Montana de Oro
Los Osos / Morro Bay · near Los Osos / Morro Bay · Central Coast
Surfing · Trail Running
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Best season
- Fall and winter · Northwest groundswells Nov–March
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Distance
- 8 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,300 ft
- Best season
- Year-round · wildflowers Feb–May ('mountain of gold')
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Montaña de Oro State Park — free entry. Popular but rarely full.
What is here
- Features
- Bluff Trail above dramatic sea cliffs · Valencia Peak — ocean-to-mountain views · Spring 'mountain of gold' wildflowers · Uncrowded Central Coast gem
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Surfing detail
- Break types
- reef · beach
- Swell
- Northwest · 3–8ft · Multiple spots pick up different swell angles
- Tide
- Low-to-mid tide on reef sections
- Wind
- Exposed to afternoon onshore — morning sessions are essential
- Crowd
- One of the least crowded quality surf areas in California. Park, short hike, empty waves.
- Board
- Mid-length for versatility across the multiple spots · Shortboard for reef sections
- Wetsuit
- 4/3mm most of year · Water is cold year-round
- Intl tip
- Morro Rock (the 576-foot volcanic plug visible from most of the Central Coast) is 10 miles north. The combination of Morro Bay's harbor, Montana de Oro's surf, and Morro Rock's geology makes for one of the most complete Central Coast day trips available.
Trail Running detail
- Surface
- singletrack
- Intl tip
- The park is southwest of Los Osos / Morro Bay. The Bluff Trail is flat and family-friendly; Valencia Peak adds the climb. Combine with Morro Rock and the Central Coast's Highway 1. Spring wildflowers (Feb–May) are the highlight.
The guide
Montana de Oro ('Mountain of Gold') is what the Central Coast looks like before development arrived — dramatic headlands, tide …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Montana de Oro — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.2697, -120.8892