Otters, sea lions, whales with a beach and bench to watch the ocean. Well worth your time…read more Port a potties only. Uneven sandy trails but amazing views. Not wheel chair accessible. But sea otters! Sea lions! Whales!

Elkhorn Slough is a great place to visit on kayak - or even by foot if you enter the path across…read morethe road from the Elkhorn Yacht Club to view wildlife from two big viewing platforms. I went on for two kayak trips over the weekend -- Friday mid-day was choppy and windy, ebb tide with a LOT more animals and birds. Sunday early morning started out flat water at flood and got a bit windier as the ebb started. Fewer animals than Friday but more tourists, and also, jellyfish that blew in with the flood. Keep well clear of the animals - the guidelines I learned this weekend are: - keep 100 ft away (5-8 kayak lengths) - if a seal or otter is looking AT you - you are too close! - if a seal or otter takes evasive action, you are too close Just go out, keep your voices down (they carry well over the water and scare animals and birds) and enjoy watching nature!

It's a beautiful spot to stretch your legs and take in the scenery. Most people head to the other…read moreside of Hiway 1 but park infant of the boatyard and venture alone the paths. Today was my first time and it's really pretty.. Hidden gem.. also seems to be a great spot for fishing !

This is a wonderful walking area with nature spots for bird watching, historical sites, and various…read moremicro climates to explore and appreciate. Watch out for ticks though!

For wildlife lovers, this is 10/10 must visit. There are so many sea otters, seas, and birds to see…read morealong the opening of Elkhorn Slough. As soon as you park, you'll look into the slough and see otters and seals, and it might be hard to make it to the actual beach! I spent about 45 minutes watching a male sea otter dive and eat clams. It was time well spent. The only down side was the amount of litter and cigarette butts around. It will all end up in the ocean, so let's all just pack out what we've brought in and maybe leave it better than we found it.

Such a peaceful place to go to watch the sea lions, otters, rabbits, birds.... Lovely wildlife all…read morearound. Some people go fishing here too. There is a little bit of trash that people leave behind that can get super irritating. Free parking. Access to nice beaches.

saw LOTS of wildlife (sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals & so many different birds even a…read morekingfisher!) the guides were so knowledgeable & funny & even offered hot beverages & a local brand of cookies which was amazing. hour & a half long tour but honestly flew by it was so much fun :) perfect for any age!!

Both our captain and naturalist seemed to truly love what they were doing and that really comes…read moreacross in the experience. It was clear that they worked with other groups to help track animals and when we stopped to take pictures of tagged otters and mating it made me feel like we were part of the scientific team. I learned more about otters than I had ever imagined. They are very endangered. I learned lore about seals that I ever imagined. Truly amazing trip. Worth every penny. Don't forget to tip your guide and captain.

Hidden gem tucked away unexpectedly!…read more Parking situation is small but then again, no one knows about it so a win-win for all. Came here horseback riding and only saw a few guys out fishing. Unsure why ppl keep saying it's a dog beach when the parks department says otherwise. "DOGS are not permitted on the beach or dunes." Maybe take another look - https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=572.

Free beach! It's a California State Parks Beach but there is no entry fee. Very small parking area…read more Very rough road to get in. But very few people there, mostly people fishing. It's a wide open, sandy beach. You can see south to Monterey and north to Santa Cruz.

Monterey Bay Kayaks delivered a true five-star experience and ended up being one of the highlights…read moreof our time in the area. We arrived right around 9 AM when they opened on a Wednesday, which I highly recommend. It wasn't very busy, so getting checked in and ready for our adventure felt relaxed and easy. I also have to give their team credit: this may be the first time I can remember a company making a safety briefing genuinely fun and engaging. It immediately set the tone for the experience. We kayaked through Elkhorn Slough, which is an absolutely gorgeous setting. The landscape is incredibly serene, with wildlife everywhere--we saw numerous sea otters, seals, and birds gracefully flying overhead in formation. Super important to keep your distance and be respectful! I definitely recommend going in the morning. The winds and currents tend to be calmer, and there was something particularly beautiful about being on the water as the morning marine layer slowly lifted. As the fog gave way, more and more of the surrounding landscape and spectacular mountain backdrop revealed itself, giving the entire experience an almost mystical quality. We spent about four hours paddling through the slough, taking our time and simply enjoying the wildlife and natural beauty around us. It never felt like four hours. If you enjoy being outdoors and want to experience a completely different side of the Monterey area, I can't recommend this enough. Go early, give yourself several hours, and take your time. It's peaceful, beautiful, and an incredible way to experience this unique ecosystem.

This outfit and Elkhorn Slough did not disappoint! The set otters were plentiful, playful, and so…read morecute. Getting in and out of the slough can be tough due to the current and wind. This was especially true since I was on double kayak and my partner had "issues". All the necessary gear is provided, along with a good amount of training. Getting cleaned up afterwards is a breeze as well. What is also great is that there is a good place to eat (Sea Harvest) in the same area. That restaurant is at the mouth of the slough which gives you the ability to see fellow kayakers coming and going.

What Yoda is to The Force, Roger Schumann is to kayaking. If your future kayaking plans involve…read moreanything more then calm fair-weather kayaking on a pond, Roger's instruction will be invaluable. Roger will taylor classes to your skill level and comfort. We spent four consecutive days with Roger and left far more competent and safe than when we arrived. The classes are reasonably priced and you could not ask for a more beautiful location. We saw Sea Otters, dolphins and birds beyond count. We could not have been happier!!! http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33048-r317079943-Santa_Cruz_California.html#

I took my first lesson with Eskape Sea Kayaking (ESK) back in 1999. I was hooked and have been…read moreexpanding my kayaking skills ever since, mainly under the tutelage of the instructors of ESK. Roger, the owner, is not only a great teacher, he is an amazing coach. He keeps his class sizes small so that he can give each person individual attention. Both in receiving lessons and watching him teach others, it always impresses me how much Roger tunes into the nuances and needs of each person in the class. The staff ESK brings in to help with the classes always mirrors that style as well. Roger, Tom, Bryan, Gregg and the rest are some of the best paddlers on the West Coast. Whether you want to just learn the basics or go out and take on the big waves, this is the place to go.

Lily was a fantastic guide. It's amazing how skilled she is at keeping everyone safe, giving…read moreinstructions, protecting the sea life, sharing knowledge, helping a kayak in our group that needed support with navigation and still making light hearted jokes, smiling and taking pictures for everyone. You can tell she knows what she's doing and wants to make sure everyone feels confident while kayaking. I also want to mention the two phone encounters I had were so helpful and kind (unfortunately I did not catch their names) and the person who checked us in was also so pleasant.

We had a blast kayaking with the otters and seals!…read more Parking was easy as was check in at the store. They gave an informational overview of where to paddle to see wildlife as well as other recommendations and safety tips. They provide life jackets, waterproof jackets and pants which were great too keep water off your clothes. There are porto potties available if you need to use the facilities. The staff were well very nice and helpful. The main con of our trip was the two person top sitting kayak we were on seemed to have problems with steering. No matter how hard we tried to turn right, the kayak always tended to veer the other direction which was frustrating. We got another kayak to check if they saw anything wrong visually on the water, but they couldn't see anything so maybe there was something going on with the underside of the kayak. Besides that, we had a nice time on the water and were able to enjoy seeing all the birds and cute otters and seals out and about. Later in the morning and early afternoon we even got to see the otters get more active and go diving for mud worms that looked like bright orange cigars. It was super cute seeing the otters sleeping nested in the kelp too. Try not to disturb them though since they need to conserve energy to stay warm! We unfortunately saw one tour group led by a guide that went right next to a sleeping pod of otters and woke them all up. Overall, fun place to go kayaking with wildlife! Glad we went on this trip here!

Redwood Coast Tours is a fantastic company and I was amazed by the mushroom tour we took with them…read morein Big Basin near Santa Cruz. Our expert guide, Christian, helped us find a multitude of different mushrooms as we meandered thru the Redwood forest. He filled our brains with practically a text book of information about mycology including mycorrhizal fungi. I highly and enthusiastically recommend Redwood Coast Tours for your educational tour on mushrooms!!

"What would you like for Christmas?". "I want you to find a person who we can spend all day in the…read morewoods with and they'll have answers for all the questions." Amazingly enough, this person exists in our own backyard. Christian has passion, knows his stuff, and as a result is an incredible teacher, a cool hang, and propagates a love for nature. I specifically wanted to level up my knowledge of mushrooms, but also hoped to gain a new understanding of plants and birds on the California coast. It was a deluge of info, and explained in a way that sticks. If you love the outdoors and want to spend time with someone who really gets it and has a contagious reverence for it, spend some time with Christian.