Bishop Manzanita Hike

Manzanita Field Trip #7, West Cuesta Ridge, San Luis Obispo, CA. Meet at the start of the paved road (TV Tower Road) off Hwy US 101 at the top of Cuesta Grade, heading west.  (35.347018, -120.630359). This outing is a combination car and hike field trip. At the start, we will consolidate into fewer cars, then proceed toward the Botanical Special Interest Area with stops along the way.  At the Special Interest parking area, for those who wish to continue on foot, there will be a hike from that area.  We will see one manzanita species on this outing, the local endemic Bishop manzanita (Arctostaphylos obispoensis, CNPS ranked 4.3), and walk through the unique ridge-top vegetation adapted to serpentinite derived soils: the Sargent Cypress and Coulter pine forest, leather oak (Quercus durata), and other chaparral species, etc., as well as the rare San Luis Obispo sedge (Carex obispoensis, 1B.2). Bring water, snacks, hat, sturdy shoes, and dress in layers for the weather. Note that the hiking route is rocky in some places and sturdy shoes and hiking poles are recommended. For more information about this manzanita species, see info here.  A plant list for West Cuesta Grade can be found on our website here.