An informal Cal Poly tradition for those looking for a physical challenge with an amazing reward at the end. Hike to the Cal Poly "P' + 2 iconic peaks on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo and follow it with a legendary Tri Tip sandwich at the Firestone Grill in downtown SLO (or if that doesn't appeal to you grab something else). Typically done in a day, so you might need to some order fries too. Note: peakery includes "Firestone Tri Tip" as a "peak" in downtown SLO; add your tri tip photos to your log of this edible "peak".
Highest peak
Bishop Peak
1,546 ft / 471 m
Most prominent peak
Bishop Peak
1,086 ft / 331 m prom
Most summited peak
Bishop Peak
48 summits
Most difficult peak
no info yet
Difficulty breakdown
no info yet
Highlights
- Consume an enormous tri tip sandwich after a huge day of hiking (non-meat eaters: sub in the Veggie Avocado, it's amazing too)
Latest summits
"Back to summit Madonna in order to complete all 4 peaks of the Tri-tip challenge, 3 real and 1 edible. Two days ago two women in our family group wilted in the heat after doing Bishop in the morning. We only got to the “M” then headed back down to town to pickup some chilled bevs at the Lincoln deli. Today was much cooler and there a nice breeze so we were able to scoot up the road and tag the summit pole and marker before heading back up to the Bay Area." — Nimblefoot • Jun 14, 2021
"Out to SLO for our nieces college graduation from Cal-Poly so we did a “Family” attempt of the Tr-Tip challenge. Started with Bishop then headed to Madonna but my wife and Sister-in-law wilted in the heat. Dropped back into town to hit up the Lincoln deli for some rehydration, I added an ice cream bar for added sustenance. Now we were able to rally for a stroll up to The P. Took in the views over the campus then back into town to pickup some Tri-Tip sammies for good eats back at the house. Hopefully my wife and I will successfully tag the summit of Madonna and revisit Firestone, sandwiches are not large but certainly worth getting, on our way back up to Sunnyvale." — Nimblefoot • Jun 12, 2021
"Out to SLO for our nieces college graduation from Cal-Poly so we did a “Family” attempt of the Tr-Tip challenge. Started with Bishop then headed to Madonna but my wife and Sister-in-law wilted in the heat. Dropped back into town to hit up the Lincoln deli for some rehydration, I added an ice cream bar for added sustenance. Now we were able to rally for a stroll up to The P. Took in the views over the campus then back into town to pickup some Tri-Tip sammies for good eats back at the house. Hopefully my wife and I will successfully tag the summit of Madonna and revisit Firestone, sandwiches are not large but certainly worth getting, on our way back up to Sunnyvale." — Nimblefoot • Jun 12, 2021
"Out to SLO for our nieces college graduation from Cal-Poly so we did a “Family” attempt of the Tr-Tip challenge. Started with Bishop then headed to Madonna but my wife and Sister-in-law wilted in the heat. Dropped back into town to hit up the Lincoln deli for some rehydration, I added an ice cream bar for added sustenance. Now we were able to rally for a stroll up to The P. Took in the views over the campus then back into town to pickup some Tri-Tip sammies for good eats back at the house. Hopefully my wife and I will successfully tag the summit of Madonna and revisit Firestone, sandwiches are not large but certainly worth getting, on our way back up to Sunnyvale." — Nimblefoot • Jun 12, 2021
"Easter Sunday SLO Tri-Tip Challenge. Did Cerro San Luis Obispo first, taking a fun steep use trail up and the road back down.
Bishop Peak second, starting from West Foothill. Good steep trail with lots of fun scrambling in the summit area. Took the climbers trail along the ridge through lots of poison oak and a small cave to the summit block. I scrambled as high as possible, to the top of one pinnacle, but the neighboring pinnacle (true summit block) is about 3 ft higher and is rated 5.7.
Finished by visiting "The P", then continued up the slope to the top of Poly Mountain to make it a proper peak hike. Tri-tip, onion rings, and beer to cap off a perfect day in SLO!" — klotito • Apr 4, 2021