and Lazy-W Ranch are San Juan Capistrano's backyard. Each plays host to outdoors enthusiasts, equestrians and residents looking for a quick getaway from city life.
An 8,000-acre wilderness park, Caspers is eight miles up Ortega. It has 30 miles of hiking and biking trails and three campgrounds. “The most popular attractions are camping, second hiking,” said attendant Larry Beesley, a retired U.S. Marine who greets guests as they enter the county park. The favorite trails are the nature trail and Bell Canyon, he added.
Maybe some of those people are still looking for Mission San Juan Capistrano's lost gold rumored to be buried in the wilderness?
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Up the highway another seven miles is Lazy-W Ranch, where such nonprofits as the Ocean Institute—our neighbor in Dana Point—hold programs like stargazing to teach students how sailors used the nighttime sky to navigate vast oceans.