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:
Valley of Fire State Park, Overton, Nevada
Custer State Park, Custer, South Dakota
Watkins Glen State Park, Watkins Glen, New York
Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz
Silver Springs State Park, Silver Springs, Florida
Anastasia State Park, Saint Augustine, Florida
Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls, New York
Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, Indiana
Montana de Oro State Park, Los Osos
Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring, Florida
Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks, Utica, Illinois
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Felton
Waimea Canyon State Park, Waimea, Hawaii
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, Palm Coast, Florida
Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock, North Carolina
Balmorhea State Park, Toyahvale, Texas
Black Rock Mountain State Park, Mountain City, Georgia
Fall Creek Falls State Park, Spencer, Tennessee
Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Fort Casey Historical State Park, Coupeville, Washington
Lockhart State Park, Lockhart, Texas
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Pine, Arizona
Hunting Island State Park, Helena Island, South Carolina
Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona
Point State Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Inks Lake State Park, Burnet, Texas
Vogel State Park, Blairsville, Georgia
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas
Antelope Island State Park, Syracuse, Utah
Lake Anna State Park, Spotsylvania, Virginia
Akaka Falls State Park, Honomu, Hawai’i
Longhorn Cavern State, Burnet, Texas
McCormick’s Creek State Park, Spencer, Indiana
Rock Island State Park, Rock Island, Tennessee
Rifle Falls State Park, Rifle, Colorado
Belmont Lake State Park, North Babylon, New York
Ha-Ha-Tonka State Park, Camdenton, Missouri
Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon
Fort Harrison State Park, Indianapolis, Indiana
Letchworth State Park, Castile, New York
Snow Canyon State Park, Ivins, Utah
Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson, Arizona
Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, Georgia
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Big Sur
Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, Indiana
Deception Pass State Park, Oak Harbor, Washington
Afton State Park, Hastings, Minnesota
Saint Edward State Park, Kenmore, Washington
Shenandoah River State Park, Bentonville, Virginia