Octopus Oak
Octopus Oak sits at 506 feet along the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway (Route 1), facing 210 degrees toward the south-southwest. The terrain drops 486 feet within 600 meters of the overlook, giving an open view across lower ground toward the coast. Visible features to the south-southeast include the Pismo Invertebrate Reserve at 2.5 miles, Oceano Dunes at 3.8 miles, and Oceano Memorial Park at 4.0 miles, followed by Banana Cabana at 5.6 miles and several off-road recreation areas — the ATV Open Area, Moymell, Moy Mel, and Worm Valley — clustered between 5.7 and 6.0 miles out. San Luis Obispo lies 8.7 miles to the north, with Santa Maria 18.9 miles southeast and Lompoc 37.5 miles south-southeast. Daylight hours shift across the year, with sunrise near 5:49 and sunset near 20:21 around the June solstice, narrowing to a 7:08 sunrise and 16:55 sunset by the December solstice. This overlook falls along the route between Lover's Point and The Notch.
![500px provided description: Taken from Shelter Cove, looking West towards Shell Beach, before sunrise. [#landscape ,#ocean ,#cityscape ,#rocks ,#long exposure ,#cliffs ,#blue hour ,#shell beach ,#pismo]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Shell_Beach_Am_Blue_Hour_%28105506737%29.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Pismo Invertebrate Reserve6 ftsouth-southeast · 2.5 mi
- Oceano Dunes21 ftsouth-southeast · 3.8 mi
- Oceano Memorial Park23 ftsouth-southeast · 4.0 mi
- Banana Cabana10 ftsouth-southeast · 5.6 mi
- ATV Open Area58 ftsouth-southeast · 5.7 mi
- Open recreation area for off road vehicles, called open Area43 ftsouth-southeast · 5.7 mi
- Moymell , off road vehicle recreation area104 ftsouth-southeast · 5.8 mi
- Moy Mel60 ftsouth-southeast · 6.0 mi
- Worm Valley44 ftsouth-southeast · 6.0 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 | 18:27 |
| December solstice | 07:08 | 16:55 | 16:16 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- San Luis Obispo8.7 mi north
- Santa Maria18.9 mi southeast
- Lompoc37.5 mi south-southeast
Take the scenic way to Octopus Oak.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.
How high is Octopus Oak?
Octopus Oak sits at about 506 feet (154 m).
What can you see from Octopus Oak?
From Octopus Oak: Pismo Invertebrate Reserve (SSE, 2.5 mi); Oceano Dunes (SSE, 3.8 mi); Oceano Memorial Park (SSE, 4.0 mi); Banana Cabana (SSE, 5.6 mi).
What is the nearest town to Octopus Oak?
San Luis Obispo, 8.7 miles N of Octopus Oak.
What is the next lookout after Octopus Oak?
The Notch is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Octopus Oak.
Drive to Octopus Oak 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 · 0 mi
- Grover Beach · 3 mi
- Avila Beach · 4 mi
- Arroyo Grande · 5 mi
- Oceano · 5 mi
- San Luis Obispo · 8 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Octopus Oak — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
Confirmed by locals
No local confirmations yet. Stood here? Yours is the one that upgrades this lookout to Verified.
Ratings
No ratings yet. Stood at this lookout? Be the first to rate it.
No written reviews yet.
Field notes
No field notes yet. Know the gate hours or the best pull-in? Leave the note you wish you'd had.
Photos
No photos yet.
Sign in to confirm this lookout, rate it, add photos, and leave field notes.