The heat is dropping back into the 80s.

The crowds have thinned out.

There isn’t a better time to enjoy a late summer visit to the only state park literally in the backyard of both Ripon and Manteca — Caswell State Memorial Park.

It offers not just the best natural beach access along a river in San Joaquin County with nary a levee in sight.

It alsot gives you a glimpse of the riparian woodlands that lined Northern San Joaquin Valley rivers before farming and urbanization wiped almost all of them out in the late 19th century.

 It’s the coolest spot in the Manteca-Ripon area without the aid of air conditioning

 It can be found along the Stanislaus River at the southern end of Austin Road in one of the few remaining stands of riparian woodland in the Central Valley.
Not only does the thick canopy of oaks drop the temperature by 10 degrees but when the evening Delta breezes kick in Caswell Memorial State Park becomes even cooler.
And if you’re looking for a good old-fashioned dip in a river with very clear water, Caswell has two popular beaches — Willow Beach and Salmon Bend Camp Beach.
Willow Beach is by far the main attraction.

You will not find another beach-river combo in the region as pleasant with a definite lazy feel although the Stanislaus between Knights Ferry and Caswell have some pleasant access points where you can have shaded water play such as McHenry Recreation Area south of Escalon off River Road.

But they don’t have the beach or the expansive woodlands complete with trails to explore. Nor do you have very many options for camping as you do at Caswell.

In addition to camping, fishing and guided nature trail facilities, the park also can be reserved for big and small school groups looking for a field-trip destination.
The campsites are typically sold out a week or two in advance from mid-May to September. But now

that October is drawing near, you can make a fairly short notice mini-camping vacation.
For camping reservations and park information, call 1.800.444-PARK.
For information about reserving the park for school field trips, call the park office at 209.599.3810.
 And while Caswell Memorial State Park is known to many as a recreational destination, it is also a 258-acre wilderness refuge along made possible by the generosity of the Caswell family.
You can still catch a glimpse of the pristine oak-riparian woodlands that once flourished throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
Caswell Memorial State Park was donated to the state by the Caswell family in 1950 as a memorial to Thomas Caswell and his sons, Wallace and Charles Henry Caswell.
Henry and Helen Caswell’s daughter Mary Buckman described Caswell as “the biggest oak grove in the whole Central Valley, and the only one that’s been untouched by any development except for the little path that goes through it.”
Bucknam said their grandfather had always intended to preserve the oak forest at the Ripon Ranch for future generations to enjoy.
The park officially opened to the public in 1958.

The day use fee is $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends.

Caswell is open from 8 a.m. to sunset year round.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com