There is no town center in Los Berros, no shop and nothing to buy. What there is: a road along a creek, oaks, hills and a lot of history within a short drive. Here is how to see it.
Getting there
Los Berros lies just east of Highway 101 between Arroyo Grande and Nipomo. Leave the highway at Los Berros Road and follow it east; the road runs with the creek up the valley. From San Luis Obispo it is about twenty minutes south; from Santa Maria about fifteen minutes north. The land along the road is private, so look from the road and respect the gates.
Nearby, and worth the stop
- Dana Adobe, Nipomo. The 1839 home of William Goodwin Dana and Maria Josefa Carrillo, on what was Rancho Nipomo. A museum and cultural center with trails on the old rancho land; check their hours before you go.
- South County Historical Society, Arroyo Grande. A cluster of restored buildings in the village that keep the story of Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Halcyon, Nipomo and Los Berros. Good for the railroad years.
- Arroyo Grande village. The swinging bridge, the old bank, and the first place the Pacific Coast Railway reached in 1881.
- Oceano and the dunes. Where the valley's water finally meets the sea. The Oceano Dunes and the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes preserve are both within half an hour.
- Nipomo Mesa. Drive the mesa roads between the eucalyptus rows to see the farms that the railway made possible, and the old dune sand they grow in.
When to come
Late winter and spring, after the rains, when the hills are green, the creek is running and the watercress is up. Summer mornings are foggy and the afternoons bright; autumn is dry and gold. Every season has its own version of the valley.
A note on manners
This is a working, lived-in place, not a park. Park off the road, close what you open, take your rubbish home, and leave the mortar stones, the old grade and the creek exactly as you found them.