This SLO County state park is among the 50 best in the U.S., Yelp says

A popular San Luis Obispo County state park is one of the 50 U.S. state parks everybody should visit in their lifetime, according to Yelp.

Montaña de Oro State Park near Los Osos landed at No. 9 on the review site’s list, published April 10.

“With Earth Month kicking off ... and spring in full swing, there is no better time to visit a nearby state park!” Yelp blogger Richie Diesterheft wrote.

“Our country’s natural diversity is extremely vast,” he wrote. “Whether it’s the golden plains of the Midwest, rocky deserts of the rugged West or lush forests and cliffs of either coast, you can use Yelp to search for that next adventure.”

Yelp compiled its list of the best 50 state parks by identifying businesses in the parks category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “state park,” the site explained, then ranked those spots using factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning “state park” between Jan. 1, 2022 and Jan. 1, 2023.

Yelp said it only looked at parks in the United States, with a limit of five spots in each state, and excluded state natural preserves.

All state parks on the top 50 list were marked open on Yelp as of Jan. 1, 2023, the site said.

Montana de Oro State Park lands on best 50 state parks list

Located on the San Luis Obispo County coast, Montaña de Oro features rugged cliffs, secluded beaches and scenic hills including the 1,347-foot-tall Valencia Peak.

“Naturalists and backpackers enjoy the solitude and freedom found along the park’s trails,” California State Parks says in its description of the park.

“There are also mountain biking and equestrian trails,” State Parks said, as well as campgrounds.

The park gets its name, which translates to “Mountain of Gold” in Spanish, from the colorful wildflowers that bloom there in spring.

Yelp reviewers highlighted the park’s easy-to-hike Bluff Trail and ancient rock formations at Spooner’s Cove, as well as the abundance of birds and tidepools.

Montaña de Oro wasn’t the only Central Coast state park on Yelp’s list.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in Big Sur, home of McWay Falls and McWay Canyon, came in at No. 45. It’s located about 48 miles north of the border between San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties.

Highway 1 is currently closed from Ragged Point in northern SLO County to 14 miles south of Big Sur, according to Caltrans, so Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is only accessible from the north.

Caltrans says there’s still no estimate of when the scenic route between San Simeon and Carmel will reopen.

Other California state parks on the Yelp list included Anza-Borrego Desert in Borrego Springs, Henry Cowell Redwoods in Felton and Walker Ranch in Santa Cruz.

Here’s the complete list of the top 50 state parks in the U.S., according to Yelp:

1. Valley of Fire State Park, Overton, Nevada
2. Custer State Park, Custer, South Dakota
3. Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen, New York
4. Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz
5. Silver Springs State Park, Silver Springs, Florida
6. Anastasia State Park, Saint Augustine, Florida
7. Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls, New York
8. Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, Indiana
9. Montana de Oro State Park, Los Osos
10. Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring, Florida
11. Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks, Utica, Illinois
12. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Felton
13. Waimea Canyon State Park, Waimea, Hawaii
14. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Palm Coast, Florida
15. Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock, North Carolina
16. Balmorhea State Park, Toyahvale, Texas
17. Black Rock Mountain State Park, Mountain City, Georgia
18. Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, Tennessee
19. Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, Wisconsin
20. Fort Casey Historical State Park, Coupeville, Washington
21. Lockhart State Park, Lockhart, Texas
22. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs
23. Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Pine, Arizona
24. Hunting Island State Park, Helena Island, South Carolina
25. Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona
26. Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
27. Inks Lake State Park, Burnet, Texas
28. Vogel State Park, Blairsville, Georgia
29. Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas
30. Antelope Island State Park, Syracuse, Utah
31. Lake Anna State Park, Spotsylvania, Virginia
32. Akaka Falls State Park, Honomu, Hawai’i
33. Longhorn Cavern State, Burnet, Texas
34. McCormick’s Creek State Park, Spencer, Indiana
35. Rock Island State Park, Rock Island, Tennessee
36. Rifle Falls State Park, Rifle, Colorado
37. Belmont Lake State Park, North Babylon, New York
38. Ha-Ha-Tonka State Park, Camdenton, Missouri
39. Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon
40. Fort Harrison State Park, Indianapolis, Indiana
41. Letchworth State Park, Castile, New York
42. Snow Canyon State Park, Ivins, Utah
43. Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson, Arizona
44. Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, Georgia
45. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Big Sur
46. Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, Indiana
47. Deception Pass State Park, Oak Harbor, Washington
48. Afton State Park, Hastings, Minnesota
49. Saint Edward State Park, Kenmore, Washington
50. Shenandoah River State Park, Bentonville, Virginia

This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 12:51 PM with the headline "This SLO County state park is among the 50 best in the U.S., Yelp says."

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.