San Luis Obispo
With close proximity to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo you can find some great trails following the views along areas like Bishop’s Peak, Reservoir Canyon, Poly Canyon, Madonna Mountain — plus much more. San Luis Obispo is a great spot to find some of SLO County’s top-rated trails and best day hikes in the central coast region.
Rock climbing is a common sport along the flanks of Bishop’s Peak. With all sorts of traditional, sport, top rope and bouldering options, there’s always something interesting to climb. In the spring and late winter, the grass is green, and the views are fantastic. While hiking to the top of Bishop’s Peak in San Luis Obispo, you will often see climbers set up at sites like “P-Wall” and “Shadow Wall.”
Sunrise over Cerro San Luis Obispo, or Madonna Mountain. Apparently rumor has it that Alex Madonna was so pissed when the city of SLO wouldn’t approve his mountain retreat up top that he paved a road to the top – where you can shoot postcard photos like this.
Trail head at Bishop’s Peak starts pretty steep, although the ground is compacted and nice. At the beginning, it’s pretty exposed but quickly gets to the base of the peak, where the lush greenery unfolds showing all of the bounty of a lush area of the SLO County region and top place for hiking in SLO.
Mid section at Bishop’s Peak in the late fall shows the immense green foliage coming to life along the flanks of the meandering trail. Down below, the trail is quite steep. However, as you head up Bishop’s Peak there are some nicer sections before it gets pretty rock up at the top.
Developed is a pond and a rocky outcropping area, marking the beginning of the traipse upward toward the bouldery and upper mid sections of the popular Bishop’s Peak Trail in SLO, CA.
P-Wall towers over the beautiful boulders and top rocky sections at the trail at Bishop’s Peak.
Boop, and the viewscapes open up on Bishop’s Peak. San Luis Obispo and the city offer a swath of viewscapes into the beautiful Central Coast.
Oak duff and shady trails wind through the forest, right at the base of Bishop’s Peak before it gets all switch-backey.
Trail signage and a cattle guard show the way about halfway up the Bishop’s Peak Trail. Note that no mountain bikes or equestrians are allowed on this trail system. It’s a great day hike and awesome introduction into the top hiking spots in SLO County.
A memorial is installed on a rock face along Bishop’s Peak hiking trail.
With an easy difficulty rating, the trail at Bishop’s Peak offers a great variety of exposed rock and shaded outcroppings, as pictured below.
As the trails gets exposed, views of San Luis Obispo looking east start to open into view. As you hike to the top of Bishop’s Peak, Paso Robles wine visitors can take in what’s really the most accessible, best views trail in all of San Luis Obispo County for viewscapes.
In terms of being a bonafide “mountain hike,” the trek along Bishop’s Peak in San Luis Obispo is hard to beat. Popular amongst Cal Poly hikers, it’s a great chance to view the landscape from Madonna Ranch to Grover Beach looking south.
Opening up to views, the trail heads to the top of Bishop’s Peak.
Single-track narrowing into rugged ruts and jagged rocks interspersed amongst the higher altitude, Bishop’s Peak offers astounding hiking and views looking south toward the cities of San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, and beyond.
Panorama of San Luis Obispo shows a marked increase in home density and rapidly changing quality of life and economic makeup as work-from-home new renters flock to the beautiful city to escape Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Cerro San Luis Obispo aka Madonna Mountain is a popular hiking location for SLO locals living in the downtown San Luis Obispo core. Cal Poly students and locals alike enjoy the trail system here for its quick and easy access. It’s a pretty short hike with multiple options for looping.
