Charles Clayton

Last week Jeff, Kelly, Nate, and I visited Montana de Oro, which is a State Park located in Morro Bay, California.

We reserved an environmental camp-site, being so we had to carry our camping gear to the camp-site as apposed to the common family site where one can simply drive their car to a designated lot and set up. I highly recommend reserving an environmental site, because they are the most inclined with the natural surroundings. Environmental site also are private, which has some pro and cons depending on your preference. For example, no showers are conveniently located within short walking distance of your camp. I found that the pros of an environmental site greatly outweigh the cons, but that is just my preference.

As for Montana de Oro, I thoroughly enjoyed the abundant natural beauty of the area. Our site was surrounded by eucalyptus trees and were inhabited by many monarch butterflies. The beaches are more like cliffs actually, but if you can find a pathway down to the sand it is well worth exploring. The water is very cold, almost painfully cold, but is refreshing after a long hike. There are numerous hiking trails, one of which we hiked to the very top and fully embraced the panoramic view. I would love to visit during the spring, I am sure that the variety of wild flowers in bloom would be astonishing. Apparently thats where Montana de Oro (Golden Mountain) gets its name- from the brilliant display of golden flowers which cover the hills during spring. I had such a wonderful time and will enjoy returning to such a sacred location. Please enjoy our video and let me know what you think : )