One very popular hike with the students is to climb
Bishop Peak. From the top there are incredible views
overlooking the ocean and all of San Luis Obispo and the
surrounding hills. The long steep trail leads off from a dirt
parking lot on the north side of Foothill Blvd heading west
towards Los Osos Valley Road. Bishop and Cerro San Luis are the
two most prominent mountains overlooking the city. Facing west
from the city of San Luis, Bishop is the pointed rocklike peak
on the right side. Cerro San Luis is more massive and almost
completely covered in vegetation.
These mountains were formed about 22 million years ago by molten
magma that extruded from deep within the earth. They were formed near present day Ventura
and have been sliding northward along the San Andreas fault ever since.
The trail to the top of Bishop from the Foothill Blvd side takes about 1
hour. The trail winds across the grassy
lower slopes of Bishop. It then enters a grove of oak trees and from there on becomes
quite steep and involves some bouldering. Wear sturdy shoes.
A newer and much easier/gentler hike leads off from the Ferrini Ranch
(see below for more info about the Ferrini Ranch) at the top of Highland
Ave (Highland Ave leads up the side of Bishop mountain on the east
side). This trail opened in the last few years and is wide and a much
less steep climb than the trail from the Foothill Blvd side.
Cerro San Luis on the other hand, or Madonna as the locals call the mountain, is
mostly surrounded by private property however the
city of San
Luis Obispo has purchased access to the top.
Getting to the top used to require jumping a few fences and facing the
possibility of getting caught. This is was not a recommended hike at the
time. However there is a trail that leads to the top from the Lemon
Grove Loop - the trailhead is from Marsh St. - head west on Marsh
towards the 101. Go under the freeway and make a right hand turn on
Fernandez Road - there is a parking lot here just before the southbound
101 entrance .During Easter week, service
is held at the top and during Christmas season a lighted tree is seen from San Luis.
There are many mountain bike trails in the San Luis Obispo area. A great book detailing
the trails and mileage ect. is called Fat Tire Fun, a green book that can be found in
local bookstores. One of my favorite rides is directly behind campus in Poly Canyon.
This ride takes about 1 hour, is on an old fire road which winds its way around the hills, and at times come close to the railroad, all the while
giving the cyclist excellent views of the picturesque SLO hills. (see photo
to the right).
There is also a fire road that leads north up Cuesta grade and parallels the 101 freeway.
(North of SLO) This dirt road is very steep and once you reach the top of Cuesta grade you
can cross over the freeway (use caution) and bike up the dirt road on the east side. The
dirt road on the east side will lead to some radio towers as well to a
hiker-only
trail (no bikes) from this fire road all the way to Lopez Lake should
you have the stamina for this long hike!
Once you reach the top of the Cuesta pass and if you decide you do not want to cross the
freeway you can bike the narrow paved road on the west side of the freeway. This will
eventually lead to botanical gardens (Seargant Cyprus trees) high on the ridge with a
great view of the San Luis Obispo area.
Another good area for hiking or biking is Montano de Oro, a state park about 10 miles from
SLO towards Los Osos. This park overlooks the ocean and there are tremendous views of not
only the ocean but also of Morro Bay and the Morro rock. Beach access is available here.
Recommended. Take Foothill Blvd. to Los Osos Valley Road and follow Los Osos all the way
to the signs for Montano de Oro. This is about a 10 mile drive from San Luis. About 2 or 3
miles from the park you will pass through the small town of Los Osos. Los Osos is a
remnant name from a time when bears inhabited the area... Los Osos means "the
bears" in Spanish. For more information about Montano de Oro please
call: 805-528-0513 or 805-772-7434. You may also
make camping reservations online by
Clicking Here
There is another bike ride or drive in a car that I recommend. Take Prefumo
Canyon Road off of Los Osos Valley
road up over a large ridge and drop down into Avila Beach. This is a paved road for the
first mile or so once you leave Los Osos Valley Road but then becomes packed
dirt with very steep grades. The
views from the top of the ride are again awesome.
Good short hiking trails can be found at Laguna Lake just off of Madonna road in south SLO
town. See if you can spot the nesting owls in the tall Eucalyptus trees on
the north side of Laguna Lake.
For secluded walks try Los Osos State Preserve, a grove of dwarf Oak trees next to Los
Osos Valley Road just south of the Los Osos central part of town.
The Ferrini Ranch Open Space is located at the end of Highland
Drive against the base of "Bishop's" Peak. As its name implies,
it really is an "open space" a type of natural preserve. This
area is accessible from a hiking trail at the end of the Highland drive -
a very limited number of curbside parking is available before you start
getting into the residential area. This preserve is not well known except
by the locals, but its a great place to bring a picnic and to enjoy the
natural beauty. Ferrini Ranch Open
Space hike
The La
Panza Recreation area is a gateway to many outdoor activities
including some very challenging off road 4-wheel drive trails, hiking,
biking, or just enjoying the solitude of Eastern San Luis Obispo
County. This area is about 50 - 60 min from San Luis Obispo. Take the
101 over Cuesta Grade until you drop down the back side of the grade.
Your first exit will be to the town of Santa Margarita. There is an
grocery store here on your way out of town that makes excellent
sandwiches. Take Highway 58 out of Santa Margarita and follow this
until you reach the very small town of Pozo. From here, the La Panza
summit is about a 20-25 min drive on mostly hard packed dirt. This
road is usually closed in the winter time as it becomes muddy and
often impassable. Campgrounds available in the area are the Queen Bee
campground and the La Panza Campground.
The Rinconada Mine is an old Cinnabar mine
(Cinnabar is the hard-rock ore for producing Mercury) located just off
of Highway 58 a few miles past the Santa Margarita Lake exit. This
mine is accessible via a short dirt road that leads to a trail head.
If the gate is closed, park up the hill on the main road and then ride
up the dirt road to the trailhead.
The trail to the actual mine is only about 1/8 to 1/4 of a mile. Much
of the old mining equipment remains on the outside - the old gears and
mining setup is quite impressive.
The main caverns that remain from the mining activity are huge - many
tunnels & mining shafts also wind their way their way deep
underground. I do not recommend entering these unless you are
experienced in roped up caving of mining shafts and you are acutely
aware of the pitfalls and dangers of exploring old mines. I have
explored most of the tunnels in this mine and accessed the bottom of
the main cavern via a roped descent from the top of the mine.
In addition to the mine there are some excellent biking trails in this
area. From the parking lot at the Rinconada Mine you ascend via a
single track which comes out at a dirt road after 2 miles. You follow
this dirt road to the top of the Hi Mountain lookout (old fire lookout
now serves for tracking California Condors) and then return
the same way - or you can continue on down the dirt road which will
eventually cross a small creek and come out across from the Pozo
Saloon. This dirt road mostly follows the ridge top and from parts of
this ride you can see the beaches of Pismo and the ocean far in the
distance as well as Lopez Lake. Several trails drop down the ridge
towards Lopez Lake including Little & Big Falls. From the saloon you have to bike on the paved road back
to the Rinconada Mine to pick up your car. Allow at least 3-3.5 hours
for this round trip loop of approximately 25 miles. For more information
about the Hi Mountain Condor lookout, visit:
www.condorlookout.org On a clear day there are spectacular views
from this lookout in all directions.
The San Luis Swap Meet is held every Sunday morning
(weather permitting) beginning at the cheery hour of 5:30am in the
morning. However, most vendors are not yet setup at this hour. Dave's
recommended time to arrive at this Swap meet is around 7am. It is held
just south of town in the parking lot at the Sunset Drive in Movie
Theatre - which is located off of South Higuera street close to the
Cemetery. It is $1
to enter the gate - once inside you will be treated to many many
venders selling an eclectic variety of items - mostly used. Produce
vendors also sell at this swap meet. Parking is available for free in
a dirt lot to the east of the swap meet and is VERY competitive.
During rainy season this is a "mud fest" galore! Parking is
also available along the sides of the main road outside of the swap
meet. Some excellent bargains are to be found here.
