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Mountain Bike Cuesta Ridge

San Luis Obispo, California

5.0/5
based on 2 reviews

Details

Distance

7 miles

Elevation Gain

-1600 ft

Route Type

Point-to-Point

Description

Added by Justin Connolly

Awesome network of hiking and downhill mountain biking trails stretching from the top of Cuesta Ridge into the heart of San Luis Obispo.

Start at the parking lot directly off of Highway 101, head up TV tower Road for 2.8 Miles and a 900' climb from 1500' to 2400'. The trail is an old fire road that has degraded over the years and is full of potholes. Starting October 2015, the road has been closed to vehicles as its being repaved for better access for firefighters.

After 2.5 Miles, there is a fork in the road. Take the left fork and climb over the gate to get to the top of Shooters trail, a 1.2 Miles single track that leads to "The Eucs", a mountain bike park with intermediate and advanced courses. After the Eucs there is a flow trail down to the local train tracks, with two trails leading into the back of Poly Canyon behind Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's campus. The first trail option is directly across the train tracks. It leads to a 1.3 mile trail to the end of Stenner Creek Rd. Be sure to close all gates behind you, and respect the cows grazing in the pastures. The two exit trails are Stenner Creek Rd. ending the ride at 350' in elevation, or Poly Canyon Road, with a final elevation of 370'.

If you decide to stay on the ridge instead of riding down, TV tower road continues for 11 Miles and has amazing vistas for watching the sunset, photography, and long hikes. There are OHV trails littering the area, but they are not usable until the road reopens in Fall 2016.

Cuesta Ridge is the most accessible mountain biking in San Luis Obispo, there are tons of trails in the park, you can park on stenner creek rd and ride up, get dropped off at the West Cuesta Ridge Parking lot and do 15 Min uphill and get 40 minutes of pure downhill. Be sure to check the maps more closely to better plan your ride or hike. For more details and reviews, check out http://www.mtbproject.com/trail/4093357/shooters.

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Features

Chillin
Photography
Mountain Biking
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Scenic

Mountain Bike Cuesta Ridge Reviews

If you've got a proper set up, arrive the night before and drop into these trails in the early morning after spending the night on the ridge. The morning views are unbeatable, but beware it can be a very windy and foggy evening on the Ridgeline. Shooters is the primary climbing trail but Is a fun decent for intermediate riders....for advanced riders I recommend morning glory and seek and ye shall find more advanced trails in the area. Happy hunting!

20-25 years ago I often used to ride in this area of the Cuesta Grade. The long downhill single track back to Cal Poly and SLO are exhilarating and fun. I stopped riding in the area because the land owners (Ranchers, Cal Poly & Union Pacific) shut the trails down and were prosecuting some hikers & mountain bikers for trespassing and a myriad or other alleged crimes. So in reading this, one can imagine how excited I was to see the area is and has been back in action. I was RV en more excited to see the area has been improved with a MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK to boot! This ride is highly recommended and fun, especially if you can get someone to drop you off at the top. Just note there are parts of this trail system where you will be on private property. As always be respectful and mindful of others and your surroundings. One bad apple can and will (has in the past) ruin the trail system with their actions. Resulting in the area being closed for the ALL of us. RideOn!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Bishop's Peak Trail

Bowden Ranch Trail

Eagle Rock Nature Trail

Rinconada Mineral Mines

Quarry and Park Ridge Trail Loop

Baywood Park & Pier