Is Santa Barbara the best beach town along the Central Coast. Being slightly prejudiced, I’ve always thought so.
That is, until my wife and I spent a weekend at Pismo Beach.
I’ve probably driven by the town a thousand times on the way to someplace else. San Francisco, Yosemite, the Redwoods, Big Sur and more.
As a kid, I remember driving by the big sign announcing the entrance to the Dinosaur Caves and practically begging them to stop so my brother and I could see them. Though I didn’t win that battle, I did settle for the opportunity to spend an hour or so scrounging for clams.
Self-proclaimed “Clam Capital of the World,” Pismo drew thousands of clammers to the beaches at the low tides though unfortunately over harvested to the point where they are but a blip on the radar.
It’s easy to dismiss, and at freeway speeds you’re by it in a blip. After all, the town is barely five blocks wide and a mile long.
Our Annual Visit
Traditionally, Yvonne and I spend a few days along the Central Coast, with several devoted to the Cambria area, and the balance in San Luis Obispo. Other memories, especially along the lower Big Sur Coast, still bring a smile to my lips — Jade Cove being the highlight of our trips.
We’ve always spent at least one of the days in SLO given it’s such a charming town and they have world class open spaces here. In May 2017, I wrote a column for Noozhawk titled “San Luis Obispo — Happiest City in America and I Know Why”.
And also why if I had a second choice to live, this is where it would be. But for some reason we decided to try staying the night in Pismo Beach.
We splurged a bit and stayed at the Pismo Lighthouse Suites, one of several along the bluffs just north of the Pismo Pier that have a common walkway that will take you down to the beach or provide expansive views of the coastline.
One of the especially nice things about the walkway was the ability to see the pelicans up close on their cliffside perches.
Rethinking Pismo Beach
From our third floor room overlooking the coastline, we spy the pier in the far distance one way and the vertical cliffs and coves on the other.
Another of the reasons for staying at the Lighthouse Suites was its proximity to a really cool network of hiking, biking and riding trails. Given the almost vertical nature of the hillsides on the east side of Highway 101, I was skeptical that trails could be built on them.
Boy was I in for a big surprise! The Pismo Preserve is one of the best laid out and constructed trails systems I’ve seen.
One of its key characteristics is the number of options for creating one’s own loop, which both helps to separate out users and allows them to follow loops of varying distances or difficulty.
Many thanks to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo for investing in public access for all trail users.
On the Trail
To make it easy for use, the conservancy also provides a way to plan out our loop. We opted to take a counter clockwise hike that would provide perhaps 500’ of elevation gain over 2-3 miles of trail and take an hour and a half or two to walk.
Heading up the Lone Oak Trail was initially in pretty thick fog, but halfway up to the high point it began to thin out, and when we reached the Oak, the views were stunning.
Beyond this, as we came to each point where we could make a choice. we opted for the trail that continued to circle around to the west at about the same altitude.
That resulted in us meandering in and out of several steep drainages, accompanied by thick coastal chaparral type vegetation and oak cover.
With the fog completely gone now, the views continued to impress. Finally as we reached the far west side of the preserve we began a long descent back down to the parking lot.
Wow! Between our stay at the Lighthouse Suites and our first adventure on the trails, I was beginning to re-think my attitude about Pismo Beach. Not too long after, we began to plan another trip back to see more of what Pismo Beach has to offer.
But Better Than Santa Barbara?
Well, it just might be. Perhaps I’m a bit jaded having lived in the Santa Barbara for more than a half century but Pismo has a lot to offer.
The Pismo Pier alone is worth the visit. No vehicles allowed, which is really nice. If there is a nicer or more friendly place to spend time, the wide open plaza-like entry creates a community square of sorts both for visitors and locals.
The area features small shops, plenty of room to walk around or park for a while, a lovely Air Stream snack shop part way out on the pier that exudes ambience, wide open sand beaches on either side, and blocks full of mouth-watering cuisine just a few steps away.
Could you ask for more? Probably not given that’s just the beachfront part of the city.
Well …. maybe there are some drawbacks, but not many. Parking is a major issue. Pomeroy Avenue, the main drag leading from the freeway down to the pier and the surrounding streets doesn’t have enough parking for the crowded weekend crowds.
On the other hand Santa Barbara handles that really well.
But there’s still a very attractive quality to having most everything you’d want close by. Given it’s only a quarter mile from the freeway down to the pier, even a long walk really isn’t.
Plus most of the best restaurants can be found in a four block square, meaning you never really need to walk very far to get where you want.
I’m Sold on Pismo Beach
I’m sold 100% on Pismo Beach and I love Avila Beach almost as much. Partner these with San Luis Obispo, and they offer most everything a visitor might want. Yvonne and I will be back, often if I have anything to do with it.
Other Roadside Attractions Here You Might Like
For those of you who’ve evolved way beyond just hanging out the beach, I’d suggest a few other treats that make Pismo Beach more than just a go-to place for food, fun and surf.
These include a walk along the bluffs, a bike ride out to the Avila Pier for lunch, a casual stroll out to Pirate’s Cove, or the opportunity to take your rig out to the beach and drive it along the edge of the Pacific.
Walking the Bluffs
Park near the Dinosaur Caves Park and enjoy the massive beds of wildflowers there. Stop by and pay your respects at Kristin Smart’s Point of Hope or continue on past Margo Dodd Park to the Coastal Conservancy Overlook. Hopefully the steps down to the beach will have been repaired after being damaged by winter storms.
I’m told at low tide it is possible to access the Dinosaur Caves.
Bike to Pirate’s Cove or Park & Walk
Bike from Pismo Beach along the bike path through Shell Beach, turn down Beachcomber Drive, and then along the coastal bluffs on Indio and Bluff drives to the Shell Beach Bluff Trail out to Shelter Cove. Or take El Portal and Indio drives to the trailhead and park for an enchanting walk along the high bluffs overlooking the Cove. A caution: parking is limited. You may need to park on Indio and walk from there.
Follow the Bob Jones Bike Path to Avila Beach
Either ride your bike from Pismo or Shell Beaches or take Avila Beach Drive to the Bob Jones trailhead for a 2-mile ride on the bike path and a mile further to the end of the road at the Avila Pier.
Enjoy a walk out to the end of the pier and an afternoon lunch. Or enjoy a quiet drive out and add in a side trip along Cave Landing Road to Pirate’s Cove.
Visit Oceano Dunes State Park
If you feel comfortable doing it, get a State Park permit to drive your car on the beach to the Oceano dunes. Spend the day with a picnic, a hike to the dunes and the fun of riding on the only location where it is legal to do so.
Find out more at the Oceano Dunes State Recreation Area website for beach access questions or the Oceano Dunes website to learn more about them.
Stop by the Monarch Butterfly Grove
If during the winter season, stop by one of the most important sites for Monarchs to overwinter. If not, continue through the grove, cross the bridge, and follow the path out to the sand dunes for a picnic.
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Camping locally is available at Oceano Campground-Pismo State Beach. Camping reservations must be made online at Reserve California or by calling Reserve California at 1-800.444.7275 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
This is an extremely popular campground, so reservations should be made well ahead of your visit. You can do that up to 6 months in advance.
There are two campgrounds:
North Beach Campground features tent camping facilities and a campfire center. There are no hook-up sites available in this campground.
Oceano Campground features both hook-up RV sites and tent camping sites. Visitors can access the beach from the campground, explore wildlife along a freshwater lagoon, and enjoy the Visitor Center.
Beach camping is also available in the State Vehicular Recreation area. The SVRA offers primitive beach and dune camping with no designated campsites. Facilities include vault and chemical toilets.
All camping reservations must be made through Reserve California as well. 4×4 only is recommended.
Resources Map. I’ve put together a Google Map of all the attractions described above to help provide a sense of where things are.