Sweet trail on cool sunny morning. Quick and easy maybe moderate for some. Lots of trees and so…read moregreen at this time of the year.

One of my favorite hikes in North County that is dog friendly and has some wonderful views!…read more There are numerous paths you can take if you want a moderate vs hard hike. There is a short uphill part that takes you up the mountain to an obelisk, which is really cool! Especially in late February - April, everything is super green and the weather is just perfect. Since this trail is dog friendly, you will see a ton of dogs around and my three dogs always have a really great time! This trail also has sections that are biker and horse friendly, so keep that in mind if you have dogs or kids. Always look forward to coming back to this trail with my hubby and pups!!

We liked it well enough! Friendly people along the way,…read moregreat view at the top, steeper hills to hike up...super cute kid tree that Invites children to exchange toys and gifts during their visit. Different than that of 3 bridges in North County, we find that decent hiking trails don't really exist unless you're willing to drive more toward the coast. This happens to fall very conveniently in the backside of Atascadero. One of our fellow hikers mentioned the morning time is a lot more "crisp" and I could see that... ...It's Shaded very nicely amongst the trees which, it did happen to be a triple digit day in the area so we didn't overheat. Rattlesnakes tend to freak me out... We were told there hasn't been a spotting but there is a warning amongst the entry of the path by the train tracks. I always say continue to be aware in the dry grassy plains next to the wood piles. It is rather annoying to run into dog dumpings as you hike, especially when you're not a dog owner but if you are a dog owner, then taking your doggo is a great idea!

We are from out of town and wanted a quick hike before wine tasting. You're going to get dusty so…read moremake sure you have clothes to change into! We loved the hike, not challenging just a really nice stroll with a couple steep hills. Very beautiful and a surprise view of a golf course coming down from the top. I will do this hike again when in town. Takes about 30 minutes.

This is a nice quick walk off of Hwy 1 with a lot of roadside parking available. It's a nice quiet…read morewalk since the highway has very few cars and there's thick vegetation around. My complaint with this waterfall is that we couldn't figure out how to get to it! The signage is bad and they need to point you in the right direction more. We were prepared to climb some rocks, as we'd heard that you have to to get to the falls, but when we couldn't figure out which rocks to climb, we just turned around. We were able to see the waterfall from a distance and heard people splashing around. Definitely not a trail to walk when muddy and definitely be prepared to climb a lot of boulders to get to the waterfall.

June 2025 As a city person, this is not a "normal easy…read moretrail" Fair warning, the trail is everywhere, no signs or one real pathway to the fall I'm not a hiker and end up turning back because I didn't think I can hope over wet boulders and climb pass a ledge to reach the waterfalls I'm sure it was worth it, I hear others swimming and having fun but I'm too old for that trail I hope you guys give this a try but be careful

As of Oct 17, 2020 this place is still temporarily closed due to the El Dorado fire…read more The road leading to the trailhead may close seasonally. Please DO NOT park in undesignated spots as you are likely to get towed. Adventure Pass or National Parks Pass is required for entry. Due to many search and rescue situations in the past, hikers may not venture past the waterfall at the end of this route. There is a large parking lot at the trailhead with BOTH free and PAID parking. The gravel lot to the left is free. The lined spots require a day pass which you can purchase at the general store a few miles down the road. Making it to the very top requires a little scrambling and rock climbing, but its doable. So many places to relax and enjoy nature. Overnight camping is no longer allowed, but if you want to hang out for the day and set up a little picnic there are spots and bathrooms. Upper Big Falls is currently closed until 5/21/21 due to public safety. The closure is from the observation deck up to the waterfalls itself. Do not hike or climb past the observation deck. Forest Adventure Pass Daily Pass--Costs: $5 per dayForest Adventure Pass Annual Pass--Costs: $30 Annually Forest headquarters 602 So. Tippecanoe Ave San Bernardino Ca 92408 Tel no (909) 382 2682 (800)735 2922

We decided to come here for a hike, we drove like 50 minutes from AG. The rode goes up a mountain…read morethen descents towards a series of creek passings (about 18). Luckily we took a pick up truck because the creek water level in some of them were about 3ft deep. No 4x4 is needed but definitely helps, car height is more important. When we actually got to the end of the road we went on a hike crossing a couple more creeks. When just about made it to the falls it was tough to get down if your a inexperienced hiker or kid. You have to climb down with a rope, pretty sketchy.. We just decide to hang out at one of the creeks we crossed by foot, very tranquil.

It's harder than you think it's going to be... I live in the CO Rocky Mountains and thought this…read morehike looked little. It loops around the top and has some good vertical. It's a true intermediate hike to the summit. Very pretty.

Beautiful hike. The trail is steep but that affords you the opportunity to get over 1,000 in a…read moreshort amount of time, for amazing views of SLO. This is a challenging but very doable hike. Highly recommend.

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!

The hike down is short and very manageable. Be sure to turn right if you're heading to the…read morecove/cave, the left trail leads to the beach. We came here for sunset, and the views were absolutely beautiful. I would definitely recommend stopping by!

Ended up taking the long route to Pirate's Cove (parked near homes and took the trail) which we…read morelater found out is the Shell Beach Bluff Trail. We enjoyed this scenic trail, which had multi-million dollar homes to our right, and the beautiful ocean to our left; and a somewhat steep incline up to the dirt parking lot and Cave Landing trailhead. Good thing the weather was perfect and there was a lovely breeze; otherwise I would've stopped walking and demanded to go back to the car. Once we got to the trail, it was a fairly easy short walk to get to the cave. After taking in the stunning views from the cave, we trekked to the cove. Be cautious going down, as it's a steep dirt path and a couple flights of stairs. Also note that clothing is optional, and you may run into people in their birthday suits on this secluded beach.