Countywide : Some County Parks Face Restricted Use

Although several county regional parks remain closed because of damage suffered in the recent storms, some will open this weekend.

Several parks will be open on a restricted basis, with several trails closed because of erosion or mudslides.

“We haven’t even explored a lot of trails because it’s still very wet out there,” said Gina Drury, spokeswoman for Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park east of San Juan Capistrano.

“The ground is too soft for the vehicles and it’s tough to explore 30 miles of trails on foot.”

Three parks will remain completely off-limits: Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park and Featherly Regional Park.

According to County Ranger Jude Weierman, “there’s a lot of erosion on the trails” at Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park.

It was closed for several weeks after last year’s rains caused similar problems, the ranger said. “It’s very unsafe out there.”

County officials said the three parks could be closed for a month or more.

In addition, a one-mile stretch of ocean off Doheny State Beach in Dana Point is still considered unsafe by county health officials because of a recent sewage spill.

However, people will be allowed to enjoy the beach. Health officials expect to reopen the beach sometime next week.

Many parks, beaches and other county facilities will be fully open.

They include: Dana Point Harbor, Heritage Hill Historical Park, Iglesia Community Park and Clark, Craig, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Mason, Mile Square and Yorba regional parks.

County parks that have closed portions of their facilities include:

* Carbon Canyon Regional Park. All hiking trails, including those leading to its redwood grove and bamboo jungle, are closed.

The rest of the park is open.

* Caspers Wilderness Park. The county’s largest regional park is open, but many areas are closed because of wet soil, mudslides and erosion.

* Santiago Oaks Regional Park. The northern wilderness area of the park is unreachable because of a torrent of runoff water coursing through Santiago Creek.

The heavy current, which flooded a low-seated series of cement steps that led across the creek, is not expected to recede for several weeks, say county rangers.

All other portions of the park are open.

* Upper Newport Bay Regional Park. Backbay Drive, which accesses the park’s wilderness preserve, remains closed because of a large mudslide.

All other sections of the park are open.