Undercover San Luis Obispo: Limekiln State Park

So this trip isn't actually in San Luis Obispo County (it's Monterey) but Limekiln State Park is definitely a great day trip or better a stop along your way up to Big Sur. Actually there is a great campground that is state run so you could make a nice weekend of it. Reservations can be difficult during the summer, as is expected for the whole coastline from SLO to Monterey. Its a two hour drive outside of SLO but the drive is worth it.

Here is a great overview picture (careful that website is addicting) and map.

The main hike at this park is not very long but it is gorgeous and perfect for a picnic. If crossing over small wooden bridges in a dense Redwood forest sounds good to you then this is your hike. And if you are lucky enough to go on a weekday in the spring or fall we might even have this trail to yourself. I would call this a stroll much more than a hike.

And it should be taken slowly and with your eyes looking everywhere. There is a lot to be discovered especially after a rain. But don't go off the trail and ruin this environment.





The hike dead ends at the namesake of the park, the giant Lime Kilns. Here is a brief history from the State Park website, "Quarried limestone was “kilned” (smelted) in four huge wood-fired kilns. The product—powdered lime—was packed into barrels which were then attached to cable that was strung from the canyon wall down to the beach and some 50 yards out into the Pacific Ocean. Schooners slipped into tiny Rockland Cove, as the landing was known, and loaded the lime. The lime, a primary ingredient in cement, was used to construct buildings in Monterey and San Francisco."