There’s something special about coastal hikes, especially when the wildflowers are blooming. One of our favorite coastal hikes is the Bluff Trail in Montaña de Oro State Park in California. Montaña de Oro State Park is a stunning coastal park located just 5 miles south of Morro Bay. This park spans over 8,000 acres along the rugged coastline, and the Bluff Trail offers visitors a glimpse of its stunning scenery. About 4 miles round trip, the Bluff Trail is mostly flat and considered easy. It has many access points, allowing you to modify the length of your hike to suit your capabilities. So, this trail is perfect for pretty much anyone. For an easy hike, the Bluff Trail is breathtaking, especially with the blooming wildflowers. If you’re planning to visit the central California Coast, this is a great stop to add to your itinerary!
Bluff Trail Trailhead:
3550 Pecho Valley Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93402
35.272943, -120.888620
There is parking on the side of the road. You can also park at Spooner’s Cover parking lot, just down the street.
Free
Vault toilets at Spooner’s Cove and a little bit down the way on the Bluff Trail
4 miles R.T.
213 ft
Easy
Leave your pet at home. They are not allowed on the trail!
1.5 hr, but we took 3 hours just to enjoy the scenery.
The Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro State Park is beautiful year-round, but it’s especially beautiful during the wildflower season. It’s also a busy trail, so we recommend coming either early or late in the day if you want some peace and quiet. You might also luck out with a beautiful sunset or sunrise.
The trailhead for Bluff Trail is located on Pecho Valley Road, inside Montana de Oro State Park. It is about 5 miles south of Morro Bay and about a 20-minute drive from San Luis Obispo. You can use your GPS to map your way here. Once you turn left onto Pecho Valley Road toward Montana de Oro State Park, continue for about 3.8 miles. After passing the visitor center, there is a parking area on the right side of the road. The main trailhead for the Bluff Trail is just right up the road, across the street from the trailhead for the steeper Valencia Peak hike. Another option for parking is at the Spooner’s Cover parking lot and taking a short walk over.
After parking, we follow the sign to get on the Bluff Trail. The trail is an almost flat, gravel path. Once you’re on the Bluff Trail, it’s pretty hard to get lost. The trail is well-defined and well-marked. Most of the time, it traces closely along the edge of the rugged cliffs. Once we crossed over the first wooden bridge, we came upon a split. You can go either way; however, we went right to stay along the cliffside.
Our first viewpoint is of Spooner’s Cove. It is a popular beach to hang out at. And if you visit during low tide, Spooner’s Cove has some interesting tidepools. As we hiked further, the views of the cover kept getting better and better.
Along the Bluff Trail, many short detours branch off the main trail. There are poison oaks here, so if you take the detour, make sure to pay attention. We took a few of these to get closer to the edge for better views of the scenery. If you’re going to look down over the cliffs, make sure to be careful. We love watching the waves crashing into the jagged coastlines. It was such a breathtaking sight to witness the power of Mother Nature. The waves are so powerful that they seem to drown out all the other noises. In some ways, it was peaceful just to sit at some of the viewpoints and listen to the crashing waves.
A short distance from the Spooner’s Cove viewpoint, there’s a detour with stairs leading down to the Corallina cove below. During low tides, there are tidepools. Unfortunately, when we went, the detour was closed. After this detour, we reached another wooden bridge. If you want to continue on the Bluff Trail, cross over the bridge and go right. If you need the restroom or want to go back to the car, keep going straight without crossing over.
When we went, there were tons of wildflowers. The further we hiked, the more flowers covered the landscape. It was very colorful, from yellow wild mustard, purple wild radish, to bright orange poppies and brilliant red nasturtium. Right below the wooden bridge, there were tons of nasturtium.
Along the hike, on a clear day, you’ll also be able to see Morro Bay. Don’t forget to stop and admire all the interesting rock formations in the water. The rugged rocks against the teal white ocean water are stunning. The trail stretches on until you reach the end of the trail before veering left to get to the South parking lot. This is the end of the Bluff Trail. We turned back here instead of going to the parking lot. You can go further if you like.
The Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro State Park was perfect to stretch our legs after a long drive. We enjoyed it a lot more than we thought. It reminded us of Kaena Point in Hawaii, more of the West Route rather than the North Side route. It’s nowhere as sketchy as the Ho Chi Minh trail in La Jolla, though.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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