Volcanic vistas near San Luis Obispo

Cerro San Luis may be steep, but the path to the summit rewards hikers with views of the coast, San Luis Obispo and the surrounding countryside.

Proud locals say “our mountain” when referring to the peak, also called San Luis Mountain or Cerro San Luis Obispo. They are among the few who seem to know the meaning of the large “M” perched on the eastern slope.

The “M” is not for the nearby Madonna Inn or the Madonna family, big property holders in these parts and owners of most of the mountain, as I figured. Nor is the “M” an advertisement for McDonald’s, as my children guessed. The letter stands for nearby Mission College Prep High School.

Another M-word to remember is morro. Cerro San Luis is one of nine morros, or peaks, that extend from Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo. They are remnants of volcanoes that were active 20 million years ago.

In 1997 the city of San Luis Obispo acquired land and trail access on the lower slope of the mountain for an open-space preserve. Though rangers warn the climb atop 1,292-foot Cerro San Luis intrudes on private land, the trek remains a popular workout, particularly among Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students.

To reach the trail head, drivers heading north from Los Angeles will exit U.S. 101 at Marsh Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. Almost immediately, turn left onto Carmel Street. Go a block and turn left onto Higuera Street.

Follow Higuera until you’re just short of the onramp for southbound 101. Turn right onto a paved road, which leads to the signed Charles A. and May R. Maino Open Space. Parking is near the gated trail.

The path is a dirt road, wide in most places, though it occasionally narrows considerably. When dry the adobe surface is cement-hard, but after a good rain it’s as slippery as soap.

Begin by squeezing through a narrow wooden stile. Large clusters of prickly pear cactus and a few magnificent pepper trees line the road. Curving and climbing west, the trail will look down on Laguna Lake and across to Bishop Peak, at 1,559 feet the highest of the morros.

The path splits near the summit. Both forks lead to a wooden platform just below the peak. Some easy rock climbing leads to fabulous panoramas at the top.

An optional side trip is 2.2-mile Lemon Grove Loop, which branches off Cerro San Luis Trail. Lemon Grove Loop is on the mountain’s eastern slope overlooking downtown San Luis Obispo and the Santa Lucia Mountains. The trail leads to giant eucalyptus, reaches the edge of the Maino Open Space, then passes the trail’s namesake citrus grove before reconnecting with Cerro San Luis Trail.

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See John McKinney’s tips at www.thetrailmaster.com.