Cerro San Luis Trailhead

San Luis Obispo is an urban metropolis with busy streets and lively neighborhoods, surrounded by vast deserts and a tall mountain range to the east. Although the west side of town is pretty flat, there is one peak known as the Cerra San Luis Obispo. This peak offers some great views and can be scaled by hiking along the Cerro San Luis Trailhead, a preserve trail with a compacted clay and soil terrain.

To get to the trail, you need to hike half a mile along the Lemon Grove Loop Trail, with its trailhead making for a good parking area to start at. The trailhead has an information kiosk, with a paved lot and marked parking spaces. After passing over a gate and onto the trail, the Lemon Grove Loop passes through a protected open space before turning and connecting with the Cerro San Luis Trailhead where the trail begins. There are two ways to take, east and west, and most travelers take the west side first, thanks to its easy inclines starting out. 

The trail passes through enriched fields and deserts, with the foothills of the mountains to the north. The trail is pretty bare and sunny, but does offer pretty views of desert plants and cacti. About 2 miles into the trail, it turns upward, and after some steep inclines, you and Fido will come across the peak, a flat sandy area that features more scenic views of the surrounding desert and downtown San Luis Obispo. After this, the trail descends downward, into thick forests with rewarding shade.

The trail eventually loops back around the mountain on the other side, connecting back with the trailhead. For such a short and simple hike, you and Fido will get so many pretty views and plenty of one-on-one time in this quiet and peaceful area of the city.