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reviewed Great trail with ocean views and sea lions at the end!
Really beautiful
We hiked this trail today and had a great time. The hills were green, wildflowers were blooming and the weather was perfect. We also encountered very few hikers, though we did have to share the trail with the occasional horseback rider. We started at the Grey Pine trailhead near the entrance of the lake. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. Used the AT app to monitor route and at the juncture for Eagles View trail it became very confusing. The AT app designated a route that deviated from the marked trail. However the AT route was not well maintained and was overgrown with poison oak. So we kept to the regular trail until we reached the White Oak area (there are also regular restrooms there). From there the trail gains quite a bit of elevation. Eventually the trail drops down to the Access Rd near Vaca Flat but again the suggested AT route deviated from the marked trail. We continued to follow the marked Grey Pine trail on the other side of the Access Rd and ended up at Vaca Flat. On our way back we checked out the Eagle View trail and then returned to lake entrance. Round trip we got in about 8 miles. Mixture of terrain..lots of trees and shade but also open areas of grass and brush. Enjoy!
2nd loop was barely a trail with a lot of poison oak.
Very beautiful in spots, it being ranked as a mother it was a bit exaggerated. Very steep and rocky in spots, the view from the top was amazing however it’s not a hike I would not do again
Hiked this trail with my 15-year-old son, we thought it was wonderful. Look forward to doing it again someday.
Talk to friends of mine out to the point for the very first time. They are from the central valley and don’t get to see stuff like this all the time and they were amazed.
Lovely stuff. Set out at 8:30am on a Wednesday and didn’t see a soul til I got back to the car park at 11am where some people were saddling up for a horse ride. No wind today either - I had to stop a fair few times just to take in the surroundings and silence. Loudest thing I could hear was my tinnitus. Incredible! Will say that the early morning cloud cover was appreciated as there isn’t a great deal of shade. Bits here and there that I was thankful for on the way down when the sun started burning the clouds off.
Trail begins on North side of parking lot. Ship wreck is straight out from same.
Tough little butt kicker. 3.8 miles rt if you park at. Non Jones trailhead and cross over extension Bridge. After days of visiting here and all filled with hiking, this last one of my trip kicked my ass as I was trying to beat the sun and make my Sycamore mineral soak appt. What a way to end this 4 day visit from so Cal for hiking.
Mellow on the first mile. Then steep Rocky incline to the top. Saw a wooden tee pee, a metal teepee, a swing, a stream, a waterfall, wild flowers, squirrels and lush landscape all around me. Loved the challenging incline. Great hike. So pretty at the top, 360° views
great views but parts are very steep and with loose gravel, can be slide-y.
Amazing!!
A really nice trail overall. we entered from East Cuesta Ridge. Great weather. This trail is often maligned for it's lack of maintenance and abundance of poison oak. I have to admit, the trail quality was pretty decent overall. There have definitely been some blow downs that are mostly manageable. There is one small landslide that brought down a few trees in a bunch including one massive oak that took a sizable chunk of bedrock with it. Someone has been out and made a functional albeit steep detour. It was Sketchy but manageable. A couple of exposed and slick, shale/oak leaf covered cliff sides await too, but still easily passable. The real game changer for this trail truly is the weaponized oak that starts to completely dominate the terrain about a mile away from Upper Lopez campground. It's clear some good soul(s) have been trimming the malicious vines back as it fills in, but as the season advances it's clear the oak always wins. I brought clippers and trimmed back as much as I could to allow us to duck and twist our way through without touching too much above shin height, but in a week or two everything will be growing too fast to hold back until next winter. We had trappings of making it all the way to Sulphur Pots, but once we emerged into Upper Lopez we knew we weren't going to push it. This is a beautiful trail with clear, babbling streams and 2 small but attractive campsites. True wilderness backpack camping in SLO. For me though, the poison oak is just too much to deal with seasonally. Unless you don't care about the oak, then ignore the last sentence.
great workout! terrific views.
This hike was epic. Challenging, steep, well worth my time! I definitely want to go back and try to beat my time. Jogged all the way back down. Not too crowded, I maybe saw 6-7 people total. Went super early to beat the heat. I definitely should have brought more than 32oz of water and would leave my jacket in the car next time. Beautiful views at the summit. Hit some traffic on the drive back to paso due to roadwork, but took the opportunity to blast some tunes and salivate thinking about what I was going to grub out on after this lovely, strenuous hike.
Beware— car trunk broken in to and rifled in broad daylight on Wednesday March 31. Trail is great! Thieves are bad
Lots of fun, and lots to see!
The trail was well maintained, and had sections under a tree canopy. Saw seals and cows at the end of the walk. Very enjoyable. Best part was that Hearst Ranch Winery is above the beach, where you can stop for wine and appetizers after your hike.
hard af but gorgeous out there. Happy Cesar Chavez day!
Steep in the beginning but once you reach the top it’s not too bad. I made a left at the top of the mountain and came across two cool swings hiding within trees. Enjoy !! Go early
Great views at the top, we took the steeper trail and someone in our group with a bad knee has some trouble but otherwise would recommend the challenge. parking was pretty straight-forward just a quick pull off the road.
3/29/21: I love this area. Cerro Alto is THE hike, but if you are looking to extend it, switch it up or try a different hike, the Boy Scout Loop (or some extension of it) is great, IMO. The scenery is beautiful, and it offers a decent climb. The interactive map is very helpful because it is not well marked and paths take off in different directions. Parts are on a rough road, it ends (or begins) with a walk through the campground, and it can be rocky and steep. Lower parts of the trail are lush and provide good sun cover. It is exposed towards the top. 5 mi round trip. I started at the small bridge and ended with the paved walk. The views, fragrant flowers, and blue birds made this hike memorable for me.
Flat open bluff trail. Good running trail, very few people. It was windy and cool, might want to bring a jacket.
March 29, 2021This hike was by far the most picturesque hike I’ve ever been on. I saw dolphins and whale spouts, hawks and various other birds. The coast was beautiful. This trail is very flat for the most part but there are some spots you may need to scramble through. Absolutely amazing. Stay out of the grass though because the trail is laden with ticks.
