Back in October, we had intended to do this 5-mile out-and-back hike, even driving to the trailhead before deciding it was too warm a day to enjoy the steep climb. So, with the temperature forecasted to be in the 60s, we returned about noon to the Reservoir Creek trailhead just north of San Luis Obispo – it turned out that we picked a great day to come back. This is really a tale of two hikes – the first half is a gentle ascent up a narrow canyon, sometimes close to the creek, sometimes away from it, while the second half gains some 1,200′ of elevation in 1.3 miles to reach Murray Hill, the unofficially-named ridge immediately northeast of downtown SLO. A side trip of a few hundred yards brought us initially to Reservoir Falls, a cascade about 20 feet tall that was flowing unimpressively this time of year – we can easily imagine, though, what the falls look like in the springtime, and we’ll definitely be coming back to see that. Above the falls, the trail winds eastward through the canyon, gradually climbing for just over a mile. Though not as dry and dusty (recent rain here probably helped in this respect), the walk reminded us of Borrego Canyon in Orange County, with heavy oak canopy as well as a lot of fall colors along the creek. The poison oak has died off significantly, and what little we saw was well off the trail. Before long, we reached the end of the canyon trail, turning right (south) and immediately climbing up the north side of the ridge. The trail was less steep than we expected, and we made good time through the first couple of long switchbacks. The trail here leaves the public land for an easement through private property, and not long after passing this boundary we came upon an abstract sculpture garden, the origins of which are obscure, built in a large clearing on the hillside. The welded metal sculptures have seen better days, judging from what we recall from photos we have seen previously, but a swing hanging from a large eucalyptus tree in the clearing was perfectly functional, as Jane demonstrated. The trail leaving the clearing became significantly steeper – we noted a few weeks ago that the use trail up Reyes Peak switches back when it needs to, but we cannot make the same observation here. The trail initially follows the fall line of the slope for a couple of hundred yards before taking a more oblique line eastward, continuing to gain elevation before reaching the top of a rise – from here, it turns southwest and climbs ever more steeply, finally leveling out as one gains the rounded, grassy ridgeline. It was tough work, but we were greeted by a very cool breeze as we neared the top (in fact, it got chilly the longer we stayed on the unprotected summit). The views from the top were amazing – at 1,715′, this vantage point towers over the whole SLO area, and we could very clearly see southward to Point Sal and westward to the ocean. Inland, the Sierra Madre range and the Santa Ynez peaks further south were visible beyond the Santa Maria plain. We had seen pictures of a stone seating area someone has built at the summit, and we found it there along with other low barricades probably built as wind shelters by people who’ve camped up here. Two other groups of people arrived while we were taking in the views, and we headed back down the way we came after maybe 15 minutes at the summit. Time passed quickly as we descended, and we were back at the trailhead in just over an hour. Another great hike with fantastic views that we heartily recommend.