This loop shows a lot of the hidden gems of West Cuesta Ridge and San Luis Obispo. It starts at Cuesta Pass, and in the counter clockwise direction it first climbs TV Tower Road to the top of the ridge. It then traverses the ridge with fantastic views of East Cuesta Ridge, Reservoir Canyon, Atascadero, and San Luis Obispo with its nine sisters (volcanic plugs) going into the ocean at Morro Bay. After a couple miles on the ridge, you enter the Cuesta Ridge Botanical Area. Here, there are lots of unique plants such as the Sargent Cypress and the Bishop Manzanita. After a bit of time in this area, you drop off an unmarked trail known as Seeley, before climbing back up to the ridge on the Chrome Trail. Then traverse the ridge for another few hundred meters, and drop off the unmarked Pick and Shovel trail. Stay on this trail for a few miles until there is a single track on the left at roughly 7.4 miles into the run. Take this, then the next right next to some mountain bike jumps, and follow this trail to connect with the Morning Glory Trail. Run Morning Glory to the Eucs, then descend Elevators to the train tracks. A lot of these trails are also for mountain bikes, so be aware of that. Follow the tracks for four beautiful miles before taking a side road connector to Old Stagecoach Road. Climb this back to the pass! There is a Strava segment for the CCW direction (https://www.strava.com/segments/27110572?filter=overall).
The name Mistbuster comes from the morning fog that blankets West Cuesta, especially during the summer and fall. The fog busts by the afternoon. Name kudos to Chris Andrews, route kudos to Alexander Parker. CR currently held by Finn James on the mens side, and no woman or non-binary has run it.
