Hiking Photojournal: Montaña de Oro Bluff Trail + Spooner's Cove

My latest nature adventure took me to Montaña de Oro, located on the Central Coast of California, for a beautiful bucket list hike along The Bluff Trail.

The Bluff Trail, Montaña de Oro State Park

My latest nature adventure took me to Morro Bay and Montaña de Oro, both located on the Central Coast of California. During the 9 days I spent there, I was able to knock out three personal bucket list hikes. Of those three, I didn't even know two of them were possible despite spending endless summers there as a child and teenager. And the other one happened in a stunning State Park I don't remember ever stepping foot on before last week.

I say this to underscore a sobering point: I spent nearly 20 years of my life living on the Central Coast of California.

Yep. This adventure was part of an ongoing series of wake-up calls I started receiving in 2015. (You know I love origin stories; I'll be publishing one in the near future that deals directly with that awakening so please add your email below to get notified!)

This particular hike was also so eye-wateringly gorgeous, I'm vowing not to return until I have a proper camera. Any DSLR camera recommendations? If so, find me on Mastodon or BlueSky.

Part 1: Camp to Spooner's Cove

A satellite overview map showing the traveled path for a hike. — From my Garmin. Half the hike was getting from camp to the trailhead, which was a fun mini-adventure on its own!

If you want to stay overnight at Montaña de Oro, you have two options: make a reservation at Islay Creek Campground, or snag one of the 4 "Environmental Camps" situated in the coastal foothills just east of the bluffs. These are tent-only locations you hike into from a nearby parking lot, and they're fairly isolated. Mine was about 3/4 mile from a horse camp at the top of the hill, and 1/2 mile away from the parking lot at the base of the hill.

My camp site at Montaña de Oro. The sunsets were EXQUISITE.

From the parking lot, I crossed Pecho Valley Road and stumbled onto what appeared to be an unmarked trail (as opposed to the clearly marked "Dune Trail" further inland) that wound along the edge of the bluffs leading to Spooner's Cove.

The trek was good practice for the Lost Coast thru-hike, since it was a couple miles of deep, soft sand.

With a bit more energy and nerves, I could have gone straight down to the ocean from here.

On the way, there was a ridiculously steep sand dune that was vertigo-inducing after I'd climbed it and gazed down the other side. If I felt more daring, I could have done some graceful falling/rolling right down to the ocean. But ascending that mountain of sand felt daunting. Mental bookmark for next time!

When I arrived at Spooner's Cove and was delighted to see I had the entire beach to myself – a welcome side-effect of an early morning, weekday hike. It's difficult to put into words how it feels to walk in isolation on this beach, with the dramatic cliffs surrounding it and the soothing sounds of the surf crashing onto the pebbles, then withdrawing back into the ocean.

I'll be back with a REAL camera next time, but I was still pleased with these photos.

Though the trailhead for my hike technically started in the Spooner's Cove parking lot, I was in no hurry to leave. I meandered along the shore, explored the tidepools, and had a blast taking some shots of the waves crashing onto the jagged rocks that jutted out of the water.

The spot where Islay Creek meets the Pacific Ocean.

One area of Spooner's Cove that fascinated me was where Islay Creek quietly met the ocean (above). I sat there for 20 minutes, mesmerized by the motion and the contrast and the sound of freshwater meeting saltwater. I made it a point to eat lunch in that very spot on the way back.

Part 2: The Bluff Trail

I struggled with how to narrate this portion of the post, because I lack the vocabulary to do this breathtaking scenery justice. Just as my iPhone lacks the technology to convincingly convey the heights, the depth, the tiniest details.

The moment that finally triggered my desire to buy a DLSR happened near the "Whale Trail" portion of the hike. I carefully walked to the edge of a cliff and saw at least one hundred sea otters! It was a rafting group, just chilling about 100 yards out. All my photos and videos – which used crappy digital zoom by necessity – resemble nothing more than blurry, pixellated black objects. And without zoom, they might be mistaken for seaweed.

So yea, definitely buying myself a proper camera for Christmas!

I think the best approach is to drop the rest of my favorite photos below. Without any commentary except for this: go to Montaña de Oro. Hike the Bluff Trail. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for letting me share my adventures with you! Enjoy the rest: