Central California Coast adventure
Popular places to go hiking or biking:
- The Central California Coast provides hundreds of miles of highways and scenic byways such as the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail.
- Fiqueroa Mountain offers beautiful scenery on any one of their many trails where you can explore old mines and historic pioneer homesteads.
- A unique and isolated trail through Colson Canyon is ideal for any backpacker, biker or day-tripper.
- There's a great spot called Red Rock in Los Padres National Forest with many trails that are fun for the entire family.
Popular Central California Coast beaches:
- Avila Beach is a smaller beach where you'll find great waves for surfing and body boarding.
- There's always Shell Beach with its unique coastal scenery including rugged cliffs and sandy beaches.
- Pismo Beach is actually a little coastal town with fun shops, restaurants and great surfing. The water's a little colder here though so bring a wet suit!
Popular places for those fun water activities:
- Lopez Lake welcomes water skiers, boaters, windsurfers and fishers alike.
- The man-made reservoir of Lake Cachuma is ideal for fishing bass, catfish, trout, bluegill and crappie.
Popular golf courses in the area:
- There are actually over 20 golf courses in the Santa Maria Valley - Avila Beach Golf Resort, Black Lake Golf Resort, Cypress Ridge Golf Course, and Rancho Maria to name a few - which are ideal for year round play with the Central California Coast's moderate climate.
Popular wineries to visit:
- With so many wineries in the area we'll list a few of the more famous ones to visit while you're in the Santa Maria Valley-McKeon-Phillips & Winery, Cambria Winery, Bryon Vineyard & Winery and Fess Parker Winery.
As well as fun and adventure, the Santa Maria Valley is full of delicious foods. The area is famous for its delectable strawberries that are grown 10 months out of the year. Santa Maria is also known as the "Barbeque Capital of the World" so make sure you bring your appetite with you!
