Harford Pier
John Harford built the Harford Pier in 1873 on the western side of San Luis Obispo Bay about a mile and a half from the town of Avila Beach. Using horses, he offloaded schooners and imported cargo that was sold in San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara County. The original buildings on the pier were destroyed by fire in 1915 and rebuilt into the pier’s current structures in 1919. It is one of three piers in the harbor and one of two public piers. The 1320-foot Harford Pier, also called the Port San Luis Pier and, simply, Pier 3 is a working pier with a seafood company on the pier and a boat launch adjacent to it, but a seafood restaurant and regular fishermen’s market draw locals and tourists. It is one of the last piers on which the public can still drive a car, but with only 14 parking spaces available, time is limited to two hours max.
Port San Luis, Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt