HAZARD CANYON

Often called MDO, and known for its 8,000 acres of rocky cliffs, miles of shoreline—seven in total—as well as its sandy beaches, tidepools, diverse terrain, and spectacular views, Montaña de Oro State Park is a local treasure worth exploring. This “Mountain of Gold” gets its name from mustard, poppies, and broad golden sand dunes that make it shine.

Even though I had been to Montaña de Oro State Park many times over the decades, I hadn’t hiked Hazard Canyon until more recently when our German exchange student, Lisa, introduced me to this trail.

When visiting MDO, you will find the parking lot accessing the trail is a dirt turnout marked Hazard Canyon Parking Day Use Area and located along Pecho Valley Road. From there, the trail descends out on a dirt path into the canyon for about a quarter mile before it opens to the ocean. It’s more secluded than the more popular hike along the bluffs or Spooner’s Cove, just a mile down the road.

Upon arriving at this oceanfront spot, it’s hard to believe that these looming cliffs and sandy dunes were once called Baywood Park Training Area and the site of practice invasions for troops during World War II. When surveys revealed during the mid-1990s that the area contained unexploded ordnance, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported public safety was at risk and ordered the removal of the unexploded munitions. It was the spring of 1995 when a bomb squad located and detonated the last of the explosives left behind from these wartime trainings of yesteryear.

To capture the photo you see here, I used my 16-35mm lens at around 24mm. I selected different shutter speeds, experimenting with them ranging from a quarter second to one second, which would blur the water splashing along the rocks and shore. I set my camera on a tripod to get the photograph sharp while blurring the water movement.

To access the trailhead: From Los Osos Valley Road drive northwest toward Montaña de Oro State Park where the thoroughfare becomes Pecho Valley Road and turns sharply to the south. Continue a little more than two-and-a-half miles, entering Montaña de Oro State Park and a eucalyptus grove. Turn right into a large dirt turnout for Hazard Canyon. If you reach Spooner’s Cove and the visitor center, you’ve gone too far.

BY MARK NAKAMURA SLO LIFE