Please download Flash Player 9.0
Play - Exploring
Walking and Hiking at Sycamore
Sycamore Mineral Springs is located in the beautiful Avila Valley, which offers a number of extraordinary hikes and walks. Ranging from easy to difficult and short to long, you’re sure to find something that fits your schedule and fitness level.
Sycamore has trails available right from the property that range from 1.5 to 6 miles in length, all offering phenomenal ocean vistas or coastal access. The Bob Jones Trail will satisfy the casual stroller, fitness walker, bicyclist or roller blade enthusiast. For a detailed guide with more information, please inquire with our front desk attendant.
Hikes
Sycamore Crest Trail - approximately 2 miles round trip - offers a beautiful display of the Central Coast's most honored features: endemic plants, colorful wildflowers, and of course, the Pacific Coastline. The hiker will explore shaded sections of scrub oaks and manzanita on the short, steep route to a summit overlooking spectacular views of Avila Bay and Port San Luis. Next, meander along the ridge enjoying southern vistas and the smell of California coastal sage and finish the hike at a historical landmark known as Cave's Landing.
Level: Intermediate
The Bob Jones City to the Sea Bike Trail - approximately 4 miles round trip - (originally known as the Avila Valley Bike Trail) follows the old Pacific Coast Railroad right-of-way. It is used as a hiking, jogging, and biking route. The paved trail winds through the forested valley alongside San Luis Obispo Creek towards Avila Beach. From the trail are views of bridges spanning the wide creek, the Avila Beach Golf Course, the town of Avila and the Pacific Ocean.
Level: Easy
Bike or Driving Routes
Each of these routes are also wonderful for photographers (in cars or on bikes) looking for some good country shots in fall, summer or spring, or painters looking for the same thing. The roads are narrow, so if you do stop to shoot or paint, make sure you’ve picked a safe place and your car is completely off the road. Stay on the side of the road, though, and out of fields and farms. A few suggested routes:
See Canyon.- Some 13 miles of narrow paved See Canyon Road wind back into a sunny, tree-lined canyon that is the buckle of the Avila apple belt. The first five miles or so offer a gradual steady climb from San Luis Bay Drive. But See Canyon Road does make a steep climb to the top of the coastal hills at the back of the canyon, becoming unpaved at the top and eventually linking up with the unpaved portion of Prefumo Canyon Road, which loops back down into San Luis Obispo.
A ride down See Canyon Road to the Lamb Cattle Company, about 5 or so miles back into the canyon, takes you past many of the valley’s historic apple orchards. You can stop and buy cider and apples there in summer and fall if you’re so inclined. Climbing roses spray over the orchard gates. Along See Canyon Road, oak, pine, sycamore and even redwood trees grow, along with lupine, poppies, blackberry vines, buttercups - and plenty of healthy poison oak. You may even spot a peacock strutting slowly along in the middle of the road - really.
Advantage: it’s downhill coming back. Disadvantage: local cars on the road travel surprisingly fast; watch out for traffic.
It’s a great family ride in a car, too, during apple season. Bring a camera for some country snapshots and money for some apples. You’ll want them both.
Monte Road.- There are two versions of this ride; one for normal people and one for spandex people. Normal (but definitely in-shape) people can take Avila Beach Drive all the way to Highway 101, and cross under to Monte Road on the east side. Monte Road runs downhill through fields and scattered houses to meet up with San Luis Bay Drive. You can catch San Luis Bay Drive and loop around, uphill over Highway 101 and then down a fantastic downhill ride back to Avila Beach Road and Avila Beach proper. Or you can cruise north, past San Luis Bay Drive up Monte Road past more apple orchards, enjoying the scenery before cruising back to cross the freeway on San Luis Bay Drive. This is a sunny farming and living area with no official rest stops, but it is pretty. Again, you’re sharing the road with cars, not using a protected bike path, so plan for off-traffic hours.
Squire Canyon.- For very, very fit people, or people in cars. Squire Canyon Road is on the east side of Highway 101, off Monte Road. After an initial climb, Squire Canyon Road wanders at the base of the canyon, along creeks and past old and new houses and green fields. It’s gorgeous in the springtime when the poppies and lupine are blooming.
But then the road takes a punishing climb uphill. Choose to turn onto narrow, steep treacherously winding Indian Knob Road only if you really want to be a masochist; it’s not really a bike ride road. Neither Squire Canyon or Indian Knob roads has a bike path and local traffic can travel fast, so plan for off-traffic (during school and "work") hours for the safest ride.
* Sycamore is not responsible for injuries, lost items, etc. while guests are on the hikes or bike trails.
Sycamore has trails available right from the property that range from 1.5 to 6 miles in length, all offering phenomenal ocean vistas or coastal access. The Bob Jones Trail will satisfy the casual stroller, fitness walker, bicyclist or roller blade enthusiast. For a detailed guide with more information, please inquire with our front desk attendant.
Hikes
Sycamore Crest Trail - approximately 2 miles round trip - offers a beautiful display of the Central Coast's most honored features: endemic plants, colorful wildflowers, and of course, the Pacific Coastline. The hiker will explore shaded sections of scrub oaks and manzanita on the short, steep route to a summit overlooking spectacular views of Avila Bay and Port San Luis. Next, meander along the ridge enjoying southern vistas and the smell of California coastal sage and finish the hike at a historical landmark known as Cave's Landing.
Level: Intermediate
Level: Easy
Each of these routes are also wonderful for photographers (in cars or on bikes) looking for some good country shots in fall, summer or spring, or painters looking for the same thing. The roads are narrow, so if you do stop to shoot or paint, make sure you’ve picked a safe place and your car is completely off the road. Stay on the side of the road, though, and out of fields and farms. A few suggested routes:
See Canyon.- Some 13 miles of narrow paved See Canyon Road wind back into a sunny, tree-lined canyon that is the buckle of the Avila apple belt. The first five miles or so offer a gradual steady climb from San Luis Bay Drive. But See Canyon Road does make a steep climb to the top of the coastal hills at the back of the canyon, becoming unpaved at the top and eventually linking up with the unpaved portion of Prefumo Canyon Road, which loops back down into San Luis Obispo.
A ride down See Canyon Road to the Lamb Cattle Company, about 5 or so miles back into the canyon, takes you past many of the valley’s historic apple orchards. You can stop and buy cider and apples there in summer and fall if you’re so inclined. Climbing roses spray over the orchard gates. Along See Canyon Road, oak, pine, sycamore and even redwood trees grow, along with lupine, poppies, blackberry vines, buttercups - and plenty of healthy poison oak. You may even spot a peacock strutting slowly along in the middle of the road - really.
Advantage: it’s downhill coming back. Disadvantage: local cars on the road travel surprisingly fast; watch out for traffic.
It’s a great family ride in a car, too, during apple season. Bring a camera for some country snapshots and money for some apples. You’ll want them both.
But then the road takes a punishing climb uphill. Choose to turn onto narrow, steep treacherously winding Indian Knob Road only if you really want to be a masochist; it’s not really a bike ride road. Neither Squire Canyon or Indian Knob roads has a bike path and local traffic can travel fast, so plan for off-traffic (during school and "work") hours for the safest ride.
* Sycamore is not responsible for injuries, lost items, etc. while guests are on the hikes or bike trails.
