Hike Oso Flaco Lake, Guadalupe, California

Add to My List Check Off

Oso Flaco Lake Trail is about 2.2 miles round-trip and is located near Guadalupe, California. The trail is great for hiking and normally takes about 1 hour. Oso Flaco Lake is part of the former Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve, operated by The Nature Conservancy. The area has been transferred to California State Parks, and is now part of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The trail and the portion of the beach it accesses are not open to vehicles of any kind. The trail starts at a large gravel parking lot and is briefly paved. When we hiked this trail in July 2012, there was a downed eucalyptus tree across the trail about 200 yards from the trailhead. It was easy to climb over, and hopefully will be removed in the near future. Signs at the trailhead warn of recent bear activity in the area. While we didn't see any bears, we did see bear scat on the trail. You are far more likely to see raccoons, who seem to have taken up permanent residence along the trail. The closed paved road turns to dirt and soon reaches the start of the Oso Flaco Lake boardwalk, on your left. Turn here and take the boardwalk across the lake. The boardwalk includes benches and several interpretive signs identifying common plants and birds in the area. After crossing the lake, the boardwalk continues over the dunes to a high point near the beach. Here, a short section of boardwalk branches off the main route and leads to a viewing platform with excellent views to the north and south along the beach. There is also a picnic area near here with picnic tables and a restroom. The main route follows a sandy path between two fenced-off areas (the one to the north protecting snowy plover habitat) and leads onto the beach. From here, views extend south to Point Sal and north to Point San Luis. The mouth of Oso Flaco Creek, which drains the lake, lies just to the south of here. Source: EveryTrail

Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›