Pirate’s Cove parking lot closes for long-awaited clean-up — here’s what’s happening
Long-awaited clean-up efforts around Pirate’s Cove began on Thursday — and visitors should be prepared for parking lot closures.
San Luis Obispo County park rangers and contractors this week began cleaning up trash and clearing fire hazards in the Cave Landing area near Avila Beach — known as the cliffside gateway to Pirate’s Cove, the county’s only clothing-optional beach.
The Cave Landing parking lot will be closed from 8 a.m. on Thursday through 4 p.m. on Friday, a county Parks and Recreation news release said. On Thursday, crews cleaned up trash and debris, and fire fuel reduction efforts will take place on Friday.
Camping is not allowed in the Cave Landing area, and park rangers and law enforcement will be conducting patrols to prevent this activity, the news release said.
County supervisors in March officially designated Cave Landing part of the parks system, clearing the way for parking lot improvements and trash and graffiti clean-up.
The scenic area near Avila Beach offers expansive ocean views, and it’s also a sacred site for local Chumash Native American tribes.
But Cave Landing has long drawn partiers and vandals who leave behind garbage and coat the cliffsides with spray paint. The California Coastal Commission did not approve 2013 county plans to renovate the area by adding restrooms and paving the parking lot, sending staff back to the drawing board.
Long-planned Pirate’s Cove clean-up begins
Current clean-up efforts are far less extensive than previous proposals, but county officials hope adding a park ranger and maintaining a consistent presence will help curb problematic behavior at Cave Landing.
In addition to removing garbage and graffiti, crews will also resurface the parking lot with natural-colored rock and add signage and trash and recycling containers.
“Over the next two to three months, the site will be fully cleared of trash and graffiti with the exception of the interior of the cave area,” the news release said. “Further consultation will be needed regarding any potential cultural artifacts that may be present under the graffiti in the cave and the need to protect those resources.”
County staff have also been working with the Sheriff’s Office, Transitions Mental Health and 5 Cities Homeless Coalition to start the process of moving people away from an encampment that’s taken up residence at Cave Landing. All encampment residents were expected to leave by Wednesday, the release said.
Following this week’s clean-up, county staff and contractors will start work on the rest of the project in the fall and will finish all improvements by December, the release said.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 6:07 PM.
