Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a 776-acre state park on the California coast, managed by the state park agency and sitting about a mile from the small town of Caspar. The reserve has no single set route to describe. It works best as a base for exploring the cluster of short trails around it, so plan a visit around one or more of those nearby paths rather than a fixed loop inside the park. Summer and early fall are the driest and mildest time to come. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show highs around 65°F from July through September, with only two to four wet days a month. Winter months bring highs in the low 50s and rain on roughly half the days. The Ecological Staircase Trail starts just half a mile away. The Caspar Uplands Trail, Jugs Trail and Pygmy Forest Reserve Trail all lie within about a mile and a half.