My wife grew up in Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo area and her relatives were still there until recently. On visits there, we used to really enjoy going out to Carrizo Plains….nice short hikes, usually pretty sparsely used.
I was there in spring 2017 (? I think) for one of the first super blooms. It was one of the biggest sh*tshows I have ever been in! People blocking roads by parking stoopidly. Everybody had a dog or 3. Seemed like we were never out of range of a humming drone. Forget trying to park at one of the trailheads or get within 1/2 mile of the small visitor center there.
A real disappointment after having had the place almost to ourselves in every other visit. It WAS beautiful, but I’d think twice about going unless your tolerance for crowds is very high.
Ugh. Maybe it is the Instagram syndrome?
I haven't been there for the blooms but my wife's niece lives in Los Osos, just south of Morro Bay. Tidepooling, and the shoreline at Montano de Oro State Park is something we look forward to when visiting. Not total solitude but the sheer noise volume of the surf hitting the rocks lends to a sense of remoteness. Flocks of pelicans patrol at wave height.
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