Cerro San Luis

Located in the center of the City of San Luis Obispo, Cerro San Luis (also known as San Luis Mountain or Madonna Mountain) rises to an elevation of 1,292 feet. The mountain is divided between private property and public open space, known as the Maino Open Space.

Lemon Grove Loop

Cerro San Luis Trail photo courtesy of B.K. Richard and the Bishop Peak Group

Distance: 2.2 miles (round trip)
Users: hikers, mountain bikers, dogs on leash
Altitude gain/loss: +400/-400
Difficulty: Easy

Directions to Trailhead
To access the trailhead, from Higuera St. turn onto Marsh St. towards 101. Go under the freeway and turn right onto Fernandez Road just before the southbound 101 entrance, and find parking in the parking lot.

Trail Description
The Lemon Grove Trail (also known as the Maino Open Space Trail) is a fairly easy loop on the eastern flank of Cerro San Luis. It offers splendid views of downtown San Luis Obispo and the surrounding Santa Lucias. There is also a popular trail that goes to the summit. However, this section of the trail passes through property, and right to pass can be denied at any time.

Natural History
Cerro San Luis (or San Luis Mountain) was named by the padres of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, who built the Mission using some of the volcanic rock mined from the mountain, and it is referred to as San Luis Mountain or Madonna Mountain by many locals. It is part of the chain of peaks called the Nine Sisters, or the Morros, that run from Morro Bay to the City of San Luis Obispo. This chain of peaks is the remnants of a string of volcanoes that were active 20 - 25 million years ago. Today all that remains are plugs of congealed lava that filled the volcano vents as they cooled.

Cerro San Luis offers a variety of habitats to resident wildlife, from sparse rocky areas near the mountains peak to grass, chaparral, and oak woodland on the lower half, and even an old lemon grove near the white "M" etched into the side of the mountain (the "M" is for Mission High School). Around 1900, an American Civil War veteran, G. W. Chandler, lived on the mountain and planted the lemons and oranges. The grove overlooks the city and is watered by two springs.

The peak itself is privately owned, but in October 1996 the City of San Luis Obispo acquired 75 acres around the base of the mountain from the Maino family, this area is now accessible to the public. It is a popular spot for mountain biking and hiking, offering spectacular views and steep terrain. There is a wide dirt road traversing the mountain that leads to the peak and a mountain biking trail that encircles the whole mountain about one third the way up is accessible by turning left or right off of the fire road at a sharp switchback. Right below the west side of the visible peak, there is a fairly large plateau with a large wooden stage on the east end.