The Nine Sisters of San Luis Obispo County

They are the most obvious things you'll see if you're roaming around San Luis Obispo county. Whether you're hanging around downtown San Luis Obispo or walking down the Embarcadero in Morro Bay, there's one of the Nine Sisters in the background.

They are the nine volcanic plugs that stretch from Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo, but to be honest, that is a terribly boring way to describe them. Instead, I'd say they are the nine beautiful peaks that make a direct line from Morro Rock to San Luis Obispo. If you've spent any time in this beautiful county, you've seen them. They are Morro Rock, Black Hill, Cerro Cabrillo, Hollister Peak, Cerro Romauldo, Chumash Peak, Bishop Peak, Cerro San Luis, and Islay Hill.

If you're spending time in San Luis Obispo, you are viewing the twin peaks of Cerro San Luis, with the big M on it, and Bishop Peak, the tallest of the nine. In Morro bay, you're probably staring at the rugged Morro Rock with Black Hill, Cerro Cabrillo, and Hollister Peak to your back.

Morro Rock

Morro Bay's iconic rock is certainly the most famous in my mind. The bare stone stands so prominently in the bay it is impossible to miss its beauty and grandeur. When Erinn and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest last year, we saw another awe-inspiring rock on Cannon Beach, but I couldn't help but compare it to Morro Rock. While Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach is impressive, its 235-foot height just can't compete with Morro Rock's 581 feet.

A few years ago, Erinn took me to Black Hill for my first Nine Sisters hike. It is located directly behind the Morro Bay Golf Course, just a few minutes from downtown Morro Bay. It is seriously easy to get to and seriously worth your time. I'm a fan of hikes with a view and the top of Black Hill is an amazing sight to see. I remember wondering why I hadn't hiked to the top of Black Hill before. Why this amazing view, just around the corner from the Embarcadero, had gone overlooked by me. Now it's one of my favorite places to visit in Morro Bay. I've taken so many pictures from the top of Black Hill and they're all beautiful, but none of them compare to actually being there, so do yourself a favor and drive over to the golf course and climb that hill. You'll love it.

Panoramic from the top of Black Hill

Click on that map. It'll take you exactly where you need to go. Or check out HikesPeak.com. It's great.



Since then, it has been my mission to hike all of the Nine Sisters that I can and recently Erinn and I have been making some progress. However, some of the peaks are definitely off-limits. First, Morro Rock is an Historical Landmark, so climbing is not allowed. Also, Hollister Peak and Chumash Peak seem to be mostly on private land, so we'll probably have to wait on those. Thanks to donations and public acquisitions, all of the other peaks are accessible to the public. So far, Erinn and I have hiked Black Hill (665 ft.), Islay Hill (777 ft.), Cerro Cabrillo (911 ft.), Cerro San Luis (1,292 ft.), and Bishop Peak (1,559 ft.), which just leaves Cerro Romauldo (1,306 ft.).

Honestly, I just can't get enough of the hiking in San Luis Obispo. It is probably my second favorite thing about living here, right behind the weather. (Today's high in Bakersfield - 101. Today's high in SLO - 80) Every chance I get, I'll be trekking down some new path.