San Luis Obispo, known by locals simply as “SLO,” is one of our favorite places in California. Located 200 miles north of Los Angeles and 220 miles south of San Francisco, San Luis Obispo is at the heart of California’s magnificent Central Coast. It’s also just 20 minutes away from Paso Robles, where we recently wrote about our relaxing Airbnb weekend.
The rolling green hills surrounding San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. We aren’t in LA that’s for sure.
San Luis Obispo has a cute and compact downtown with boutique shops and restaurants. But it’s the beautiful year-round weather and hiking that brings us back. Over the years, we’ve packed in a lot of trails. With all this social distancing right now, we figured people need some recommendations. Check out our favorite San Luis Obispo hikes with the best views. Check out our top picks —
San Luis Obispo Hikes: #1 Pick To Feel the Burn, Reservoir Canyon Loop Trail
Entrance of Reservoir Canyon’s main trail
While Reservoir Canyon’s trailhead is essentially in downtown San Luis Obispo, we recommend driving here. The trail is easily located just off the “101” freeway. Once you start this trail, you’ll understand why we recommend driving here. You’ll want to save your legs for climbing up the mountain. There is a tiny parking lot — typically empty (non-pandemic times). However, it was completely packed with cars the day we arrived. With that said, once on the trail, we didn’t see many people.
Kevin keeps his distance on the main trail at Reservoir Canyon Loop.
The full loop is a grueling 5.4 miles and dog-friendly. The trail even has leashes at the start you can borrow, which we’ve never seen on any trail. It starts off flat, passing a tiny waterfall before crossing over a little bridge that Kevin loved.
It isn’t Niagara Falls, but we still were impressed by the little falls at the beginning of the trail.
Kevin peers over the tiny bridge.
The trail is listed as “moderate” but let’s just say, we were VERY glad that we didn’t bring Doug, our dog, with us. He would have likely laid down within minutes of setting out. It’s his way of saying “screw you!” whenever we do any hikes uphill. But if you have an active dog (or one that actually moves), this is a great hike for them. The trail slowly winds up the mountain so you’ll need some endurance. We were completely out of breath at points and I couldn’t even talk. And that’s pretty major since I pretty much talk nonstop on every hike! Kevin meanwhile enjoyed the moment of zen.
Halfway through the hike, you’ll reach the peak, a nearly 1,400 feet gain and rewarded with some of the best views of San Luis Obispo and the Central Coast.
360-degree panorama from the top, next to this strange metal tower.
You’ll know you reached the top when you reach the high tower with a bell on top. One of our fellow hikers told us that it served as an air traffic beacon during World War II, given the proximity to the coast. It’s also a great photo spot. From here, the return back to the start of the trail is easy. Or so we were told. Kevin and I accidentally took a wrong turn. Oops! And scaled down the steep mountain like billy goats. I guess that should have been the sign we got off somewhere?
At least there were pretty flowers on the steep climb down.
In any case, we highly recommend downloading the All Trails app on your phone with it’s real-time tracking and GPS. We found this app AFTER getting lost. It would have been helpful since we didn’t even realize we got off the trail until we reached the bottom of the mountain and couldn’t find the car! We were 3 hours away by foot from where we parked. Oh no! I, of course, remained completely calm (not at all). Though, I said I was okay with walking (lying through my teeth, but trying to stay positive). Meanwhile, Kevin already ordered an Uber (to the rescue!). Clearly, he knows me. And by the way, I think all hikes should end with being driven back to the trailhead.
Hike #2: Cerro San Luis Trail, For a Classic SLO Hike
We recommend waking up early then heading out before it gets too hot to climb the Cerro San Luis Trail, just a 10 minute drive from downtown San Luis Obispo.
Let’s do this! Heading out on the hot day!
We got our start around 9:30 AM, before the blazing sun really came out. In total, it takes just slightly over 1.5 hours. The beginning is the hardest part, as you climb the hill to get some pretty spectacular views. Several trails cross through Cerro San Luis, and its proximity to downtown makes it very popular with locals. The main trail to the summit begins at Marsh Street just before the on ramp to the 101. In total, prepare to climb 4 miles while gaining 1,100 feet.
You’ll pass in front of a giant “M” on the side of the mountain for the local high school — keep going and make your way down the wooden ramps that take you through some tree cover. After the hike, head back to your accommodations to shower. And enjoy some well-earned breakfast.
Hike #3: Bishop Peak Trail
You can’t beat this view – on top of Bishop Peak, a 2.5 hour hike near San Luis Obispo
You’ll get some incredible views (and your heart pounding) by tackling the Bishop Peak Trail, a short 10 minute drive from downtown San Luis Obispo. This rigorous hike took us about 2.5 hours to complete round trip. Much of the trail is shaded, but we still think it would be better in the cooler months (or early morning).
Be sure to bring along some water as you’ll likely be sweating a lot on the way up. After wrapping the hike (or the others we outlined in this post), we recommend driving just 30 minutes north to Paso Robles. The downtown has a number of cute little shops. We recommend perusing the local goods at the General Store and the cinnamon cookies at Brown Butter Cookies.
The delicious cookies at Brown Butter Cookies in Paso Robles. I bought 1 pack, but clearly not enough… and went back for 3 more!
Happy hiking and social isolating! Looking for other ideas in the Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo area? Check out our top picks for a romantic getaway in Paso Robles and our 3-day itinerary. Have more time? Read our recommendations for a cheap weekend in Santa Barbara and Ojai. And of course, if you are looking for more ideas to do during COVID, here are our top 5 fun ideas to do at home.
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