Poly Canyon is an open range area used for educational purposes on the campus of California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo. However, all roads and trails in the area are open to public use. Poly Canyon is located in the northern most area of the campus. It isn't unusual to see herds of cattle, wild horses, flocks of turkeys and other animals in this area.

Trail Description

Poly Canyon is a large assortment of roads and trails that criss-cross through Cal Poly's pasture land. There are many great single track trails as well as roads to bike on and offers a little bit for all comfort and skill levels. The main road takes you up Poly Canyon to the top of a ridge and down into another unnamed canyon and out into Cal Poly's vineyards and orange groves. The best time to ride is late winter-spring as the pasture land is very green and the road and trail conditions are best as they have set from the early winter rains. A few things to be weary of when riding in Poly Canyon: mountain lions are fairly common so don't ride alone and avoid early morning and dusk, and don't bother the cattle, they are easily agitated. Other than that it is an excellent ride for people seeking all types of rides from cross country to single track.

Getting There

Off of the 101, take the Grand Ave. exit turn left towards Cal Poly. On weekdays, parking passes are required to park but on weekends, parking passes are not required in the R1 parking lot. Once on the Cal Poly campus, take a right onto Deer St. and a left onto East Mountain Dr. The R1 parking lot will be on your right hand side. From the R1 parking lot, keep heading in the same direction on East Mountain Dr. which turns into Mountain Ln. Make a right onto Poly Canyon Dr.

When to Bike

Biking can be done all year long but late winter and early spring are prime time for the scenery there.