The Great Outdoors

If you love the great outdoors, then you’ll love Manteca.

It’s got everything you need within minutes — 1,000 miles of meandering Delta waterways for boating, waterskiing & fishing; rafting on the Stanislaus River, wind surfing at Woodward Reservoir, the last big stand riparian woodlands at Caswell State Park; idyllic river access, and Bass Pro Shops.

CASWELL STATE PARK: A bit of paradise — and a rare look into a winter’s day in the Northern San Joaquin Valley 163 years ago — awaits those venturing to Caswell Memorial State Park.

The 258 acres is one of the few places left in the Central Valley where you can still wander among riparian woodlands as more than 98 percent of the woodlands that once graced riverbanks and floodplains are gone.

The park along the banks of the Stanislaus River at the end of Austin Road south of Manteca and west of Ripon is jammed many summer weekends with folks seeking relief from the heat in the cool swimming areas off sandy beaches or beneath the rustling leaves of stately valley oaks that often soar to 60 feet and can have a diameter up to 17 feet.

The spring with blooms bursting out as the chill of the valley disappears or the fall when a kaleidoscope of colors seem to explode everywhere attract a fair amount of visitors.

But it is winter when Caswell offers its most unique charm framed in solitude.

Much of the park is in its naked glory while the ground is covered in a rich layer of leaves. Walks and day hikes are brisk, invigorating affairs. Pause on your trek and you can hear the soft sounds of the valley in slumber — bird flapping its wings or a creature creating crunching noises as it scurries through the blanket of leaves.

Skies that seem deeper blue than in summer whenever the sun breaks through either clouds or fog provide a brilliant background for the seemingly endless skeletons of trees.

It is here that numerous microclimates support wildlife that once dominated the valley. It is also where two shy and endangered species — the riparian woodland rabbits and the riparian wood-rat reside. The rarer of the two — the riparian woodland rabbit — can only be found here and along the banks of Stewart Tract on the nearby San Joaquin River. You will also find plant species at Caswell that are rarely found in the area due to more than 163 years of development.

While it is easy to get lost in the enchanted woodlands, Caswell also offers a unique chance to see the Stanislaus River in winter up close in all its winter glory.

Many fish along the Stanislaus as it flows past Caswell seeking bass, catfish, and crappie. Birdwatching is a popular pastime while casual hikes through the woodlands and along the river are a favorite as well.

Caswell is open daily for day use from 8 a.m. to sunset. There is a $10 entry fee.

There are also campsites and restrooms.

For more information call (209) 599-3810.

The Stanislaus River south of Manteca has numerous access points. Caswell State Park is popular with rafters, swimmers, and those wishing to play on a beach along a river.

BASS PRO SHOPS is America’s most unique outdoors sporting goods store. Where else do you enter a store by passing through a 56-foot replica of the General Sherman — the world’s largest tree by volume — that’s in Sequoia National Park? You can spend hours just meandering through the 120,000-square-foot store marveling at 125 native fish species in a 24,000-gallon freshwater aquarium bellowing a 30-foot soaring replica of Yosemite’s El Capitan as well as trout swimming in a pond, checking out the replica, view numerous s depicting the great Northern California outdoors and enjoy more than 3,500 area artifacts, antiques, pictures, mounts and memorabilia plus pictorial and tributes to John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt. Bass Pro Shops is in the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley lifestyle center at the Highway 120 and Union Road interchange. For more information go to www.basspro.com or call (209) 825-8400.

THE CALIFORNIA DELTA

is unparalleled for water activities with 1,000 miles of meandering waterways. This is where over 70 percent of California’s water flows either to San Francisco Bay or south into the California Aqueduct. Manteca is near the Mossdale Boat Launch where Interstate 5 crosses the San Joaquin River and a host of smaller launch sites. The Delta with its nooks and crannies hiding water fowl and secret fishing places alike to its 19th century Delta towns and unique touches such as Sunday brunch at the Grand Mansion that was once the largest mansion in all of California makes it suitable for the fisherman, the explorer and the sightseer. The best source to enjoy all the eastern side of the Delta has to offer is to contact the California Delta Chambers & Visitors Bureau online at www.californiadelta.org or call (916) 777-4041.

STANISLAUS RIVER

PARKS stretch for some 20 miles from historic Knights Ferry with the longest covered wooden bridge to Manteca’s back yard. There is hiking, picnicking, camping, fishing, rafting, and more along the lazy river with its canopy of shade blocking out the hustle and bustle of everyday life. For information on the park system, go to www. spk.usace.army.mil/organizations. cespk-co/lakes/stansilaus or call (209) 881-3517, for information on rafting go ion line to Sunshine Rafting Adventures at www.raftadventure.com or call 1-800-829-7238 or contact River Journey by going on line to www.riverjourney.com or calling 1-800-292-2938.

WOODWARD RESERVOIR

is locating 16 miles northeast of Manteca. It is popular with campers, swimmers and fishermen but it really catches a lot of attention for wind surfers. For information call (209) 847-3304.