#Montana de Oro State Park

[vintagecamping]

Pristine spot in beautiful Montana de Oro State Park.

California

1990

[wandering-jana]

Montana de Oro State Park, California.

Oct. 2020

Explore California's coast:

[bririnehart]

A Guide to : Montana de Oro State Park

My mama celebrated her birthday last week + wanted to go to Montaña de Oro State Park. So of course, I couldn't say no to this little adventure.

We made a day trip to the state park -- which was more like a 1/2 day by the time we arrived. It still gave us enough time to explore the Spooner house + hike their smaller trail.

Here's a breakdown of our day:

🥾 Since we arrived later in the day, we decided to hike the bluff trail - which is the smallest trail. It's 3.4 miles long + has the most gorgeous views. The trail is alongside the cliffs, so it's hard to not stop + take pictures at every viewpoint.. especially if this is your first time there

🐚 On this trail, there is a stairway that leads to the beach + tide pools. I recommend taking a break on the beach + check out the tide pools

🏠 The Spooner house is the original ranch house of the Spooner family. It is now a free museum + pretty cool to check out

🐍 Be aware of the wildlife! If you start at the spooner house, there is a running list of when someone has seen wildlife, the date they saw it + which trail it was. Regardless - be aware, stay on the paths + leave the wildlife alone

I definitely want to go back to this state park. There is beach access if you don't want to hike, + campsites for those who like to camp.

DETAILS:

Location: Los Osos, California

Cost: Free; campsites require reservations

Hours: Daylight to dusk

Things to do:

Hikes

Tide pools

Spooner house

Enjoy the beach

Camp

Be Mindful:

Stay on the designated trail paths

Be aware of wildlife

Be careful of cliff dropoffs

[snototter]

A striped shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) in Montana de Oro State Park, CA, USA

by marlin harms

[cheaprv]

Montana De Oro State Park, Los Osos, California. Photo by Madison Detwiler.

[dudewhoabides]

Montana De Oro State Park Morning View Photographer Jon Pinter

[stumbleimg]

The rocky shoreline of Montana de Oro State Park during a winter sunset, California[2048x1365][oc]

[morrobaydreamcottage]

morro bay cottages for rent Includes A half-acre point on the edge of a spectacular, 11-acre-peninsula, with stunning southwest sunsets that last for hours. 270-degree views of the bay. Our little peninsula is nestled against and surrounded by one of the most sought-after 8,000 acres State Parks in California: Montana De Oro. It is very, quiet! Giving you some much-needed peace. We have a hot tub and a hanging comfy forest bed, you two can nap on while overlooking the sunset bay.

[playandwander]

The rocky shoreline of Montana de Oro State Park during a winter sunset, California[2048x1365][oc] https://ift.tt/M4cXwrL

[bririnehart]

Visiting the Spooner Ranch House

The Spooner Ranch House gets its own appreciation post because I thought it was a pretty cool place to check out before going on our hike in Montaña de Oro State Park.

What was once the main Spooner household is now a museum, gift shop, + tourist information center. There is limited parking in front of the house. We were lucky to get the last spot in front of the house.

When we visited, the house was also hosting an exhibit dedicated to Pioneer Women* in one of the wings of the house. It was an interesting exhibit to look at and read the stories of the women who made the trek to California from various parts of the world. The other half of the house is open to explore. You can walk in and out of rooms, learn more about the Spooner family and other little facts about the ranch.

It's fun to explore the house + admire the views they had. Could you imagine in 1892, when the house was built, how the views were back then!? Probably even more incredible!

I did learn something new about houses while I was walking around -- the California cooler. I have never heard of this, but thought that it was the coolest thing. How did they discover that the cool coastal air would keep their perishables cool + last longer with a cabinet.. in the wall..?? Basically - the California cooler was the answer to a root cellar. It was built on an exterior wall of the kitchen with two vents that opened directly to the outside - one up and one down. The idea was the cool coastal air would flow through the vents and circulate around the shelves keeping perishable items cool.

I recommend checking the ranch house out if it is open when you're at Montaña de Oro State Park!

*As of June 2022

DETAILS:

Cost: Free

[snototter]

A wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) crosses the road in Montana de Oro State Park, California, USA

by marlin harms

[scottdavenportphoto]

Live Edit! Unscripted & Uncut - In Post #544

In my Live Edit videos, I share my entire start-to-finish workflow using a photo that I’ve never worked on before. Mistakes, switchbacks, and wrong turns are all part of the video - that’s where the learning happens! Watch over my shoulder as I work on a new image. You’ll hear the thought process and the artistic choices that drive the post-processing adjustments applied.

In this edition, I process a long exposure seascape from Montana de Oro state park in Los Osos, California. Color range masks are very useful to quickly target adjustments to the jagged rocks and in just a few minutes, the photo is finished!

[dudewhoabides]

California Coast Morning Montana De Oro State Park Photographer Jon Pinter

[subhashchandra]

📸marlin harms

Phacelia viscida, Sticky Phacelia

Nearly 4 months after fire,

Rattlesnake Trail, Montana de Oro State Park, San Luis Obispo Co., CA

💙💙💙

[valhikes]

Montaña de Oro State Park, California.

A lovely (and popular) little peak along the coast that happens to be on the Lower Peaks Committee peak list. From March 2015.

[mike-jacque-c-the-world]

03/11/20 - Montaña de Oro State Park, CA - CLOUDS MAKE THE SUNSET - We’re slowly working our way north along the Pacific Coast trying to work in as many overnights at State Parks as we can. We are very lucky to have found this one: one of the most scenic I can remember. We drove to this viewpoint a few miles from our camping spot to watch the sunset. The clouds made sure we weren’t disappointed.