While many new Cal Poly students learn about places like Mustang Lanes bowling alley and the Poly Escapes rock climbing wall before they ever enroll in their first class, there are a number of spots on campus that incoming students may not know about and should see before graduation.
Like the Central Coast itself, the campus has numerous opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, jogging or biking. Take the Poly Trail, which leads to the “P,” the giant white letter at the top of the hill, overlooking the dorms. A relatively easy, relaxing hike, the trail offers a stunning view of campus and can be a nice place to sit and meditate. The trail is maintained by Sigma Pi fraternity.
Behind parking lot R1, those about to stroll up the hillside have two options: take the road, which will bring you around the hill and up to the top — for a mellow stroll — or take the brief trail straight up the hillside for a greater sense of accomplishment.
Mechanical engineering junior and Poly Escapes employee Casey Lightner said the trail is an easy hike that offers the chance to get a little exercise between classes or to cap off the day with a twilight hike.
“It’s a great little trail,” Lightner said. “It’s lots of fun — every freshman should do it.”
A jog through Poly Canyon is another opportunity to exercise on campus. Follow the ranch road along the Brizziolari Creek to the railroad tracks below Cuesta Ridge. The return trip takes joggers over the north edge of the canyon through the oak groves that overlook it. Various architecture projects and structures dot the landscape once you get far enough in.
The campus is also home to exotic plant life. The Leaning Pine Arboretum, located at the Environmental Horticultural Science unit at the north end of Via Carta, is the ideal environment for a picnic. It occupies five acres of land and displays a stunning assortment of trees, shrubs and landscape plants from the world’s five Mediterranean climate regions: Austrailia, California, Chile, the Mediterranean basin and South Africa.
In addition, the arboretum boasts a New Zealand garden, a Dwarf and Unusual Conifer garden, as well as various displays of cycads, palms and succulents. The plant collections at the arboretum are grouped according to their native region.
For those animal-loving students who had to leave their dog — or horse — back at home, they can drop by the equine facilities across Via Carta just west of the arboretum. At the equine center, students can watch the university’s collection of thoroughbred horses feed in the center’s 150 acres of pastureland or train in daily classes at the Hadley Arena. Befriend a student in the program and they may even take you to see their horse in the student horse barn.
Wine lovers; while at the north end of campus, stop by the Crops Unit on the corner of Highland Drive and Mount Bishop Road. See how the grapes are cultivated to make Cal Poly wine, or see what the horticulture students are doing with the citrus, avocado or berry orchards.
Though most students spend countless hours at the Kennedy Library, few take the time to check out the artifacts of Central Coast and university history housed in the Special Collections Archives on the fourth floor. In the archives, which are open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., students can access original documents from Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan, landscape sketches from English muralist Camille Salon, the San Luis Obispo Historic Lithograph Collection, an underground comic book collection and much more.
Also in the Special Collections, students can research Cal Poly history by checking out backlogged copies of the Mustang Daily, old yearbooks, as well as archived senior projects, master’s theses and university professors’ published works.
The Campus Market may be a good place to grab a bite, but it is also the closest place to check out Cal Poly’s own brands of food and condiments, made by the students themselves. There, students can buy Cal Poly cheese, eggs, meat, jam, BBQ sauce, honey and even chocolate. Sadly, Cal Poly wine is only available for purchase off- campus.
With so many things to do and places to see on campus, the only question is whether students can find the time to see it all.