Poly Canyon Road

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · River/Creek · Views · Wildlife

You'll encounter 8 gates during this run, make sure to close and chain them behind you to keep cattle in their pastures. Keep dogs on their leash due to grazing cattle.

The road is infamous for sticky, heavy, sloppy mud when it rains heavily...generally not a good time, save this one for when it dries out.

This road starts on the Cal Poly campus in the Poly Village area. There is a parking lot about 200m before the turnoff to Poly Canon on Village Drive. You may park there after 5pm on the weekdays or anytime on the weekends, permits are required at other times. As you travel on Village Drive and pass the intersection with Truckee Road, the entrance to Poly Canyon is 200m further on the right, marked by a yellow gate.

The first mile starts on well packed dirt parallel to Stenner Creek through a heavily wooded area. At mile one there is an intersection with a gate and the Cal Poly art department sculpture display to the left and a farmhouse/private residence looking driveway to the right...take the fork to the right, it is legal and the only way to get to Poly Canyon Road. You'll come to a gate labeled Poly Canyon Gate 1 to know you are going the right way. The grade steepens and winds up through the foothills to a set of train tracks. When you reach the top of a hill even with the tracks do not take the gate onto the tracks; instead head left and downhill. The road is winding and rolling but it generally runs parallel to the tracks and downhill. The road ends at a barn/stable/three way intersection with Stenner Creek Road strait ahead and Stenner Creek Trail to the right.

This route is particularly beautiful when the hills are green during the winter and spring...it looks like you are running through the hills of Ireland.