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California opens miles of coastal hiking and biking trails to the public

Jan 30, 2020

1 MIN READ

View of the Pacific Ocean from the hills of Pismo Preserve

Pismo Preserve has opened to the public in Centra California ©Getty Images

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Californians and visitors to the Golden State now have access to miles of scenic hiking and biking trails in the Central Coast as Pismo Preserve opens to the public.

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Pismo Preserve is a new conservation area in San Luis Obisbo (halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco) that stretches across the hills above Pismo Beach. A former private ranch, the 900-acre preserve was transformed by the non-profit Land Conservancy by opening its 11 miles of existing trails to hikers, bikers and horseback riders. The trails will give visitors access to dense oak woodlands and canyons, and provide them with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean from the Irish Hills down to Point Sal.

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"It has beautiful canyons with oak woodlands. There’s interesting wildlife that people will hopefully get a chance to see," Kaila Dettman, executive director of the Land Conservancy told California's KSBY News. "It’s likely that you’ll see red tail hoax, humpback whales in the ocean, maybe even get lucky and see a deer or a fox."

The entrance to Pismo Preserve is on Mattie Road, just off Highway 101. There's parking, with ample room for horse trailers, according to the website. Additionally, trails on the Pismo Preserve will provide connections to and from several major hiking and biking trails.

The Pismo Preserve will open daily from 6am, just in time for sunrise hikes, with closing time scheduled for 7pm between November and February, and the later time of 9.30pm from March to October. Camping is prohibited.

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Sasha Brady
Writer
Dublin
I'm a Dublin-based writer and digital editor for Lonely Planet, where I've been part of the team since 2018. Growing up in a family scattered around the world sparked a lifelong love of travel. There was always someone to visit somewhere. While my travels have taken me across Latin America, Australia and Europe, it's always the anticipation of the next adventure that excites me the most. My approach to travel is all about experiencing a place as locals do, delving into its culture through its m…

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