SLO County campgrounds, beachside parking areas reopen after coronavirus closures
Making summer plans?
State and San Luis Obispo County parks recently reopened some beachside parking areas, such as the Cayucos Pier and parking spaces nearby, and expanded the number of local residents who can camp in county-run campgrounds.
County regulators closed the parking areas to discourage visitors from traveling to San Luis Obispo County from outside the area to help stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
Hearst Castle remains closed and there’s no opening date scheduled, according to Dan Falat, superintendent of the State Parks district that includes the San Simeon estate. The former hilltop mansion of William Randolph Hearst has been shuttered since March 16.
Complying with social distancing and other regulations imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19 will be tricky at Hearst Castle, especially in interior areas.
“We’re doing everything we can in our planning, under the guidelines for museums,” Falat explained. “Our operation just does not allow us to open” yet.
In the meantime, “We’ll continue with virtual communication” and sharing Castle information online, while “maintaining the castle for the eventual reopening,” he said. “But we have to make sure we do it in a way that’s consistent with the guidelines. As the guidelines adjust, we’ll adjust.”
SLO County campgrounds reopen after coronavirus closures
A recent order from Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed most California counties to relax campground restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lopez Lake, Santa Margarita Lake, Oceano and Coastal Dunes campgrounds can now operate at full capacity, according to Nick Franco, parks director for San Luis Obispo County.
However, “Only SLO County residents are allowed in campgrounds and 100% of sites are available, but only on a first-come, first-served basis,” with no reservations, he said, advising that people arrive early if they want a site. “When people arrive, they must show ID with a local address or zip code.”
So, if you were planning on a reunion with out-of-county family members, don’t expect to stay in a San Luis Obispo County campground.
Social distancing at the parks is facilitated by spacing between campsites, and staffers will frequently clean restrooms and other shared spaces.
The El Chorro Regional Park campground north of San Luis Obispo remains closed, Franco said, “due to COVID-positive isolation.”
Local campgrounds closed to new entries March 20, he said, but by April 2, all were completely closed. On May 18, Santa Margarita Lake, Lopez Lake and Oceano campgrounds opened at 50% capacity, he said, the same limit that applied to hotels.
That county policy for hotels and campgrounds was designed to discourage travel by people from other areas.
By June 1, Coastal Dunes reopened at 50% capacity. Again, the only people allowed to register, enter the campgrounds and stay there were local residents.
Some county park areas remain closed, Franco said, including playgrounds, the Los Osos skate park and various pools, including the swimming pools at Shamel Park in Cambria and Hardie Park in Cayucos.
The state has allowed some large pools to reopen with a lot of restrictions, Franco said, but “we’re not going to be opening our pools. In our small county pools, social distancing is impossible. ‘This is your 10 minutes to get in the pool; now you get out so we can clean all the surfaces and somebody else can get in’?’ It won’t work.”
No organized sports, such as leagues, are allowed in county parks, and there still are to be no large group activities by more than 10 people.
County golf courses remain open, but again, access is limited to county residents, he said.
Local beach parking lots open
Some oceanfront parking lots, areas and pullouts in the county have remained open throughout the shelter-in-place orders. Some, like the pullouts along Highway 1 from Cambria north, would be virtually impossible to close.
Parking at Estero Bluffs and Harmony Headlands state parks has also remained open, Falat said. “Every park is unique.”
Areas that have reopened were closed recently to discourage large groups of people from gathering on the beach.
Falat said among the newly reopened areas are parking lots at Leffingwell Landing and the Santa Rosa Creek overlook in Cambria, the Washburn lot and restrooms on the east side of Highway 1 at San Simeon Creek Road, 24th Street and Studio Drive in Cayucos, and Azure Street in Morro Bay.
Montana de Oro State Park near Los Osos “has been open the entire time,” he said.
All state park campgrounds in San Luis Obispo County will remain closed, he said, as will the lower State Park Road at Morro Bay Campground. However the beach access from the campground will be open.
State Parks’ plan is consistent with state and county regulations, Falat said, and the state and county agencies have been working closely together in planning the reopenings.
