Visitors must soon pay for parking at popular Pismo Beach hiking trail
Dave Alley
PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Visitors to one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails on the Central Coast will soon need to pay for parking.
Starting next week, a small fee will be required to park a vehicle at the Pismo Preserve, a 888-acre coastal trail located along Highway 101 in Pismo Beach.
The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, said it made the decision to charge for parking to help offset operational costs that rise above $200,000 annually.
The non-profit organization does not receive any tax revenue for either local, state or federal agencies to support the Pismo Preserve and indicated fees would will assist with the ongoing maintenance and operations of the property, as well help conserve additional natural habitat and productive farmlands in San Luis Obispo County.
Paid parking will begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 and will cost daily visitors a fee of $5. An annual pass is also available for $50.
Visitors will be able to purchase parking passes through a mobile app or with cash or credit card at a pay station located by the restrooms and kiosk.
Daily parking fees will fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of this incredible property and fuel our mission to conserve even more natural habitat and productive farmlands in SLO County.
The Pismo Preserve opened to the public in 2020 and provides hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders 11 miles of trails that travel through oak woodland and coastal ridgeways which offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire state.
Depending on weather conditions, visitors are able to look out to the Pacific Ocean and view panoramic scenery from the Irish Hills to the north to the Point Sal to the south.
For more information, click here to visit the Pismo Preserve webpage on the official website for The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.
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