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PORT SAN LUIS AND AVILA BEACH Kayak, Canoe and Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Guide
San Luis Obispo County, California
The coast near Port San Luis and Avila Beach offers some spectacular coastline with easy launching.
As you paddle here, the rolling hills--green in the spring or late winter provide a wonderful backdrop behind the rocky shore and cliffs.
Scroll down the page and keep reading for more information and pictures.
Map of PORT SAN LUIS AND AVILA BEACH
More PORT SAN LUIS AND AVILA BEACH maps
PORT SAN LUIS TIDES and Marine Forecast
Go to my blog page for PORT SAN LUIS AND AVILA BEACH
UPDATES and added trip information for Port San Luis and Avila Beach
Port San Luis Video - Kayaking with Sea Lions
Port San Luis Video - Paddle to Point San Luis Lighthouse Beach and Lighthouse
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To get to the Port San Luis and Avila Beach launch spots, get off highway 101 about 6 miles south of San Luis Obispo at San Luis Bay Drive or 2 miles northwest of Shell Beach at Avila Road. San Luis Bay Drive runs into Avila Road. Avila Road soon becomes Avila Beach Drive.
To reach the Avila Beach launch spot, turn off to your left on Front Street which is 2.25 miles from the freeway. Take Front Street to the beach parking lot.
To get to the Port San Luis launch spot, stay on Avila Beach Drive. As you drive with San Luis bay to your left, you'll soon see the sign and ramp for the Old Port Beach Launching Access. The Old Port Beach Launching Access is about 3.25 miles from the freeway.
The Old Port Beach Launching Access is a super easy place to launch and is free. At low tide, you can drive right down a ramp onto the beach here (At high tide it's just a very short boat ramp that you need to go down). Even on days when the surf is pounding outside the harbor, it's fairly easy to enter the water here. One can easily launch a canoe here on most days. There are also other pretty good places to launch a little bit further west up Avila Beach Drive but not quite as easy for getting your canoe or kayak from your car down to the beach and into the water. (note: Old Port Beach is spelled Olde Port Beach in some books and maps)
Another excellent place to launch is the dock by the Port San Luis Boat Yard. There is a little break wall right in front of the dock which makes this launch spot more protected than the Old Port Beach. You can use this spot to launch if you don't want to paddle through any surf.
Here is a map link to the dock by the Port San Luis Boat yard: http://goo.gl/maps/YQdjT
Avila Beach just to the East of Port San Luis is also fairly protected and offers easy entry through usually small surf. The surf is usually smaller towards the Northwest end of the beach.
More information about launch spots in Port San Luis is in the Port San Luis book updates
Paddling to your left down the coast (East to South East) toward Shell Beach from either Old Porte Beach or Avila Beach, you reach some beautiful towering cliffs called Fossil Point (1.25 miles from Old Porte Beach, .25 miles from Avila Beach). You can paddle fairly near to the cliffs as the water gets deep in front of them. There often is some interesting backwash off the cliffs. As you pass fossil point, there is then a cove to your left, if you paddle into this cove, be carefull of some reefs where sneaker waves may break (especially just southeast of
Fossil point). As you paddle further, you pass another point and a small secluded bay (Mallagh Landing) that is almost hidden. This beach is quite protected and often is a good spot to stop and land for a break.
From Mallagh Landing you can paddle as far as you like down the coast. Shell Beach has many scenic sea stacks. You can even do a one way two car shuttle ending at Shell or Pismo Beach. Be sure to check out were you are going to land. See the SHELL BEACH and PISMO BEACH section of this book for more information.
Other paddling options include: Paddling inside the harbor west toward the break wall. After passing the Port San Luis Pier, the last 0.5 mile is quite scenic -- you can paddle very close to the steep cliff that rises above the bay. There is a very nice secluded beach nestled against the cliff right before the breakwall. Landing on this beach is usually very easy, however, if the surf is extremely big and wrapping around or breaking over the breakwall, the end of the beach furthest away from the breakwall is the best spot to land.
When you reach the breakwall, another option is to paddle out around the break wall and then North up the rugged coast. The end of the break wall and the coast going North are quite exposed to wind and swell, but very beautiful.
--Bathrooms Just west of the Old Port Beach Launching Access.
--Avila beach has restrooms and outdoor showers.
Updates about launch spots in Port San Luis is in the Port San Luis book updates
Sea Lions on dock in Port San Luis - click to read funny sign
Lighthouse Beach Port San Luis - I have a detailed description about paddling to Lighthouse beach with more pictures on my updates page - click here to view
I have a Central California picture web page with more pictures of
the Central California Coast.
(c) Copyright 2011 and 2013 by Mister Dave KayakDave.blogspot.com
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