalist led easy hike every Sunday morning at 8:30am. Perfect! So my daughter packed my binoculars, and off we went.

Apparently they are short staffed right now, and no Ranger showed up to lead the hike. No problem, a father was there with 5 boys of various ages (3-12 I'm guessing) and they decided to hike it anyway. So we tagged along. Before we left, a check of the bulletin board brought back memories from 20 years ago. There had been a sighting of a Moutain Lion in the area just a few days ago. Sightings of Mountain Lions in Orange county, especially Caspers are common, but hiking in moutain lion country with a five year old does make you a little nervous.



I remembered Laura Small, the five year old who was mauled in the park in 1986. Most of the park was closed to kids until 1997 when the ban was lifted. My daughter is only five and the other kids walking with us are quite young. So the group needed to stay close together. Especially since this trail is near the area where mountain lions are most often sighted. I love the wilderness and I love mountain lions, but I also have a very healthy respect for them. I'm not taking any chances, my daughter was glued to my hip.



As we started the hike, I spotted two deer running across the dirt road. Unfortunately for my daughter, that was about it for the wildlife viewing she was anticipating. There are alot of wonderfully huge and twisted Live Oak trees along one section and it makes the trail quite shady. We frequently had to make room for groups of horseback riders heading further up the canyon. As we left the shade of the oaks, we passed through a poison oak field.



Then we crossed over a dry creek bed and proceeded to follow the trail as it winded through a cactus field. Most of the cacti had the remnants of a yellow flower on their leaf. I made a mental note to find out when the cacti bloom and come back for an early morning or sunset photography hike.



As we moved along further, we disturbed a flock of morning doves who loudly flew out of our way. Just as you start feeling warmed up, the hike is over.

The little nature hike trail is basically flat and takes about 20 minutes though with a Ranger it is suppose to take about an hour. It's a nice introduction to hiking and the wilderness for a small child. However, it would've been even better had the Ranger showed up to point out more interesting flora and fauna. And of course it is essential for safety reasons to go in a group and keep your kids very close by. They don't call it a 'wilderness' park for nothing.



While there, we decided to check out the nature center. The nature center provides hands on animal educational opportunities for small kids. It is really set up nice and made up for the lack of wildlife sightings on the hike that so dissappointed my daughter. They have mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, hawks, owls, snakes, deer, and so many more animals on display. They also have animal sounds, track samples, scat samples, and pelts to touch and feel. There's more than you would think and it is Well worth the visit. The volunteers staffing the center will be glad to answer your questions.

Someday, we'd like to just camp out there for a weekend. It is a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of Orange county without having to drive a long distance. Most of the campsites look shady and clean and the kids would also get a the chance to experience the Saturday Night Campfire Program.



Another opportunity for a kid-friendly group hike in Orange County is through REI. They have a couple events listed, two of which are local:
Kid friendly hike at Crystal Cove State Park
Kid friendly hike at Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park