SLO hiking trails reopen after mountain lion sightings. Here’s where big cats were spotted
Two popular San Luis Obispo hiking trails have reopened to the public after locals had close encounters with mountain lions in the area.
Irish Hills Natural Reserve and Johnson Ranch Open Space trails opened to the public once more on Wednesday morning — four days after the city closed those trails to public access due to cougar sightings, according to an Instagram post from the San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department.
SLO mountain biker Rex Hatter had a standoff with a mountain lion on Saturday on a trail in Irish Hills.
When Hatter spotted the big cat, he raised his bike above his head and “just started screaming as loud as (he) could,” causing the mountain lion to move away to a safer distance, he told The Tribune. Police officers then escorted the cyclist away from the wild animal and off the trail, he said.
Then, on Monday, a woman spotted a mountain lion in the backyard of her San Luis Obispo home, off Oceanaire Drive near Drake Circle.
On Nov. 14, a woman and her dog encountered a cougar near their home at Laguna Lake Mobile Estates near Prefumo Canyon.
What to do if you encounter a mountain lion
If you encounter a mountain lion, you should “raise your hands over your head and make yourself look as big as possible while slowly backing away and give the lion a path to leave,” the SLO Parks and Recreation Department said in its Instagram post. “Speak or yell loudly/firmly to sounds ferocious.”
The agency recommended hiking with a buddy and avoiding trails during the early morning and dusk, when mountain lions are more likely to be on the trails.
“Mountain lions are quiet, solitary and elusive, and typically avoid people by nature,” the post read. “However, as human population expands into mountain lion habitat, more frequent sightings may occur and human/mountain lion encounters may increase.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 2:07 PM.
