About 12 miles from San Luis, Los Osos Valley Rd, after cutting through Baywood-Los Osos, turns sharply to the south and becomes Pecho Valley Rd. Shortly thereafter, it enters Montana de Oro State Park, which meanders through the hills and along the coast until it is obstructed by a fence delineating private land.
One of the most obvious features of the park is the dense eucalyptus forest. Originally planted for commercial timber, the trees have taken over much of the park and for much of the drive, completely surround the road.
Where the eucalyptus trees are absent, the hills are covered with grass, scrub brush, the occasional lone cedar or juniper tree, and, in one area in particular, a giant succulent.
Right around the corner from this giant plant is Spooner's Cove, the most easily accessible beach of the park. Named after a pioneering farming family, the most striking feature of the cove is the giant rock formation in the center of the bay. The sand is also darker and more coarse than that of other beaches in the region.
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| View to the left of the rock |
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| View to the right of the rock |
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| View from the top of the rock |
The white house directly across from the cove is known as the Spooner Ranch House and serves as a gift shop, information center, and museum. There's also a large campground located behind the ranch house.
In addition to beach-going and picnicking, hiking and mountain biking are the most common activities within the park. There's a network of trails with varying difficulty that offer a number of different perspectives of the coast.
For my first hike through the park, I followed Bluff Trail, whose trailhead can be found up the hill from Spooner's Cove. With its wide, groomed trail, it is more of a nature walk than a hike and is the least difficult of all the trails in the park. The path follows the length of the steep and jarring coast (hence the name) and provides amazing views of the shoreline, which has been eroded away in impressive ways.
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| The path could pass for a road if it weren't blocked off to cars |
There is enormous diversity within Montana de Oro. In addition to the eucalyptus forest, mountains, and rocky bluffs, another portion of the coastline within the park consists of sand dunes. One of the other trails is actually named for this: Dune Trail. I walked this trail only a short distance as hiking in the sand presents its own set of challenges.
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| Each step disturbed the dune! |
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| At the top of the dune looking back toward Pecho Valley Rd and the eucalyptus forest |
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| Morro Rock and the smokestacks can be seen in the distance |
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| This perspective doesn't quite convey just how steep the dune was |
Montana de Oro is expansive enough to require multiple visits to explore its entirety. It's easily accessible and there's no fee for day use (only for camping). The winds can be strong even on a sunny day so a light jacket or sweatshirt is recommended.
