Forum Index » General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion » Hking and San Luis Obispo area


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Jeff McConnell
(catalyst81) - F - M

Locale: Costa Mesa, CA
Hking and San Luis Obispo area on 07/26/2010 10:38:12 MDT Print View

In two weeks I will be moving to San Luis Obispo from Orange County. Anyone know of good hiking/backpacking in the area or nearby? What's the easiest way to get to the eastern Sierra from there?

Edited by catalyst81 on 07/26/2010 10:38:47 MDT.
Stephen Barber
(grampa) - MLife

Locale: SoCal
Lots of day hikes on 07/26/2010 12:28:36 MDT Print View

There's lots of nice day hikes in the area. Several of the morros have trails or fire roads up them. Montana de Oro State Park has some nice trails, and there are trails all through the coast Range there.

Eastern Sierra? Drive back across the Coast Range, across the Valley, through Bakersfield to Mojave (the town), then north on the 395.


p.s. You'll be closer to the western Sierra, which has one or two nice spots too!
Piper S.
(sbhikes) - F

Locale: Santa Barbara (Name: Diane)
Re: Hking and San Luis Obispo area on 07/26/2010 12:52:56 MDT Print View

I think to get to the Sierra you go east via the scary highay 46 out of Paso Robles. You can get to the eastern Sierra from Bakersfield.

There are lots of nice hikes in the San Rafael Wilderness. You can get to the Cuyama Valley from Santa Maria and from there get into the San Rafael. I have a few of those hikes listed on my web site, Santa Barbara Hikes, but my bias is toward hikes easily accessible from Santa Barbara. For you, better than my site would be to buy some of Bryan Conant's maps. He color codes the trails so you know which ones are in good shape and which ones are overgrown or burned. Bryan's also trying to create a wacky impossible long-distance route called the Condor Trail. (You can google all these things.)
Ryan Teale
(monstertruck) - F

Locale: Almost Yosemite
Hking and San Luis Obispo area on 08/02/2010 22:03:43 MDT Print View

Hi Jeff,

Welcome! I've been living here in SLO for about 7 years and love it. There are a lot of day hikes in the area to keep you in shape for the upcoming trips! A few over-night hikes can be done right on the edge of town if you are willing to stealth camp and get creative.

Big Sur has the Ventana wilderness and you can reach it within one to two hours and string together many different routes. I just did a trip up there this past weekend.

Yosemite is reached by highway 41 in about 5-6 hours. SEKI is about 4-5 hours away. Best way to reach the eastern Sierra is by highway 166 east out of Santa Maria and then connecting to highway 58 and then the 395.

Shoot me a pm if I can help you out any further.

Ryan