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See Canyon Road

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See Canyon Road is a six-mile rural highway located in the Irish Hills in San Luis Obispo County.  The northern terminus of See Canyon Road is located at Prefumo Canyon Road whereas the southern terminus is at San Luis Bay Drive.  See Canyon is named after Kentucky settler Joseph See who homesteaded in the area circa 1860.  See Canyon since 1916 has become associated with apple orchards as the coastal weather is conducive for growing them. 




Part 1; the history of See Canyon Road

See Canyon is located in the Irish Hills (formerly San Luis Hills) southwest of the city of San Luis Obispo.  The period of Mexican Alta California the area was known as San Miguelito Canyon and was a reference to Rancho San Miguelito.  

Rancho San Miguelito was granted by Alta California Governor to Miguel Avila in 1842.  Much of the Rancho lands comprised the coastline of San Luis Obispo Bay.  Governor Pio Pico would extend Avila's grant in 1846 amid the conflict in the Mexican-American War.  Rancho San Miguelito would reach a maximum extent of 14,198 acres before hostilities ended, and California became an American State.

Avila would file a claim for Rancho San Miguelito with the Public Land Commission in 1851.  Avila's second filed claim in 1852 would also be honored but the third he filed during the same year would not.  The denial of the third of Avila's claims opened much of the Irish Hills up as public lands.  In 1860 Kentucky native Joseph See would homestead in San Miguelito Canyon.  See became a renown San Luis Obispo County resident and the canyon he resided at would be renamed in his honor. 

See Canyon Road likely was developed as an access corridor to the property of Jospeh See.  The roadway can be seen spanning from near Coon Creek southeast to San Luis Bay Drive on the 1897 United States Geological Survey maps of Port Harford and Arroyo Grande.



See Canyon Road since 1916 has been associated with apple orchards.  The canyon terrain is conducive for growing apples due to the wet coastal weather of the southern Irish Hills. 

See Canyon Road is shown as a minor local highway on the 1935 Division of Highways map of San Luis Obispo County.  


See Canyon Road is shown to have been constructed to Prefumo Canyon Road on the 1941 United States Geological Survey map of Port San Luis Obispo. 




Part 2; a drive on See Canyon Road

Southbound See Canyon Road begins at the terminus of Prefumo Canyon Road near Coon Creek.


See Canyon Road heading southbound has a dirt surface for about a half mile.  The asphalt portion begins beyond a cattle guard.  





Traffic on See Canyon Road is advised of 5.5 miles of curves ahead. 


See Canyon Road makes a rapid descent and passes through numerous apple orchards before terminating at San Luis Bay Drive.


















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