While there’s no other spot I’ve visited more, no matter how much San Luis Obispo gravel I’ve done there has always been something missing.
Positioned slightly inland there’s a lot of nearby access to the Central Coast and I’ve ridden a lot of it, but I’ve been most curious about riding the ridge line above.
I prefer riding loops rather than out and backs to maximize the freshness of the views and TV Tower Rd is positioned nicely as a connector above San Luis Obispo.
It’s a road I’ve ridden many times before offering some of the best sunrises and views across the county before turning around.
Route wise, connecting with Highway 41 just to the north would help close the circle but looking at Strava’s Heat Map, there isn’t a consensus of the best way of bridging that gap.
Forward ahead to this summer connecting with Jason of SLO GRVL who put together a ride of Cerro Alto’s greatest hits and a big sized group to tackle it.
Normally, I’ve gone alongside the 101 to make my way up to TV Tower Rd via historic Stagecoach Rd.
This time the route took us through Poly Canyon that I’ve had great experiences through the ranchlands with playful off-roading, but our approach upward led us up towards the train tracks that have been gracing the area since the late 19th century.
Once above, we pierced through the clouds enjoying the nine miles of rollers through the layers of fluffiness.
With a grainy descent behind our first gate, there were options around Cerro Alto making it back to Hwy 41 though all were some form of single track.
Jason’s choice was taking the AT & T trail to Canyon Trail into the Cerro Alto campground.
The biggest issue at first wasn’t the riding, but the overgrowth as poison oak is heavily present as we walked our way through to avoid contact soon followed by a steep section that was partially rutted out that keep us in biped mode as well.
It wasn’t that much of a hike-a-bike and we were fine down to the Canyon Trail though that finished some windy technical riding.
Coming out of the campground, it was eight miles of rocket fuel down the highway into Morro Bay that was a nice breather before our final section of dirt.
Within the volcanic peaks of the area’s iconic Nine Sisters (although there are 23 of them), we whipped into Morro Bay State Park hitting a number of single tracks for three and a half miles that are enough to feel accomplished for the day.
While I finally knocked off my most desired road (though there are others), I was so glad to gain more confidence about the pleasure of discovering more San Luis Obispo gravel.