For the first time in three years, we will hike the Black Hill Loop in Morro Bay on Friday, November 7th at 8:30 AM.  Black Hill is the second of nine volcanic plugs that lie between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. The first is Morro Rock. It is rumored that Black Hill received its name due to the tar seep on the north side of the hill. This unpublished hike was last taken by us in 2022. It is expected to be about 4 miles with a elevation change of 686 feet. It is in the Soft hardness category.

 

We will walk though the campground to the picnic area then up towards the Group Camp Area. Once past the campground area we will pass through chaparral, a eucalyptus grove, a meadow, oak woodland one Monterey pine groves en route to the 661 ft summit with excellent 360° views. On the return we loop around the southern edge of the hill past a quarry and above S. Bay Blvd.

 

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 towards the Campground entrance. Park in the parking area on the right, adjacent to the restrooms just before the entrance to the Bayside Café on the left. This is about 0.1 mi before the campground entrance.

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Please let Russ Bik (rbik@me.com) know if you plan to join us on this hike.