Stadium Park
Stadium Park is located off Highway 41 east in Atascadero, just outside the Von’s shopping center. Oak woodlands, well-kept trails and a tranquil setting make this place any hiker’s must-do. If you’re looking for a more rigorous hike, try looping or speed hiking.
Stadium Park in Atascadero offers a pair of 2-mile loop hikes around sprawling oak trees just a few miles out of town.
For hikers looking for a forgiving, well-maintained and day hike option close to home, Stadium Park is just a short drive outside of Paso Robles. It offers a glimpse into undeveloped California oak woodland and puts on display the need for “pocket parks” like this to feed the local fanfare.
My hike started at Highway 41 east, where I drove about a mile past the Von’s shopping center before hanging a left into the pretty obvious park-and-ride. At this point, it seemed there were two options: head downhill underneath the overpass bridge, or cross the highway and pick up the obvious trail there. I opted for the latter and instead lost my elevation through the Bill Shepard Botanical Garden.
4 trails are at Stadium Park:
Blue Oak
Pine Mountain
ALPS
Marj Mackey
Trails are rather short with plenty of shade along the way. Although dogs are permitted on-leash, expect to encounter the possibility of an off-leash dog. Vistas offer expansive views of the surrounding area from Colony Park to Creston on top of the hills. Wooded sections abound throughout the trail system. Overall, the terrain is hilly enough to provide enough of a workout without breaking the spirit. Private property surrounds this location, so be sure to take precautions in noise and if venturing into the unknown.
Local secret: a monolith may await you at the top of the hike.
Stadium Park truly does have that “stadium” feel to it, a lot like a niche of wildlife carved out of a bowl in the landscape, simply plopped alongside a rural California Highway 41.
But it’s not that simple – and there’s much more to the park. Atascadero and northern San Luis Obispo County as a whole lack adequate trail systems in sync with growing local demand. Stadium Park is a great city pocket-park, a treasure in the rough so to speak. For residents of Atascadero, hiking is just a hop-skip-and-jump away. For Paso Robles wine county enthusiasts wanting to get outside, it’s a nice option to escape the hustle-and-bustle of downtown life.
Trails diverge and offer two options near the entrance as hiker’s go up from Highway 41 on the Blue Oak Trail heading toward Marj Mackey Meadows. It took me awhile to recognize that the better hiking path from the get-go would be the nice single-track on the right.
Single-track hiking opportunities are short and sweet, well-packed, marked and oriented for beginners or those looking for a casual and refreshing hike through an oak woodland in Atascadero, CA. Wine enthusiasts to Paso Robles can enjoy this short hike just +/- 15 minutes from area wineries.
Quintessential hiking along the Blue Oak Trail at Stadium Park in Atascadero, CA near east Paso Robles wineries. Packed soils and single-track trails wind their way through the oak-filled hills with tons of old-man’s beard and the chance for wildflowers in spring.
Clematis vitalba – or Old Man’s Beard – hangs from the oak branches like nature’s dreadlocks.
Farm-to-table edibles like this miner’s lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata, are great collectible ways to practice hike-foraging in Paso Robles wine country.
Panoramic views toward the city of Atascadero, Colony Park and Galaxy Theaters awaits hiker’s who make it to the top at Stadium Park hiking trails.
This viewscape pops up after the loop trail at Stadium Park about a half-mile uphill from Marj Mackey Meadow. This is the trail, looking north, as it winds toward residential homes, then back toward the Pine Mountain Trail.
Pine Mountain trail heads downhill, meandering back-and-forth through a few switchbacks before returning to Highway 41 and the Park-and-Ride located just across the street. The Park-and-Ride is a good place to begin hiking in Stadium Park.
Thick, thick brushes underscore the dense chaparral-to-oak and stadium-esque nature of this heavily wooded area known as Stadium Park.
This is NOT what Stadium Park hiking looks like – just a short and steep section of hike offered as a side-hike along the Pine Mountain Trail. I assume but do not know if this portion takes you to the top.
Monkey flower and other wildflowers are coming to life for hiker’s delight on the Stadium Park Trail, where verdant greens meet native plants and a timescape back in California native plant history.
Adequate signage guides hikers along the Stadium Park trail system. Signs abound, albeit the hiking trail can split in certain spots, it’s always reassuring to know properly placed and maintained trail signs are there to guide you along the way.
Highway 41 is visible from the trail as it switches back and down to lower elevations at Stadium Park.
Bill Shepard Native Plant Garden greets hikers as they enter Stadium Park, a wonderful area hike that offers shaded hikes amongs well-kept oak woodlands bounding with California native plants.