Morro Bay State Park
Nature preserve
973 acres11.8 mi of trail
Black Hill TrailFleming LoopExercise TrailMarina Peninsula Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Raleigh Littles · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Morro Bay
Morro Bay has 16 miles of mapped trails, 2.9 for every square mile of land
38% of Morro Bay’s land is conserved, about 1,285 acres. Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1,298 acres are parks and preserves, 121 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #19 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
1,285 acres · of 5.3 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,298 ac
121 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
6.1 mi lanes · 4.1 mi paths
Highest peak
597 ft
Black Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Morro Bay?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Morro Bay have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Morro Bay is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #19 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Morro Bay near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Morro Bay’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land121 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,298 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 98%
Water is 48% of Morro Bay’s area (5 of 10 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Morro Bay State Park, with 11.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Morro Strand State Beach
Nature preserve
165 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
North Point Natural Area
Managed by City of Morro Bay
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cloisters Community Park
Park
18 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Morro Bay State Park973 acres · 11.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMorro Strand State Beach165 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Point Natural Area6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Morro Bay
DirectionsCloisters Community Park18 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMorro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area489 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMorro Rock Natural Preserve46 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDel Mar Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMorro Bay State Marine Reserve288 acres
DirectionsLila Keiser Park6 acres
DirectionsHeron Rookery Natural Preserve6 acres
DirectionsTidelands Park5 acres
DirectionsBayshore Bluffs Park3 acres
DirectionsColeman Park2 acres
DirectionsMorro Bay City Park1 acres
DirectionsMonty Young Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,285 conserved acres
38% of Morro Bay’s land. Water is left out: Morro Bay has 5.3 square miles of land and 5.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Morro Bay’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,165 ac
Town or city108 ac
State fish & wildlife11 ac
State Park · 1,165 acLocal Park · 104 acState Conservation Area · 11 acLocal Other or Unknown · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morro Bay State Park State Park | State parks | 1,007 | Open |
| Morro Strand State Beach State Park | State parks | 158 | Open |
| Morro Bay City Beach Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Coleman Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Cloisters Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Del Mar Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Morro Bay Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 11 | Open |
| Lila Keiser Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Bay Shore Bluffs Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Tidelands Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Morro Bay
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Morro Bay
Morro Rock Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Morro Bay
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Morro Bay
Tidelands Launch RampIn Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area
DirectionsScenic views in Morro Bay
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Morro Bay
Black Hill597 ft elevation · In Morro Bay State Park
DirectionsMorro Rock581 ft elevation · In Morro Rock Natural Preserve
DirectionsCampgrounds in Morro Bay
Morro Bay State ParkFee · In Morro Bay State Park
DirectionsMorro Dunes RV Park
DirectionsMorro Strand State Beach CampgroundFee · In Morro Strand State Beach · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.4 mi
Black Hill Trail0.9 mi
Fleming Loop0.8 mi
Exercise Trail0.7 mi
Marina Peninsula Loop Trail0.7 mi
South Bay Trail0.5 mi
Carmel Loop0.5 mi
Pipeline Trail0.5 mi
Powerline Trail0.4 mi
Turtle Rock Trail0.3 mi
(very steep)0.3 mi
1 more trails
Grove Trail
0.3 miBiking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Golf
9Basketball
8Baseball
5Tennis
4Pickleball
2Football
1Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Morro Bay State Park Trailer and Tent CampgroundDistrict · listed 2014
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Morro Bay: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 63 | 63 | 63 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 62 |
| Rain (in) | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.9 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 70 °F). 3.9 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Morro Bay →
Next door
Morro Bay and its neighbors
Morro Bay has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morro Bay | 38% | 2.9 | 121 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Cayucos | 20% | 4.0 | 145 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Morro Bay
Where can I hike in Morro Bay?
The longest trail networks: Morro Bay State Park, 11.8 miles; Morro Strand State Beach, 1.1 miles; North Point Natural Area, 0.4 miles; Cloisters Community Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Morro Bay is conserved land?
38% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Morro Bay’s trails?
Morro Bay State Park and Morro Strand State Beach don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Morro Bay?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of painted or protected lanes and 4.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Morro Bay?
34,726 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Morro Bay or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,298 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Morro Bay have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Morro Bay neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →