SeeCalifornia.com

Pictured is Baywood Park –When a friend took her 12 year old son hiking at Montana de Oro State Park near Los Osos-Baywood Park, she posted photos of a mama bear and cub seen in the distance through the forest. That’s not surprising–Los Osos means “bears”. Rugged cliffs, secluded sandy beaches and the 1,347-foot Valencia Peak offer naturalists and backpackers solitude and freedom approx. 7 miles south of Los Osos-Baywood Park (on Pecho Road). The best-known beach is Spooner’s Cove, across from a state park campground (parks.ca.gov).

The  San Luis Obispo County coastal escape offers bay and Pacific Ocean views that make you wish the world would never grow and change.  If you’re looking for a place that’s romantic, kind of slow and relaxed, and yet close to wine tasting, bonfire beaches, horseback riding on the sand, and hiking through natural forests, consider slipping into the comfort of a park bench or lawn chair overlooking Morro Bay’s rock and the beautiful coastal mountains of Montana de Oro State Park. Three hotels in Los Osos-Baywood Park are the ticket to this escape half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and accessible from Barkersield, as well. Other known destinations nearby include Morro Bay,  Cayucos, Cambria and San Simeon to the north or Avila Beach and Pismo Beach to the south.

• The Back Bay Inn, 1391 Second St., Los Osos, CA. Call: (877) 330-2225, backbayinn.com
• Sea Pines Golf Resort, 1945 Solano St., Los Osos, CA
• Baywood Inn Bed and Breakfast, 1370 2nd St., Baywood Park, CA. Call: (805) 528-8888, baywoodinn.com