Black Hill (California)

Black Hill

Black Hill (elevation 665 ft) is a hill in Morro Bay, California. It is a part of Morro Bay State Park, and the west side it is accessible by a trail that goes all the way to the top. The road to the trail is officially open during the day, but the opening and closing of the gate is unreliable. Black Hill is rumored to have received its name because of a tar seep on the north side of the hill. The hill is the second to last in a series of volcanic plugs called the Nine Sisters.

There is a forest of pine trees, called Fleming's Forest, on the hill which were planted by John Fleming, a former park superintendent. Fleming was working on another project and ordered twice as many trees as he needed, thinking that he would not get his entire order. However, he received his order in full and decided to use the left over trees on Black Hill. Many of the trees have died or are in the process of dying from pine pitch canker infections.