Labor Day Trip: Montana De Oro

This weekend, in honor of Labor Day, my family decided to take a day-trip to Los Osos, California, to visit Montana de Oro State Park.  We didn't have time to make hotel plans, so we just drove up early, took a hike, had a picnic lunch, and headed home, making it home just in time for dinner.  The drive from where we live is about 3 hours, which is just about the limit in our house for day trips.  I don't think we could have done it when the little ones were any younger (they're 4 1/2 years old now) because they couldn't sit that long, but we had no problems on this trip. 

Montana de Oro is absolutely breathtaking any time of year, but especially so when the sun is shining.  The water takes on this almost unreal hue.  You can see in some of the pictures below that in the sunny areas, the ocean was almost turquoise, while cloud cover almost gave it a sinister look. 

There's plenty to do at this state park, one of the few that still boasts free parking and admission.  We enjoy hiking and my kids enjoy climbing the rocks.  My oldest, who is 8 years old and loves geology and archaeology, spent much of his time searching for fossils (but, please, if you do, don't remove them from the beach--this is a state park).  The tidepools are also fun to look in.  You can find quite a few interesting creatures most days.  We were there at high tide, so our timing didn't work out well for the tidepools, but they are well worth checking out. 

The best part of this trip is that it's easy on a budget.  We spent money on gasoline, sandwich supplies, drinks, and milkshakes on the way home.  The entire trip was under $100, which for 3 adults and 3 children, is a great price for a full day of fun.

Here are some shots from our beautiful trip: