We decided to bring our bikes to take the Bob Jones Trail! We ended up parking along Avila Beach…read moredrive where the trail met the golf course and there was a spot to exit to the road. The trail did continue down to the beach, but we didn't want that whole distance for the time we had that day. There were some neat secret spots! A playground with swings, a spot for snacks... So cool! Many families were out and about when we were there, and everyone was respectful of the shared space.

Looked up things to do in Avila Beach and discovered the Bob Jones Trail, glad I did. After…read morestaying many times on short getaways in Avila Beach, this was a first. We were staying at the Sycamore Mineral Springs and the trail was just steps away. The path was easy, but as we got towards the end going at a slight incline, and in the full afternoon sun, we looped back to a nice shady spot next to the stream for a respite. We then ventured back to the cafe next to the trail and enjoyed some live music and pizza.

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.

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!

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 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.

Hard to believe this open space hasn't been reviewed yet, unless everyone else is trying to keep it…read morea secret. ;-) I've been hiking and trail running through South Hills countless times since moving to SLO - if offers a peaceful serenity that borders on spiritual. It's also much farther from campus than any of the college kids are willing to go (LOL, but seriously). A great place to go if you want to get up high and get a gorgeous 360 view of SLO: Downtown, Bishop Peak, Cerro San Luis, Islay Hill, Laguna Lake, the airport, and south toward Pismo are all visible during from the footpaths in South Hills. Dogs are welcome, but it's worth nothing that the paths are considerably rockier in some places than the more traveled trails around SLO. You probably don't want to drag a 5-year-old on a "nature hike" up the more risky ones, but pick-up trucks have driven some flat frontage roads into the hillside that make for great running. Wildflowers, lizards, and red tail hawks run amok in the open space, and sunsets are truly gorgeous as the fog rolls in for the night. If you're looking for a relaxing walk or a place to clear your mind, check it out.

A fun jaunt amongst hike-lovers. The terrain is reasonably safe, with lots of mud and cow pies…read more During these atmospheric rivers, I'd urge you to wear, at minimum, mid-height water proof hiking shoes. Bring water, because there will be lots of beautiful sun exposure. Great spots to take pictures of the rolling green hills against a cloud lit backdrop and the historic Waddell Ranch Estate. Will return with the kid's and plan to hike the entire loop. (As long as the crest side isn't fully flooded.)

What a great location…read more First, it couldn't be easier to find as it is at the end of Madonna Road (at Devaul Ranch Rd) in between two houses, with Laguna Lake Park across the street. Residential parking is easy to find. You can even watch someone's TV while you stretch. Second, there is a variety of hikes. Check the a map out front. Take a picture of that. You will have some forks and decisions to make and that will help. We climbed UP the Maricopa trail. The first half is a steady incline under a shady canopy. Shady in both senses of the word: a) it shields you from the sun, b) it's a sneaky place for a mountain lion to hide. You will cross some teeny-tiny bridges. The second half is under the sun. There are at least three stretches steeper than 45 degrees, so stretch first. We made it to the fork and decided to go down. We were close to the 600' elevation gain, or so I'd like to think. I'm mid-40s with premature arthritis and I'm 20-30% heavier than I should be, so it wasn't too hard, but I didn't want to push it. We went down King trail. King trail has no shade as it zigs and zags through an open meadow of knee-high fire bait. That will do a number on your calves. The decline is much more consistent that the Maricopa, and is longer. You could go UP the King and DOWN the Maricopa, but I feel Maricopa's uneven terrain is better suited for climbing. Plus, going up the King, backwards in my eyes, you would be zagging and zigging.

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.

Easy parking, easy trail, beautiful views. Would come back…read more Thanks to the Hiking Bucket List pack from Reach International Outfitters, I've been exploring more hiking trails around California. This was the first trail my bf and I have hiked from the bucket list, so I'd say we're off to a great start. The trail had plenty of free parking on both ends of the trail. You don't need to go from end to end. Once you reach the Coastal Point, you're technically at the highlight of the trail, which takes less than an hour to reach. The trail is flat with natural dirt and plants. Casual walking shoes would work just fine for this trail. Even during the summer, the overcast and the breeze from the ocean felt nice on our skin.

This is an amazing trail. There's free parking right before the start of the trail. The view of the…read moreocean is amazing and the breeze is refreshing. This is an easy hike that anyone can do without hiking gear! It's a long trail that goes all the way down along the coast before turning around and going back the same way. Theres benches to sit and enjoy the view along the way. As well as designated spots to enjoy the view over the cliff. There's also animals you could potentially spot! We saw deers and sea lions. I saw a sign about tidepool and all the animals they have but we didn't walk far enough to see it! Please note the sign says no pets.

Who would know that a park & a trail are "hiding" in plain sight,…read moresmack dab in the virtual middle of the City of AG, & is only feet away from AG's Saturday Farmer's Market? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coolness factors: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) Serene break from the hub-bub above. 2) A Mini-Valley within the valley. 3) A fair number of areas where the stream "Babbles". 4) About 4 wooden picnic tables with BBQs on the stream banks. 5) Heavily forested with tons of greenery. 6) Has a trail from one end (under the Vintage Bridge), under the cool swinging bridge, all the way to under the Mason St. Bridge. 7) It seems to go hand in hand with the "topside" Centennial Park, where AG's Roasters "sing". 8) Few people use it, so it is a peaceful place...(on a Saturday afternoon) 9) Lots of greenery which is hard to capture with pics alone...it is worth a careful walk thru. 10) It is interesting to see the undersides of these very interesting bridges. ~~~~~ Uncool factors (with some suggestions): ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) Some, likely kids, have carved or wrote graffiti on some of the trees & have littered. The type of defacing public property & nature is especially horrid in such an upscale neighborhood. Ideas: _______________________ A) Renovate the old Hoosegrow Jail up the hill to accommodate errant kids, or another venue to "scare them straight". B) A longgggggg visit to California Men's Colony, with a hefty fee of lets say $1k+, for the parents would be a very practical idea. The fine could be on a sliding scale. C) Several weekends of "cleaning duty" of the park while wearing neon pink jumpsuits & giving speeches at local schools (along with listing their family's surname) would likely raise public awareness & possibly theirs. D) Use special hidden "wildlife" detection cameras to catch offenders. _______________________ 2) Some hazardous areas of the trail have broken & rotting fences that someone...especially either the younger or older crowd could potentially fall a dozen feet or more. A) The park could use better community support. After all, AG is a high income area, & some of the area schools could sponsor nature hikes along with cleaning duties. The combo of awareness, money, volunteers, peer pressure (including on adults & parents), could help. ______________________ 3) Sadly, there did not seem to be any "life" in the stream (i.e. fish, frogs, etc..), it is unclear whether this is due to seasonal water flow changes, pollution, or other factors. It is hard to makes suggestions in this case. ~~~~~~~~~~ In summary, For both locals & visitors alike, this park is a nice alternative to having an impromptu picnic from Farmer's Market goodies or take-out treats from AG Village shops. One can easily imagine getting a Tri-tip or other sandwich from the AG Butcher Shop, some fresh Veges & Fruits from the FM, & some Cupcakes/ Eclairs from their quaint bakery. Or simply get take out eats from the surrounding restaurants. (There could also be some sort of honors system donation box at the entrance).

The Kiwanis Park is a cute little pocket park that is hidden from View. Drop down by the creek from…read morethe parking in the village and you will find an array of picnic tables. a walk by the creek lots of birds in the bush and in the trees. And even more peaceful place near the peaceful of Village Arroyo Grande