Montana de Oro State Park

This place is AMAZING!!!
Only been here twice and I love it so much! The beach with the mid-​size parking lot is gorgeous with it’s many rock structures, the cold, refreshing waters washing up ashore and onto the rocks, the many small polished rocks everywhere… There’s a huge rock structure towards the right that you can climb and get a better view of the ocean too…
And if you thought that wasn’t good enough, before that parking lot is a smaller lot where you can park and hike sandy trails towards different parts of the park. It’s definitely doable with sandals but be careful because it’s all sand uphill and downhill.
But wait! There’s more! If you drive more up, past the main beach parking lot, there’s another parking lot that leads to more hiking trails (those of which are actual ground and really easy to walk – perfect for a leisure walk or walking dogs). The trail runs along the coast and it’s much higher than the beach so you get an even more amazing view of the ocean/​beaches/​rocks/​whatever you want to look at. One of the branches of the trail leads to a tide pool where you can find a crap ton of adorable, polished shells, coral reefs, and rocks.
It’s so sad to think that even though I went to college near here, I didn’t visit this place until the end of my college career. Whether you’re nearby or you’re just visiting, this is the place to go if you’re looking for a relaxing place, a place to hike, a place to take a walk, a place to watch the sunset/​sunrise, a place to have a picnic, a place to take pictures – all with amazing views of the ocean and accessible beaches everywhere!
On top of all of this, in my opinion, there’s usually not too many people here – at least not compared to avila/​pismo beach! :)

Stayed at Islay Creek Campground and LOVED IT! Here are a few bullets:
1. Can’t beat the price — $ 25 per night
2. Clean and quiet (assuming quieter than usual this time of year).
3. Minutes walk to beautiful Spooner’s Cove and just a few minutes more to some of the most incredible views and beaches!
4. Just 4 miles to town but feels like you are wonderfully far from civilization.
5. Stars, stars, stars!
6. Though we could hear the amazing sounds of the ocean as if it were feet away, we were well sheltered so there was no wind.
Just one critiques:
*website suggested we purchase wood locally (i.e. on site) so we did and we could not get the wood to burn and we tried EVERYTHING! We tried both nights and were never able to burn any of the 4 pieces we paid $ 8 for. We mentioned to camp host and she apologized but did not offer to return our money.
OVERALL WE LOVED THIS PLACE AND CAN’T WAIT TO RETURN!

LOOOOOOVEEE IT.
This is my favorite place to go hiking. I especially love that they have a variety of easy through difficult trails for the beginner hikers to the more advanced.
I love the Bluffs trail. I’ve been on it twice now and it’s definitely one of the better trails I’ve been on in all of San Luis Obispo County. Why? That view. It’s one of a kind even on a cloudy day.
Now on the Bluffs trail you’ll have a more paved path and an off the beaten dirt path that’s a little bit too close to the edge at times. About a mile and a half down from where the parking is for the Bluffs trail is a nice stairway down to an tiny beach cove area. It’s a pretty private special little beach. So if you want to enjoy the beach without all the noise that place is for you. The stairway is very steep so I wouldn’t advise going down it if you have weak joints.
The main paved path is very disability friendly and I admire it for that. There’s not a lot of trails in this area that are wheelchair friendly so to have one that is means I can take my dad here!

WOW. It is hard to even comprehend the beauty of this place.
It was perfect not only for hiking and playing in the water, but for relaxing and meditating as well.
We cannot wait to go back and explore more of the dozens and dozens of trails we saw going up the edge of the cliffs, overlooking the water.
What an amazing place. Definitely at the top of our list.

Gorgeous scenery. Nice beginners level trail to hike. Fun little place to explore

Awesome coastal trails. Thank you CA for this free treat. The cliff walk at above Spooner Cove is an easy walk with views worth every step. I almost hate to mention this place so I the crowds won’t come.

This is one of our favorite beaches in CA and we wish we could live near here! It was very foggy day but we enjoyed picking up lots of cool rocks and shells for a couple hours. My 4 year old loved here and she even didn’t wanna leave:-)

If I could rate MDO higher than 5 stars, I would. It is an incredible resource with 7 miles of shoreline and over 8000 acres. There seems to be a hiking trail to fit every fitness level. If you seek a flat, beautiful trail to walk right by the ocean, try Bluff Trail. It’s 2.3 miles one way and has parking available at both ends. You literally walk right by the cliffs and can walk down to some tidepools also. There are several benches along the way and a couple of picnic tables as well. While walking the trail, I have personally seen whale spouts, a seal, several deer, and a group of baby quail, and bunnies.
There are other more strenuous trails: Hazard, Nosebleed, Valencia Peak, etc. You can easily park in several locations throughout the park. There’s a nature store open at times near Spooner’s Cove and one of the primitive campgrounds. At Spooner’s cove, there are several more picnic tables and some interesting ancient rock formations to climb.
Miles of horse trails too – although it’s a bring your own horse kinda park (no rentals.). There are horse camps available though.
The visual feast that is Montaña de Oro is amazing and well worth the visit about 15 minutes west of San Luis Obispo.

We’ve been coming here with our RV for years — used to be easy to get a spot and enjoy some privacy, but now it seems more people know about it ( Unilocal?) and so you may need to look into reserving a spot in advance (especially around the holidays).
There are wonderful mountain bike and hiking trails all around with spectacular views and it’s an easy walk from the campground down to the picturesque beach.
Highly recommend this, especially as a nice stop along the way down or up the coast.

Late review: Went camping at this park for my birthday in July. We stayed there for approximately 3 days. There were decent campsites, bathrooms, and some nice trails for day hike. A word of caution: at night be sure to lock your food up tight as there are some pretty precocious raccoons. Also, and this may have been because of the draught, during the day some of the campsites have had a large amount of bees or hornets so bring traps. I will definitely go back.

My friend moved to SLO a year ago and during one of my first visit, she suggested we go watch the sunset somewhere. That somewhere was this place after asking google for some tips.
After our first visit, we basically come here whenever I’m in town always.
The drive here is awesome. After you pass the last house in the area, it all becomes fields. Then when you start going uphill, you begin to see the ocean in the distance. All of a sudden you’re surrounded by trees. Very tall trees.
Depending on your mood, there are many options. There’s a campground. I recommend getting a reservation. You can do a day hike. It’s mostly uphill so be prepared. You can also park on the side of the street and venture the area. There’s quite a few pathways. All lead to the beach. My personal favorite is the bluffs.
Parking is free. Yay. I recommend walking around. The view is great from every spot. If you like to collect seashells walk to the very bottom. There are plenty there to pick from.
I love coming here. It’s never crowded and there’s always a new area to discover.

A quick drive from Morro Bay, the Montana de Oro State Park is as beautiful as it is serene. The is no park entrance fee.
The are multiple parking lots along the drive through the park at various trail heads, some into the hills and some along the coast.
We explored the Bluffs Trail. The trail has various pathways, some meander by the sheer cliff sides, with breathe taking views of ragged rock formation below and Morro Rock in the distance.
There are areas along the trail where one can venture down onto the unusual «uplifted rock formation» of the Miguelito shale, and enjoy the clashing of the waves against these 5 million year rocks up close…
The park is expansive, take your time to explore
(This entry was written by my husband)

Bluff Trail is worth checking out for a quick picnic with peaceful ocean scenery if you’re in the area! It was definitely one of the most gorgeous trails I’ve been on. Great for exploring if you’re into climbing rocks. Found lots of unique shells.

What a gem! Possibly California State Park’s best kept secret (not anymore!). Some highlights:
1. Camping enthusiasts can reserve an Environmental site, which is a solo site, away from anything and anyone, with it’s own picnic table and vault toilet. Site 4 was .4 miles from the car parkery, an easy walk up a hill and voila, our own viewtastic bluff, devoid of noise and people! An incredible place to marvel in the glory of nature! No fires at the Environmental site. Stars galore at night. Ridiculously awesome sunset spot.
2. The BEACH! Reminiscent of the beaches of Capri, Italy, the beach here is full of incredible, smooth, rocks and turquoise water. A glorious place to loll and linger.
3. Valencia Peak Hike: A rigorous 4 mile roundtrip uphill 1-​way, hike takes you to the top of a magnificent peak with 360 views and along the way, there are ample opportunities to see marine fossils in the rock layers! Fossils, Fitness and Fantastic Views! What could be better?! Nature Nerds Unite!
There’s also a cute, pioneer museum and a traditional campground for the less-​nature-​loving. The Bluff trail is also magnificent. My new fave camping spot! Make reservations for sure.

This state park is so beautiful! We saw whales, dolphins and a sea lions .You need to be careful of rattle snakes because they are around the trials and I ran into one. The trails take you right to the cliffs, which is amazing! Tide pools all around. It was full moon when I was there. That’s made the night so beautiful.
Morro bay is not too far away. We made a trip there .
The campsite is close to the spooner clove .
The campsite itself is not much. There is water you can use for drinking and washing, no showers. Camp hosts are nice. Fire wood $ 7. The campground is spacious but the restrooms are awful. Tons of flies around. I was in site 31. Next to the bathroom and we could smell it once in awhile. Luckily I have my own portable toilet so I didn’t have to be with the flies .
Few miles away from the campground you will find stores. That is very convenient.
Over all we enjoy it very much.

What more does one need from a state park than beauty?
Beauty means many things when it comes to parks. Peacefulness? Check. Pretty vistas? Check. Outdoor activities (horseback riding, hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming, camping)? Check. Clean air? Check.
What doesn’t Montana de Oro provide? Not much. Except showers. If you’re camping, it’s relatively roughin’ it. They do have many nice camp sites and the camp host is always fun to talk to though.
There’s a bunch of fun trails for hiking and horseback riding along the dunes and up into the hills for an early morning misty adventure.
All this beauty and still not far from San Luis Obispo for all your civilized needs!

I’ve never experienced a forest-​to-​beach hike before this, so it was pretty magical. The ground is so soft under the peeling trees, and then you get to this oasis… and are reminded how hard it is to keep pace on SAND.
I love the unique rock formations, the tidepools, the serenity. There were a few surfers out, but other than that our stroll was secluded. We climbed some dunes, watched some waves, followed a trail back in until we stepped in horse poop… ha!

What an incredible place!
Miles of trails, cliff views, tidal pools, sandy beaches and stunning views, Montana de Oro is solid gold!
What’s not to love — something for everyone:
Hiking
Biking
Strolling
Exploring
Camping
Photography
Picknicking
Beaching
I can’t wait to return!
5 stars

Montana de Oro State Park is an easy and quick jaunt from the Pismo Beach and SLO areas. Coming here the day after Thanksgiving this past holiday, was the best way I could think of to burn off some of the previous day’s feasting. I may go out on a limb and say it’s my new favorite California State Parks!
Driving in (free admission!!) in the morning amidst the fog, you enter through quite a magical Eucalyptus forest. The drama and beauty from the drive in to the park made me fall immediately in love with the area. We knew we wanted to walk along the bluff trail, so followed the road all the way to the very end. There is a large lot there and apparent trailheads that lead in to some the hillier climbs off to the east. Oh how I wish we had more time! I would have loved to explore some other trails or climb the Hazard Peak hike.
Once along the bluff trail, there are so many detours to admire and explore the coast. On the day we visited the waves were massive so we were treated to a coastline like none I’d seen before. Unique caves, rock formations, cliffs and blowholes left us in wonder the entire walk. It’s not a strenuous hike at all, but if you can choose one place in the park to visit, the Bluff Trail would be it. We made it down to Corallina Cove to explore some of the tide pools. The rocks were a bit slippery so it was limited exploring, but I can imagine on a calmer day that plenty of sea life and tide pool friends await.
On the drive out the fog had lifted and to my delight, we had perfect views of Morro Rock and Morro Bay.
Absolutely stunning park and if I didn’t already have plans for the next day, I would have happily gone back to explore further. Do not miss this park if you’re in the area!

I absolutely loved this beach! It’s a free state park — even parking is free. To get to MDO you have to drive through some gorgeous, lush trees. Once you get closer, you can see the ocean to your right and there are a few lookout points where you can pull over and take some great landscape photos.
MDO beach is so unique — there are so many things to love about this little spot! There is a large, natural arch that is easily accessible (see photos). It’s beautiful! The beach is also littered with seashells and colorful rocks. It was so relaxing to walk around, hunt for shells, and look for interesting rocks. Highlights from our beach combing: a baby abalone shell, a small green sea urchin shell and a heart shaped rock.
This is a great place to picnic with family. The waves aren’t too strong either. On a warm, sunny day. I’m sure this beach is packed.