Located in central California's San Luis Obispo County, Pismo Beach features quiet coastal dunes and beach campgrounds, as well as hard-packed sand that lends itself to all-terrain vehicles. ATVs are permitted at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area, but nature lovers and beachcombers can easily escape noisy vehicles, and lose themselves in the adjacent dune and wetland wildlife preserves that offer a variety of hiking trails and footpaths.
The Oceano Dunes Preserve is an excellent place to explore a coastal dune environment. At the southern end of Pismo Beach, a trail takes hikers into the coastal marshland and Oso Flaco Lake. The easy two-mile path features a footbridge that leads to a wetland area with freshwater lake. The area is an ideal place to see wading seabirds and enjoy a landscape of willows, cattails and sedge. A wooden boardwalk helps protect the area's fragile ecosystem and leads hikers back to the beach. Open year round.
Ocean Dunes
928 Pacific Blvd.
Oceano, CA 93445
805-473-7223
slostateparks.com
The Pismo Beach Trail winds through sand dunes and along the shoreline of Pismo Beach. The easy two-mile hike is on an out-and-back trail that starts on the hard-packed sand area at Oceano Dunes and meanders through a quiet nature preserve, offering views of the ocean, shrubby coastal plants and sand dunes that are continually sculpted by ocean breezes. Open throughout the year; layered clothing recommended due to chilly ocean winds.
Pismo State Beach
555 Pier Avenue
Oceano, CA 93445
805-489-1869
parks.ca.gov
Black Lake is at the northern end of the town, near the Pismo Lake Ecological Preserve. The easy two-mile hike leads to Black Lake, which gets its name from the mossy peat deposits that discolor the water. The trail circles the lake's edge, which is bordered with coastal scrub and groves of shady eucalyptus trees. Hikers will enjoy views of sand dunes and the shoreline. Open throughout the year.
Pismo Lake Ecological Preserve
760 Mattie Road
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
805-773-4657
pismobeach.org
