February 3, 2023
Our New Yorker companions headed back east via Amtrak on February 2nd. So it was just the three of us, the two Vermonters and me. We decided to go on hike. We headed to the always enjoyable West Cuesta trailhead. It is located off the 101 between Santa Margarita and San Luis Obispo. You have to be alert and quick as the exit is close to the top of the Cuesta Grade. When we exited, we noticed there was only one parked car near this very popular trailhead. We parked and walked to the trailhead. We were dismayed when we encountered a clearly posted sign preventing entry. The trail was closed due to the recent California rainstorms. Well we quickly made a new plan and headed to a trail we discovered last year, Three Bridges Oak Preserve in Atascadero. We should have known just by the name of the place it would be closed as well. We definitely hadn’t done our research before heading to these two locations. Now we had a dilemma – do we allow the universe to thwart us and give up OR do we keep on keeping on until we find an open trail. SO, we decided to head to a mainstay of ours, Montaña de Oro State Park. We knew that was open! We headed back to the highway to Baywood-Los Osos and the State Park.
Our new goal was to hike the Coon Creek Trail to the grove of cypress trees and then up the Rattlesnake Flats Trail. In the past I’ve completed the out and back Coon Creek Trail, but the Rattlesnake Flats portion would be new to me. We drove to the end of Pecho Valley Road and parked in the large parking area. It was a nice, single track trail mostly shaded by oak trees as we followed Coon Creek. In about 2.5 miles the trail ends at a cypress grove that used to be an homestead. We rested for a while and headed back to the junction to Rattlesnake Flats.
Rattlesnake Flats Trail cuts off from the Coon Creek Trail and switchbacks up a canyon wall. The trail is much different than Coon Creek. We gradually climbed up and walked out in the open with views of the ocean. We saw many wildflowers including blooming lupine bushes, bush poppy and milkmaids. It wasn’t a “super bloom”, but still they stopped us in our tracks. I highly recommend the additional effort and take this loop back to the parking lot.
We were victorious and had not allowed the rainstorm aftermath to defeat us. We therefore deserved a good meal. We headed into Baywood and stopped for fantastic sandwiches at High Street Deli. I still think they serve some of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten. We walked through a great nearby farmers market and then headed back to our condo.
Los Angeles Excursions 