On Friday, August 21, 2026 we will hike Black Hill in Morro Bay.  This is a 4.2 mile hike that will likely take nearly three hours.   The hike starts in the parking lot for the Bayside Cafe shown in the picture below. Do not park in the lot for the camp ground and wonder where everyone else is.  The total elevation change is 677 feet with a Total Ascent (cumulative climb) of 958 feet.  The hike has a HHI difficulty rating of 32.52.  Black Hill is the second in the line of volcanic plugs that begins with Morro Rock and ends with Isley Hill. 

We will pass through chaparral, a eucalyptus grove, a meadow, an oak woodland and Monterey pine groves en route to the summit with excellent 360˚ views. On the return we loop around the southern edge of the hill past a quarry and then parallel South Bay Blvd to return to the start.  You will be pleased to know that if you need more exercise, this part of the trail is lined with equipment for doing things like chin ups and pull ups!

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TO GET THERE From SLO, drive 12 mi. north on Hwy 1 to the Los Osos/Baywood Park exit just before Morro Bay. Turn south onto S. Bay Blvd. Drive 0.7 mi to State Park Rd, then 0.7 mi to the parking lot across from Morro Bay State Park.