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

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Elkhorn Slough is a great place to visit on kayak - or even by foot if you enter the path across the 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! read more

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Planning our vacation in Monterey received a lot of special attention and research by my traveling companion Joe K. While there are a lot of spontaneous places to visit, he also discovered that there is a lesser known point of interest - Elkhorn Slough located at Moss Landing. A protected state park reserve and cove that is within the Monterey Bay itself and considered one of California's largest wetlands. We got to take an up close and personal "Elkhorn Slough Safari and Nature Tour". We were educated in the history of the area, points of interest and most of all, lifestyles of the ocean loving inhabitants. We saw a multitude of indigenous birds, marine mammals, seals, sea lions, sea otters and even a few surface floating jellyfish! This area gave me a deeper appreciation for nature, mother earth, and all the wonders she provides! read more

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This is the place to go for a peaceful kayaking trip where you can escape to nature and see all the amazing animals in their natural environment. read more

Elkhorn Slough - Sea otters riding the tide at Elkhorn Slough. - Parks Near Me - Moss Landing, California

Been visiting Monterey Peninsula for years and can't believe this is the first time I discovered this nature reserve. It seems to be a bit out of the way so even on a sunny spring Sunday it was not at all crowded - we probably saw about 20-30 or so other visitors total for the couple of hours we were there. It's a beautiful scenic spot with flat, easy trails along the wetlands and meadows, not much tree cover so can get quite hot on a sunny day. It's home to many turkey vultures which we encountered along the trails, even saw one taking flight which was entertaining. Parking and Entrance is free, ("at this time", according to the website). The visitor center is not open however when we were there they had set up a table outside with rangers answering questions. read more

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I had a fantastic kayaking experience here! It was my first time kayaking, and I loved every moment. Our guide, Bella, was brilliant, so knowledgeable, kind and patient. They went above and beyond to show us special parts of the slough, including nudibranchs! I have never seen so much wildlife back to back, it was life changing! The tour was very thorough, did not feel rushed and was very worth it. Ten out of ten stars for Bella and Elkhorn Slough Kayaking! read more

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The kayak rental in Elkhorn Slough can't be beat. I've been 4 times and I've had all great experiences. You can reserve a time online and choose a guided or non guided kayak experience. Now with Covid, you can fill out your waiver online before you arrive and eliminate the paperwork time. The check in was maybe 5 mins to get equipment followed by a quick orientation. Staff is genuinely friendly and helpful. The slough is super calm, so calm in fact that you'll see otters galore, birds, sea lions, and other cool stuff if you know where to look! I seen tons of jellyfish and some starfish. Overall amazing experience. Take binoculars, a waterproof camera and don't forget the sunscreen. read more

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So beautiful. Had a perfect day couldn't believe how warm it was I saw at least 60 otters and just as many seals read more

First - price point, excellent! Price is for ALL gear. Everything you can image including splash pants and hooded top. Current can be a drag (pun intended) but staying close to shore and the marina is boring. So venture out. We headed 3 miles up to where the old red barn use to be and saw all sorts of wild life. We even saw a migratory waterfowl nose dive and pull a fish out of the water. Now that's fishing! Otters! Seals! Birds! Beauty! New or experienced alike will enjoy kayaking or SUP at this location. It's also one of the least expensive locations we've rented from. If you are in the Bay Area check them out. The staff was phenomenal. read more

One of the best places to kayak and view wildlife in the area. It's pretty fun seeing the otters, seals and birds, and there' great restaurants nearby on moss landing when you return. That said, I visited today for the first time in maybe a decade and the wildlife population felt a lot smaller than the last time I visited and this time there was a stretch that smelled super strongly of cow manure. I had to turn around, it was so heavy. I love and want to support our local farms, but am a little surprised that farms are so close to the reserve since agricultural run-off is known to harm marine life. I hope more can be done to protect this area. read more

I really enjoyed sea animals by kayaking! Seals, sea otters, and birds! They are so cute. Especially sea otters! One of them were right near the kayak and I saw his curious face! It was a part of REI outdoor class, my third time kayaking. Because my first kayaking experience was horrible, I had been a litte nervous, but it turned out great. read more

Elkhorn Slough - Parks Near Me - Moss Landing, California

If I told you that it's possible to kayak and paddle next to sea otters, would you believe me? Probably not huh? A week ago, I also didn't think this was "legally" feasible. But, I became a firm believer after making a spontaneous trip to Elkhorn Slough this past weekend with my girlfriend. Here, we were able to spot seat otters, seals, AND sea lions in the water! Located on the coast between Monterey and Santa Cruz, Elkhorn Slough is a natural preserve that's home to an abundance of wildlife. In this diverse, rich estuary you will find many species of birds, plenty of marine animals, and an abundance of plant life For those of y'all who are curious, a slough is a swamp or a shallow lake - usually a backwater to a larger body of water (thank you Wikipedia!). In this case, Elkhorn opens up into the Pacific Ocean. To get the most out of what Elkhorn Slough has to offer, adventure seekers have a couple of options. On one hand, you may consider hiking some of the trails in the reserve. Each one is fairly short (~1 mile), the landscape is gorgeous, and they take you all over Moss Landing Wildlife Area. It's only about $4 to walk the trails, and the experience is totally worth it. On the other hand, you can instead jump right in the water and paddle your way along the slough. There's like 5-6 miles of water waiting to be traversed by some brave soul. When my girlfriend and I visited Elkhorn, we made it our goal to kayak along the slough. For first timers (aka us), it might be a bit hard trying to figure out where to rent equipment - especially since the Elkhorn Slough website directs people to just Google a place. Well let me do you a solid and say that there are at least two main rental places in Elkhorn: Kayak Connection and Monterey Bay Kayaks. They were located right next to each other, so it was quite easy for us to compare prices. We ended up going with Kayak Connection since the cost was slightly cheaper ($55 for a double, up to 4 hours). For some, that might sound a bit unreasonable for a rental but believe me it's totally worth it. Why? Because this was definitely one of the most fun and memorable kayaking experiences I have ever had (with my girlfriend and in general). First off, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The water was very calm, sun was shining, and the view of the wildlife area was stunning. Plus, the landscape was constantly changing too and so we never got bored of paddling. Secondly, there were so many cute marine animals! Everywhere we turned, we saw playful otters, sea lions that were chilling, and birds that wanted to steal everyone's food. And I can't believe I almost forget to mention...we also saw jellyfish! If it weren't for the Marine Protection Act (had to be 100 feet away from marine life), I would've just approached them all! My favorite spot had to be this little area nearby the Highway 1 bridge that was considered the "bachelor pad" for the sea lions. Only male, all testosterone! And third, Kayak connection gave us the best possible experience imaginable for a rental place (https://www.yelp.com/biz/kayak-connection-moss-landing). From giving us a comprehensive introduction to paddling in the slough (included a video!), to making sure we felt safe and secure in our kayak, the workers here were 100% genuine and awesome. When driving to Elkhorn Slough, it's definitely worth planning out the type of activity you want to do first. That will determine where you'll park. For example, people who want to launch a boat/kayak will want to park along Highway 1 across from the Moss Landing State Wildlife Area. If anything, just Google Map Kayak Connection. Be sure to watch where you park too, because there are designated spots depending on the rental place you choose. I do recommend coming early because spots are limited and equipment is doubly limited!!! If you're looking for a half-day escape from the Bay Area, I highly encourage y'all to check out Elkhorn Slough. It's only like an hour from San Jose, and the experience is truly one of a kind. You are guaranteed to spot wildlife here, and maybe you'll get a workout out of it too. I wholeheartedly give Elkhorn Slough an "Omg, I'd travel 2 hours for this" rating. Hope the otters smile at you! Have fun and prosper, read more

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We originally planned in kayaking with Monterey Bay kayaks but the winds were too high and so we were referred to their other location here at Elkhorn Slough. We came here on a Wednesday in June- pretty late in the day like 5:30 pm since we were coming from Monterey and were waiting to see if the winds would calm down. The Elkhorn slough staff was extremely nice especially for coming later on in the day. Kayaking was $30 for a single kayak for all day and it comes with the wet suit, windbreaker jacket, and life jacket. You can wear your bathing suit or clothes under the wet suit. It's to keep you warm. They were open til 7pm so we had like an hour to kayak. They give you a quick how-to and show you the map of where you can go. George helped us out and was friendly and good-natured. The otters, seals, and sea lions are all really close to the kayak place. You could probably see them all on 30-45 minutes kayak if you really wanted to. Further out though you can see some pelicans and a few more seals. It's crazy to see the pelicans dive in to the water for fish. You can get about 5 kayak lengths away from the animals - by law, but it's honestly a bit intimidating to see them so close up anyways. The sea lions kinda smell and are noisy and always bickering at each other so I would stay further away from them. Some times the otters will follow you for a little bit. And the ones that I passed on the rocks just kinda stared at us! Since we only had an hour, we had to Hurry back so it was a bit of an upper body workout. The water was against us so we had to work harder coming back in than going out. It's a $25 fee if they have to come get you. Overall, I would recommend this place if you want to see some great animals up close and personal. I didn't have any problems with this place though and I didn't notice a smell or anything (unless you are right in front of the sea lions). However i still would love to try the Monterey Bay experience. read more

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A few seals, a few otters and a TON of birds. Pleasant walk. Paddle boarders and even a tour boat on the water. read more

Elkhorn Slough - Parks Near Me - Moss Landing, California

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Nice views, wild life, and the natural vegetation is worth the stop. I do not suggest RV's larger than 25' to enter this park because there isn't any good turn around, and parts of the road (parking) is collapsing into the bay. Take your property with you, unfortunately, there is douche-bags who prowl the parks. read more

What an amazing place to visit. The staff at the research facility are extremely welcoming and patient in explaining and sharing knowledge about the estuary. I visit, and visit often. read more

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Beautiful, small nature reserve. Interesting to see how land that was a dairy farm is being returned to its natural state. I've been visiting the Slough since the '90's, and the change over time is pretty amazing. Each time I visit, I see something new. Go early and have a peaceful walk. read more

Will be better when the Visitors' Center is open again. Such an interesting place. Good trails. CAUTION - lots of ticks, be sure to check yourself. read more

If kayaking is your hobby and you are in Monterey, please don't miss out kayaking from Moss Landing Launch to the Elkhorn Slough. There's an $11 park and kayak fee. This a must to get up close and personal to see the Otters, Sea Lions, and wildlife birds in a protected park that only kayakers and permitted boats that does excursions go through. I've kayaked up and down the coast. And this one place will be on my top list as a Favorite! Recommendation: Make sure you check when high and low tides are. Makes a whirl of difference because if you paddle in to the slough during high tide, it's easier to get into the slough and when you leave during low tide, it's easier to get out as the current us pulling you back to the ocean. This was 101 on tides taught my my husband in a matter of a minute. lol. Also check for wind advisory. This is most important. It could dangerous for beginner paddlers. Moss Landing launch area has it's own paradise as well. Kayaking across the launch to the beach side are Brown Pelicans lined in rows and as you follow the shore towards the dock you'll find several dozen Sea Lions sunbathing. As you exit out of Moss landing estuary, and head under the highway 1 bridge into the Slough, you'll notice the pier on your left. There's several dozen Sea Lions hanging out. Most people can watch from above. The slough is over 6 miles long. Hug the shores and enjoy hours of kayaking with creatures that you normally wouldn't encounter. Don't forget to bring binoculars, water bottle, snack, sun block, hat, and a wind breaker. read more

Elkhorn Slough - Moss Landing Launch harbor. Best time to come is October - Parks Near Me - Moss Landing, California

Awesome place to visit! I recommend you walk along the strip of land just west of where the kayak places are to get high up shots of seals and otters. Then rent a kayak for 2-3 hours. And skip a kayak tour..it is better to kayak it on your own so you get to linger at interesting sites/animals as long as you like, plus the kayak route is very simple and the otters/seals/birds are everywhere! Also, if you are ambitious you can do a whale watching tour in the AM, then kayak in the PM read more

This might be the best place to kayak in the whole bay area the otters that play and the sea lions that jump out of the water. You can even stay in the harbor where it's protected and see plenty of wildlife without any wind or aggressive paddling. But the bird life is amazing and the little inlets off of the slough are so peaceful read more

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I fell in love with Elkhorn Slough as soon as we paddled by our first group of sea otters. I was taken aback by the amount of sea life in this area. Also, seals lazing about on the shore stare at you as you row by. The most memorable moment was when a full-grown harbor seal swam right up to our kayak. And wouldn't leave. He (or she?) repeatedly popped its head out of the water and stared at us, presumably trying to figure out how we got into its "house". In hindsight, I realize that it was simply an encounter with a curious and playful harbor seal. But in the moment, it was slightly terrifying. I had zero clue how close nature would be getting to us that day! I SO highly recommend coming here to kayak. Definitely bring a camera (in a waterproof vessel, of course!) water and light snacks (believe me, you'll wanna be out there for awhile!), with the only caveat being that, well.....let's just say that a sea otter nearly jumped onto a nearby kayak when the kayaker pulled out some food from his bag. A day of kayaking Elkhorn Slough is not complete without stopping by for lunch at Phil's Fish Market & Eatery afterwards. Enjoy your adventure at the Slough, and say "Hi" to the harbor seals for me! read more

I'm giving 5 stars because I love this place, but I'm disappointed that the walking trails aren't open when the visitor center is closed, on Mondays and Tuesdays read more

Nothing could be finer than kayaking through this slough mid-week in November. Calm and 73 degrees! Much of our trip we were the only humans in sight. We saw maybe 40 otters including 3 groups of 3 family members, 2 adults with babies. I do have to say that we do this trip most years and the numbers of otters seem to be declining rapidly, 12 years ago there were hundreds of the adorable critters. We also saw seals, a blue herron, a few egrets and hundreds of pelicans, king fishers and other birds. read more

You are absolutely guaranteed to see sea otters here. Apparently the only easily accessible place on the California coast where you can count on this. Totally worth renting a kayak, even if your lazy girlfriend makes you paddle for both of you. Due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, you legally can't get within 50 feet of the otters (or seals), and also you are just a fucking prick if you do so. However, some of them will swim right up to your kayak, and sometimes even chase (and apparently occasionally attempt to climb onto) kayaks, perhaps especially the ones with food. Otters are weasels so I'm not sure they're very nice. This is mandatory if you are nearby. read more

The otters are cute. The sea lions smell like salty urine. The calm waters are a lie - the winds push against you when your arms are tired and falling off and you are trying to make it back to the dock in your kayak and the waves are trying to smash you into the pylons and the other people in your party are straggling behind and you're not sure if they've capsized or a shark got them and there's a little girl crying and you can hear her from half a mile away but we had fun. read more

Elkhorn Slough - We didn't make it very far. The map makes the trip look easy - caution: distances are farther than they appear. - Parks Near Me - Moss Landing, California

delicious. Kayaking upon the water we spotted the swimming mushrooms and the old barking mermaid, which whacked the bottom of my vessel. Lunching otters flicked fish skin to the sea birds. Poets rhyme about the cycles of nature, but no one writes of how it smells, less than read more

My husband and I kayaked through the slough, one of the best experiences! We saw a lot of otters and sea lions. The otters would follow you it was so neat. The view of the surrounding area from your kayak is a different experience than just seeing the slough as your drive by on highway 1. I would recommend kayaking the slough if you enjoy being in nature and want to surround yourself with the sea life. As mentioned in previous post it does smell, but after awhile you get used to it. read more

Kayaking through the Elkhorn Slough was so fun!! My recommendation is to rent the kayaks when they open for the day. By midday the rental office was packed and we had to wait about 30-45min before we were able to get through the line, paperwork, and safety orientation. I knew it would be crowded (on a Saturday), so I was prepared for the wait. The experience was amazing. We saw lots of otters, seals, sea lions, and many different types of birds. Kayaking was a great work out and I will definitely be coming back soon! read more

This was a great natural area to go exploring. For some reason, it was much more crowded than I expected. We hiked about two miles of trails searching for great views and interesting California birds. Both were found in spades. Be aware, they charge to visit and only take credit cards. Since I only use plastic, worked for me. read more

Okay we LOVE this kayaking tour - came back for a second time the very next year. The guides are amazing, super friendly and fun! We have had Rob, Trevor and Katie... all fantastic people. They obviously love their job and we love them!! Our boys always have an adventure and we have seen numerous sea otters, birds, sand dollars and sea hares. I recommend to anyone in the Monterey area... worth the little drive here. read more

One of the best bird watching areas in Northern California. Great hiking and kayaking. Wonderful area to enjoy nature. There are also tours sailing out of Moss Landing that go through Elkhorn Slough. read more

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We just came back from a wonderful experience at the Elkhorn Slough on the Boat tour. Scheduling the trip was easy- very responsive and easy to work with. Austin was a HUGE help in answering any questions- AND he was the naturalist on the boat. Austin was so knowledgeable about everything from the history of the slough to the animals and everything in between! We saw 40 different species of birds, tons of seals and sea lions as well as sea otters. Austin and the captain (who was also the owner of the Elkhorn Slough Boat Safari) provided a very fun, informative and relaxed trip complete with coffee and cookie. We stopped by their gift shop, too, which had reasonably priced items. Our group is still talking about what a good time they had and how they want to come back again. Worth coming back for again in the spring. read more

Elkhorn Slough is completely worth the drive from Oakland. I went with two friends and enjoyed the day birdwatching and checking out the flora and fauna. Finding the place was made easy by the big signs when you arrive in Moss Landing. Once you turn at the big factory you still have a few miles to go but don't lose heart. We entered the nature center and the volunteers were outstanding. They gave us succinct descriptions of the different trails. The interpretive data about plants, animals, and history was very well presented in a way that kids as well as parents will enjoy. While we were there we got to see the barn owls nesting in the Elkhorn Dairy barn. The place used to be a working farm. The quiet zones are well illustrated for both the owls and the zone to protect the other animals. Walking the trails is easy. There is a tiny elevation of a climb at the end when you are returning to the nature center. We saw gopher snakes, red racers, some lizards, gophers, acorn woodpeckers, song sparrows, marsh and house wrens, flycatchers, western grebes, american egrets, common and Forster terns, and loads of hummingbirds. The mustard was in bloom yesterday (May 2). It was striking against the blue sky. While we did not partake of either kayaks or the educational boat (which is uncovered-bring hats) we did see many people enjoying this method of exploration. We saw some sea lions and sea otters at the mouth of the slough next to the street near Phil's Seafood Restaurant. This is an outstanding place to bring a family. You will enjoy all of the beauty. read more

If you like kayaking, this trip should definately be on your list of places to check out. There are hundreds of seals, sea lions and otters all around. The only bad thing is that the stench from the animals is a little bad! Bring a scarf to wrap around your face and you'll be just fine!!! read more

Beautiful bit of nature to take in and explore. Lots of wildlife. Just a great place to be outdoors.

A very relaxing and beautiful place to kayak. It was well worth the trip. The sights were enjoyable. The wildlife was enjoyable to see and hear read more

These guys and gals are first class made sure we were all set to go out . It was a great experience. Lots of sea life otters seals pelicans other birds read more

My husband and I kayaked for a couple of hours through here on a vacation to the Monterey Peninsula in May, 2013. We are from Ontario, Canada and had a great time. We brought our own kayaks and launched at Moss Landing harbour and paid $10 to park and launch. We saw sea otters, sea lions, harbour seals, cormorants and other birds we could not identify. It was not in any way threatening and the sea animals frolicked near our kayaks. Some were quite curious and none seemed to feel threatened by our presence. It was a bit smelly right near the harbour but well into the slough we did not detect any odour. We would highly recommend this site for kayaking. read more