Avila Overlook
Avila Overlook sits at 915 feet along the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway (Route 1), facing 210 degrees toward the coastline below, where the land drops 820 feet within 600 meters. Dinosaur Caves Park lies south at 0.6 miles, with Margo Dodd Park close by to the south-southwest at 0.7 miles. Farther along the south-southeast direction, the Pismo Invertebrate Reserve sits at 3.0 miles and Oceano Dunes at 4.3 miles, followed by a cluster of off-road recreation areas—Banana Cabana, the ATV Open Area, Moymell, and Moy Mel—spread between 6.0 and 6.4 miles. San Luis Obispo is 8.4 miles to the north, with Santa Maria 19.3 miles southeast and Lompoc 37.9 miles south-southeast. Daylight hours vary by season, with sunrise near 5:49 a.m. and sunset near 8:21 p.m. at the June solstice, narrowing to a sunrise near 7:08 a.m. and sunset near 4:55 p.m. at the December solstice. The previous lookout on this byway is Lover's Point.
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Dinosaur Caves Park77 ftsouth · 0.6 mi
- Margo Dodd Park50 ftsouth-southwest · 0.7 mi
- Pismo Invertebrate Reserve6 ftsouth-southeast · 3.0 mi
- Oceano Dunes21 ftsouth-southeast · 4.3 mi
- Banana Cabana10 ftsouth-southeast · 6.0 mi
- ATV Open Area58 ftsouth-southeast · 6.1 mi
- Open recreation area for off road vehicles, called open Area43 ftsouth-southeast · 6.2 mi
- Moymell , off road vehicle recreation area104 ftsouth-southeast · 6.2 mi
- Moy Mel60 ftsouth-southeast · 6.4 mi
Light
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:07 | 19:15 | 18:41 |
| June solstice | 05:49 | 20:21 | 19:43 |
| September equinox | 06:51 | 19:01 | 18:28 |
| December solstice | 07:08 | 16:55 | 16:16 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- San Luis Obispo8.4 mi north
- Santa Maria19.3 mi southeast
- Lompoc37.9 mi south-southeast
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How high is Avila Overlook?
Avila Overlook sits at about 915 feet (279 m).
What can you see from Avila Overlook?
From Avila Overlook: Dinosaur Caves Park (S, 0.6 mi); Margo Dodd Park (SSW, 0.7 mi); Pismo Invertebrate Reserve (SSE, 3.0 mi); Oceano Dunes (SSE, 4.3 mi).
What is the nearest town to Avila Overlook?
San Luis Obispo, 8.4 miles N of Avila Overlook.
Drive to Avila Overlook with Byway
Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway - Route 1, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.
Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- Pismo Beach · 1 mi
- Avila Beach · 4 mi
- Grover Beach · 4 mi
- Arroyo Grande · 5 mi
- Oceano · 5 mi
- San Luis Obispo · 8 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Avila Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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