Cerro San Luis Obispo, Summit and hiking trail in San Luis Obispo, California
Cerro San Luis Obispo is a mountain in San Luis Obispo, California, rising to around 1,290 feet (390 m) with slopes covered in prickly pear cactus and sage. Several trails connect the city's downtown directly to the western summit.
Around 1900, Civil War veteran G. W. Chandler planted citrus groves on the slopes, and some of those original lemon and orange trees are still standing today. Their presence gives the hillside a look unlike the surrounding native scrub.
The mountain's eastern face displays a large white letter M, painted there by students of the school just below the hill. Locals use this letter as a casual landmark when giving directions around the city.
The main trailhead starts at Marsh Street, which is easy to reach on foot from the city center. The climb is fairly steep, so good footwear is worth wearing even for a short outing.
The mountain is part of the Nine Sisters, a chain of volcanic hills that runs across San Luis Obispo County. Its core is made of igneous rock that once pushed up through older sedimentary layers, which makes it geologically different from the surrounding hills.
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