The hike is beautiful, a bit challenging for me but always the best feeling when I pass the Ridge…read moreFrom the 101 freeway and am able to say I did that !

Awesome views and beautiful trail. Not for the first timer but novice hike is no problemread more

Local Walk: "SLIPPERY WITH LOOSE PEBBLES"…read more Of course there are nice 360 views on the sizable plateau on top, and going up is steep for a short bit. Unfortunately, if you are used to even easy to moderate hiking, it is a near insignificant amount of Cardio, since it may take only 5-10 minutes to get to the top, using the steepest assent. Now if even you did prepare by wearing decent hiking sneaker or shoes, you would still have to be cautious going back down since there are tons of loose pebbles & dirt all over the rutted well worn path. Since most people come up here not for hiking, but for a nice walk, the view, or even a picnic, I think that they should make a concrete or asphalt path for those people for safety reasons. I did see a least one big group of about 15 people complete with coolers coming down, without really paying attention to the risk of falling. The short path up is rather nice and either side can be filled with yellow wildflowers along the way. Before you know it, you are on top, and you wonder if that is it. It is. While there are a few more meandering paths up or down, they again has quite a few loose pebbles, and are not much of an improvement. Since I read that it was considered not much of a hike, I did not prepare and did wear my older New Balance 990 running sneakers. While they are great for flat smooth ground, they are definitely not good to navigate a step slope with loose pebbles, even for such a short distance. Once you get on top, the views are quite nice, but if you are a local, you are going up there more to do stuff. You will either see people picnicking, walking around, or even doing Yoga. While it is called a Preserve, and can be termed a hike, a park, or a walk, it is really quite limited in value, since there are no services, water, nor bathrooms. In conclusion, it is more for immediate locals, or for those who want some cool pics, but not worth a special trip. Compared to let say Laguna Lake trails, it is rather disappointing. At least with Laguna Preserve, you do see birds, varied terrain, can do a whole range of easy to challenging distances and elevation, and have good views to boot. Laguna Lake also has restrooms on the bottom. If one is really into trying different hiking areas, the Alltrails website/app is likely the best for finding viable trails, but since mostly experienced hikers do the reviews, they have a bias toward making things seem easier for those who are not in shape. You can even set your iPhone to use both your GPS & Alltrails to map your progress, time, elevation, & more. Along with your iwatch, you can also keep track of your heart rate and more over your hike and during recovery.

My peace and serenity whenever I needed to take a break from studying or a quick brisk walk after a…read morework out and wanted a beautiful view of SLO. I've gone up here multiple times just for the views and even had dinner up here once. Sunset time is the best. Apparently this place was really popular during the midst of covid. Lots of picnics up here, which I still see! Grab your mat and chill for a bit. This isn't a place where you get a workout. It's a short walk up hill so don't expect to have to hike or break that much of a sweat. It's best to wear tennis shoes, but I walked up with my vans and I have seen many walk up with sandals and slippers.

This trail is managed by PG&E as it abuts the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, so there is a…read morecheck-in/out procedure and the trail is not open all the time. However, my wife and I hike this trail every year when we celebrate our anniversary (in October) or our birthdays (in November) nearby and love the return to it. This year we only went as far as Lookout Point before we had to turn back due to a reservation elsewhere (a kayak tour of Morro Bay). But we usually hike all the way to the end. Spectacular views of the coast and the rock formations jutting out into the ocean. Birds galore on the rocks and often seals in the water. Sometimes we have spotted whales far offshore. PG&E maintains the trails nicely and the walk is easy, though several miles long to the end. Along with the many hiking trails in next-door Montana de Oro, this is not to be missed by any hiking enthusiast on the central cost.

Wow. This might be one of my favorite trails I've ever hiked…read morein my life. My cousin and I recently re-visited the Montana De Oro State Park area. Last time, we had hiked Valenica, Oates, and Hazard Peaks, which you can read about here: http://tinyurl.com/8mjdzhha This time, we wanted to hike Point Buchon Trail through Diablo Canyon, which only accepts a limited number of hiking reservations per day. Luckily, we made it on time, and were able to register in person at the kiosk on the trail. (Technically, Point Buchon trail is owned and operated by PG&E, and is not a part of Montana De Oro State Park, but the road is the same, and the parking areas are right next to each other.) My cousin had mentioned some "cool rocks," but that barely even begins to describe what we saw here. There were spectacular geological formations around every single bend in the trail. The views were indescribable. I've never seen anything like this in my life, even though I am originally from Southern California. Most of the "cool rocks" are the remnants of eroded coastlines (the ruins of ancient beaches). There are numerous arches and caves, and even a sinkhole. Watching the waves come in through the sinkhole was one of the most interesting things we saw that day. We had originally planned to go down into some of the caves, but the tide was way too high for that. In fact, the tide was the highest I've ever seen in my life. Once we were nearing the end of the trail, from up on the cliffs near the power plant, we saw some waves that we estimated to be about thirty feet high. Down on the beach, back on the calmer side of the trail, we found all kinds of tide pools and tiny shells. While I was busy taking pictures of sea snails inside of pink abalone shells, my cousin was jumping rope with a giant piece of bull kelp. My cousin said we hiked eight miles, but I swear it only felt like one. Time flies. This trail was pretty easy to hike, but for an added challenge, it would be easy to add on any of the nearby three peaks in Montana De Oro. Point Buchon Trail is a must-see. If you haven't been here yet, I highly recommend checking it out at least once!

Hiking eval.: "Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill"…read more I am not sure what some people are smoking, but for those who are not in great shape, if you do happen to take the path to the very top, it can be quite challenging. It can also be rather hazardous, since the trail is very narrow, and is composed of a lot of loose dirt. Higher up, there are wooden cross pieces that hold the dirt in place, but some are damaged, broken, or missing. If you are afraid of heights this is not a place to go. The cow with the binoculars on top of the hill is kind of cheesy, but it is a good illustration of the nice views both on the trails, and on top. Of course, since there are three different entrances, you can make the hike easier by just going part way up and then toward a far entrance. You can even return to your point of origin by either walking inside of Islay Park or in the residential areas. The hiking trail entrances, trails, & they way up the hill are maintained a bit. As for me, I made good use of hiking poles, especially on the way down. If you are as slow as I am, then you periodically need to make way for those who go faster [and in my case, that is everyone]. If you do not want to be bothered with too many other fast hikers, then going on a weekday before rush hour is a good bet. On the part of the trail that goes down to the Orcutt Road side, there can be quite a few cows in the afternoon and thus there is Cow Manure to avoid. Of course, rating the difficulty of any given trail depends upon a whole host of factors. I think Alltrails, which I do use with a grain of salt, rates this one as easy to moderate. As for me, I rate it difficult to get to the top & down. Including walking in Islay Park & the residential area, we did close to 6 miles of either walking or hiking. I already broke my back & knee from various falls in the past, so I am especially cautious. One definitely needs to have either trail sneakers or hiking shoes in view of the dirt and the real possibility of slipping. Not that anyone plans to get injured, but this trail is so narrow toward the top and the slope is so steep, I do not see how a rescue can easily happen on the way up. While I hear that this is "easier" than going up Bishop Peak, I imagine it is all relative. I think even though this is called a hill, once you manage to get up on top, it sure seems more like a "mountain", but I grew up in the Flatlands area of Brooklyn....which was...quite Flat!

One of the easier hikes out of the "Nine Sisters". It's definitely moderate and gets a little…read moreharder towards the top. You'll be rewarding with a great, 360 view of San Luis Obispo. Wear some sunscreen and a hat as there's no cover here to protect you from the sun. I started from the trail entrance near the Islay Hill Park (where I also parked my car). There's a cow statue at the top which I found hilarious. Wasn't expecting that but there are cows and farms in the area so it makes sense. It's also neat that they had dog leashes for free at one of the trail entrances since dogs are allowed on leash here.

One of my favorite places in SLO! I really appreciate the work the city workers (and/or volunteers)…read moredo to maintain this trail. I would say it's an easy to moderate hike to the top if you take the trail head near Meadow Park. I prefer the second trail on the left to the top of the main hill.

A beautiful place to hike in town, who wouldn't love that?!…read more I swear, I felt like I was hiking in Wales or Scotland on my recent hike in South Hills (except for the homeless dude scrambling to get out of my way.) The hills are very rocky and rugged - quite striking. However, it might be wise to think twice about taking those hikers who might struggle to safely navigate the rough terrain of the upper peaks (the lower trails are much smoother.) I parked on Woodbridge Drive (ample on-street parking across from houses) and hiked up the Ridge Trail to the first peak, then hiked across to another lower peak (past the water tank) where Tibetan Prayer Flags adorn the overlook - spectacular for a small hill situated in town. Round-trip, I hiked about 2.6 miles and up 808 feet in just about an hour. Views were awesome, terrain lovely and the hike fun - 5 stars!

Montana de Oro State Park has so many fun trails I hardly know which to review. Valencia Peak is…read morethe second tallest in the park and a great hike for the views of the surrounding area. This weekend was a warm one and for this hike, that meant an early start as you are exposed nearly the full time. We did a sort of loop though, so we came down through relatively shady trails and had a great time. The sign marking the peak is not at the peak, fyi. If you get that far, the picnic table at the top is just a short bit further.

One of my all-time favorite hikes to do in SLO county! I would consider this medium difficulty and…read moreif you plan to go all the way to the top, the hike in total is right around 4.5 miles, up and back down. Doing this hike in Springtime is my favorite as the weather is absolutely perfect, and there are so many wildflowers on the trail to enjoy as you go up. Most recently I went on this hike with a friend and we spotted a number of orange poppies as well as a large variety of other flowers of all different colors. It was magnificent. When you make it to the top, the views are just breathtaking with obstructed ocean views in front of you! To your right you can see the entire town of Morro Bay and Morro Rock; great for some amazing photos! It is relatively windy once you reach the top but thankfully there's a nice little bench you can sit at. One thing to note is this hike is NOT dog friendly, so unfortunately, I had to leave my fur babies behind. Overall though, one of my favorite hikes - highly recommend!! I will keep coming back again and again!

Absolutely Amazing!! The greenery after the rain makes this…read moretrail a must see. The pond is flowing with rain water, the ducks and quail are delighted with nature's natural pleasures. So quiet I could hear birds chirping in the near distance. Wild flowers are blooming spurraickily all over. It was a definite pleasure to take a long overdue walk in nature. So beautiful!!!

We went on a Monday morning. The trail was pretty quiet with very few people. The weather was…read morefoggy, but made for some interesting photos. The map trail on the board at the entrance was very confusing to us. As we walked, we followed the yellow arrow trail, but there was also an orange arrow as well. The trail was narrow of about 12 to 18 inches at times and rocky in some areas. It had a change of elevation. It was not just a flat walk through a field, but up and down the surrounding hills. There were wildflowers blooming along the way. Some sections went through an area which had trees, but otherwise the trail was mostly open, which would make it hot in warm weather. There are little bridges to cross, but the streams are dry right now. Made for some interesting photos. You also have to pass over a few cattlecrossings. Next time we revisit this trail, we will follow the orange arrow from the parking lot and see how we like that part of the trail. The distance listed on the board was very confusing. It took us two hours just to do the yellow arrow trail. I am always happy to do a loop trail so I don't feel like I am lost. I was so happy to finally see the parking lot below as we transversed the hill.

My enchanted forest!!!…read more ...and you don't have to travel far to the Fairy Tale Land, the Los Osos Oaks State Reserve is located right off Los Osos Valley Rd. with a small parking lot fits maximum maybe 10 cars. Look at the trail map, you will get a brief idea. Even though some reviews stated trails are not well marked, it's in fact very simple and hard to get lost. There's no scale on the map, it's smaller than I had anticipated though. The whole loop (started from Loop trail, connected to Oak View Trail and back from Los Osos Creek Trail) took me about 35 mins despite I stopped here and there to take photos and just enjoying the fresh smell of the wood after the rain. The more deep into the wood, where the Loop trail and Oak View Trail connects, the 800 years old Costal live oaks made me feel like everything would come alive when the sun goes down...and I absolutely love my solitude. Once you are closer to the entrance, you will start hearing the cars driving by Los Osos Valley Road and you know you are heading the right direction. I wouldn't consider it's a workout but absolutely good for all hiking levels and a short escape from the people. Side note: Poison oaks are natural part of the area, however, it's winter I was pretty much covered.

Located near Montana De Oro, Los Osos State reserve is a great place to hike trails and just enjoy…read morethe outdoor Beaty that the Central California Coast offers. I absolutely love those twisted oaks, they are gorgeous. Also a great place for family pictures