Bluff Trail

The Bluff Trail at Montana de Oro State Park delivers some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in California, traversing sea-carved bluffs above a rugged shoreline of sea caves, blowholes, and wave-polished tidepools stretching along the Central Coast south of Morro Bay. The trail meanders along the bluff edge past coves where sea otters float on their backs cracking shells, and rocky reefs where harbor seals and Steller sea lions haul out to rest and warm themselves in the afternoon sun. The name Montana de Oro, meaning Mountain of Gold, references the spectacular spring wildflower display that transforms the bluffs into a tapestry of golden poppies, yellow bush lupine, and orange paintbrush from March through May. Gray whales are visible offshore during winter migration, and their spouts can often be spotted from the elevated bluff vantage points. The tidepools below the bluffs rank among the richest in California, protected by the park designation and the remote location at the end of the Los Osos Valley. Cormorants and pelicans nest on the offshore sea stacks, and black oystercatchers work the rocky intertidal zone with their bright orange bills. The loop returns through coastal scrub habitat where black-tailed deer graze in the early morning and coyotes hunt the grass margins at dusk.