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!

I hiked Sycamore Crest Trail in late July. The weather was pleasant--high 70s--but unfortunately,…read moreonce we reached the top, ocean fog completely blocked the views. Total bummer since the panoramic photos I'd seen online were what drew me in. The trail itself was tougher than expected. AllTrails listed it as kid-friendly, but I definitely wouldn't take my 4-year-old on this hike. The way up is a steady incline that really works your calves (be ready for some breaks), and the way down was surprisingly slippery due to loose gravel--even with solid hiking shoes. It's not dangerous, just tricky in spots, and you'll want to watch your footing. Overall, it's a nice enough trail, but I wouldn't call it "easy." It's one of those hikes I might try again on a clearer day just to catch that view--but in my opinion, there are much better hikes in California. For example, Point Lobos was easier and had way better views. Bottom line: manage your expectations, don't bring young kids, unless they are older kids and check the fog forecast before you go!

This a fun, short hike up to a great and vantage view point of Avila Bay and Port San Luis. I was…read morechecking the Sycamore Mineral Springs resort out and saw this trail and decided to go for it. Total mileage out and back is only 1.5 miles but it's a great workout. It was a pretty warm day and I worked up a sweat pretty quickly. Definitely steep but I appreciated the climb. I made it up to the top pretty fast so I was all happy with myself. The elevation gain is quick so be prepared. Lots of pretty views going up but at the top by far is the best. I loved all the gorgeous oak trees that provided some much needed shade along the trail. Once you are at the top, the view is pretty epic and you will want to linger. I could see the Pismo Dunes to my left and the beautiful bay and Port San Luis to my right. Should you desire to continue your hike then head left hike along the Ontario Ridge. Just can't beat the Central Coast of California!

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.

WONDERFUL HIKE. I did the 6 mile Perimeter loop and absolutely loved it. The view was unreal…read moreespecially when it started to sprinkle a little bit! It really looked like a rainforest. I'm a beginner hiker and was able to do this; however, the two uphills was a little rough. Hike to the top to see a view of SLO!

My family and I hiked this trail, The Lemon Grove Loop Trail, during our SLO visit. I initially…read morewanted to hike Bishop Peak, but after looking at the AllTrails app, it appeared that the Bishop Peak hike had a "hard" rating. One of my family members is not a huge hiker so we decided to find a more moderate hike. I'd rate this hike a 3.75/5 on the difficulty scale. We started the hike ~2PM on a Sunday and it wasn't busy at all. We completed the 4-mile hike in ~2 hours. You gain quite a bit of elevation during the hike as my Apple Watch recorded that I had climbed 1,000+ feet. It was sunny for 95% of the trail. There are some steep descent areas so wear proper shoes with adequate traction. There is a designated parking lot. Note, Google Maps initially tried to route us through Private Property by the Madonna Inn. Don't follow that route.

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

There are a couple of ways to mozy about this place, but the main boardwalk loop is a nice starting…read morepoint. Two nice vistas and Rose's Grove (a sanctuary space in the pigmy oaks) offer a nice place to pause. There are also ample benches throughout the walk if you want to take a break, or just enjoy the adjacent flora and fauna. It's one of my regular trails when walking, early morning or late afternoon. Both the sunrises and sunsets are beautiful!

The Elfin Forest trail is named after the beautiful grove of Pygmie Oaks off the boardwalk of this…read morebeautiful trail. Park along one of the many residential streets with signs marked Elfin Forest. Please be mindful of the neighborhood. The trail is flat with a boardwalk with directional signs everywhere. If you take one of the trails on the sand that runs along the freeway you will be able to see the beautiful groves of trees. This is an easy flat hike except for a few steps off the boardwalk. Benches are located at the lookouts. Bring your binoculars for bird and wildlife watching at the lookouts.

I like that part of the trail was paved. This hike one way takes about 20 minutes one way, so 40…read moreminutes round trip, obviously it depends on how fast you walk. If you go beyond the paved trail, it's another 20 minutes to the cave, So pave trail plus dirt trail = app. 80 minutes

The Shell Beach Bluff Trail connects up with the Cave Landing Trail that overlooks Pirate's Cove…read moreand has a "cave" with a beautiful view. The shell trail starts out paved and easy and then there is a moderate to strong grade to get to the cave trail. The shell trail is not really a trail and is a paved walkway. The cave trail is rock and dirt and more like a "trail." There is a separate and larger dirt lot for the cave trail that you need to walk through from the shell trail to access Pirate's Cove and the cave. There is a steep "natural" staircase going down to Pirate's Cove. If you are either older or afraid of heights, you might not want to go down to the cove. The cave has a beautiful view, but no guard rail on the view side. For this reason, we would recommend you not bring your kids on this trail unless they are older, mature, and well behaved. Depending on whether you say on the shell trail or go on to the cave trail, the whole thing is anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours and depending on which sights you see and how long you look at them. This is really one of nicer trails in the area, especially if you take the shell to the cave trail. Definitely recommend visiting.

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!