If you don’t mind a short drive and the lack of an ocean view, this campground is a good alternative to the expensive state parks on the coast. It seems to never completely fill so there’s no need to make reservations. Amenities include picnic tables, grills, fire rings, restrooms with showers, potable water and a dump station.Ortega Flats Campground has 13 sites with electric hookups. We stayed in Live Oak Campground with 42 non-electric sites. The sites in Live Oak are nicely spaced but there isn’t enough vegetation to provide privacy. Dogs are not permitted.
The park has a nature center with an elevated deck overlooking the valley. Many miles of trails are shared by hikers, bicyclers and horseback riders.
None of the campsites are designated as accessible and they’re all surfaced with loose gravel which makes rolling difficult. The nature center has ramps to the deck but the railing blocks the view for visitors in wheelchairs. The short trail at the nature center was too overgrown for wheelchair travel. We didn’t try any of the other trails because the horses and bikes usually cause big ruts. Park 33.53386, -117.55018
I used to live in Orange County so I'm familiar with Caspers Park. Sounds like it could use upgrading, but all these parks are overcrowded (especially in summer), and nowadays they're both underfunded and understaffed. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteThe electric sites filled but we were surprised at how few people were camped in the non-electric sites. The campground is very well maintained but the nature center isn't opened during the week and the trails could use upkeep. We liked it there and ended up staying an extra day.
DeleteOrtega Highway can be a tense drive even in a car. I imagine it's more so in an RV.
ReplyDeleteWe drove on Ortega Highway from Lakeland Village to the park around 5:00. Unbelievable! An almost solid line of commuters going home. I can't imagine having to commute over the mountain on that twisting two lane road every day. Luckily we were going in the opposite direction which had hardly any traffic. The road from the park to the coast is straighter and not hilly so it's fine. We used Santiago Canyon Road and Route 241 on our way out.
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