Always fun to visit this iconic volcano remnant, especially since I grew up in Paso Robles. I only scaled the rock once, in the 60's while it was socked in with fog. read more

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The Rock, rocks, not to be confused with the movie "The Rock" about Alcatraz another famous rock of sorts or with Duane "The Rock" Johnson. This rock is technically a 576 foot tall volcanic mass and named Morro (meaning round hill in Portuguese) by explorer Juan Cabrillo back in the late 1500's. So this Rock has staying power and has created it's own small set of activities around it including the seaside community of Morro Bay. A charming town with a coastal village and tons of charm. So there is that plus so much more to do in the presence of the rock itself. There is an abundance of seal life right in the adjacent inlet and waterways leading out to the ocean. There are areas to kayak, paddle board and take a day boat trip from the small harbor area. So beyond just being scenic there is much to do in it's midst's. The actual rock itself is off limits to climb but the beach areas on either side are prime watching for sea otters, sea lions, dolphins even wales. There is a prime surf spot too on the Northern side. A small walk up the beach and there are endless piles of washed up sand dollars. My daughter and I collected dozens of pristine sand dollars one early morning. We were staying in Morrow Bay and our small cottage had an unfettered view of the rock so it was a wonderful aspect of our visit. It does get foggy at times as the marine layer can get thick in the summer months but wow when that sun is shining and the fog lifts what a site! read more

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The Rock is at the mouth of Morro Bay and is very hard to miss if you are in the town. Free parking and a boardwalk path to walk on to see the pristine water, beautiful sights, bird watch, people watch, fish or partake in any number of water sports on the calm bay. The area is super clean and changes by the minute with the sea fog rolling in and over the rock. The ground squirrels are super cute to watch scurrying around on the edges of the path and I have seen seals swimming in the water as well as sea otters frolicking in the bay. The Rock is with in walking distance of the historic town where there are many restaurants, shops, sightseeing tours and sporting shops to visit. read more

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Visited here on a road trip this weekend. It's a great area to view wildlife such as the Southern Sea Otters and various birds like the awesome Osprey. The sea otters tend to be around early in the mornings and dissipate by late morning. On weekends it tends to get relatively crowded with locals and out of town tourists. Nice walk path along the shores as w read more

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Enjoyed walking near the rock and checking out all the balancing rocks people made. Saw a lot of wildlife and enjoyed watching the otters. read more

Morro Bay Rock - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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The namesake of the small, sleepy fishing town it is located in, this is the place to go if you have a lazy afternoon! You can walk, bike, or drive here over the thoroughfare connecting the rock to the town. There is an informational sign explaining the importance of the Rock and you can drive 3/4 of the way around it. There are little beaches on either side and the Bay,where you can watch the pirate ships come into harbor or watch the sea otters and harbor seals. You cannot climb the rock due to the rare birds that nest on it and there is signage and a police officer to ensure the rock is not defaced. A great place to just relax and soak in the sun, wind, and waves while just letting the time pass! read more

Morro Bay Rock - The Rock creating its own weather - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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If big, natural rocks are your thing, by all means have at it. It's pretty enough but not really one of nature's stunners. There's lots of free parking in the adjacent paved lot, but all the cars kind of ruin your photos. A nice place to stop and stretch your legs when passing through town, but not worth going out of your way to visit. read more

Morro Bay Rock - From a pretty angle. - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

We came here the weekend before Christmas. This was a great time to visit because we saw otters with their babies! Morro Bay is right in the middle of SF and LA. It takes ~3 hours from both locations to reach here. The walkway to Morro Rock is well developed and you can park by the coffee shops and walk to the rock. This is a great place to take your dog if you have one. Morro Rock is a cool landmark because the rock is actually ancient lava! You can find otters playing by the rock and on the other side, you'll find the beach! I came here with my family and we had a great time watching the otters play and sleep in their rafts. There are so many dogs around here and that's always fun. Bird watchers will find Morro Rock interesting bc I believe it is a breeding ground for some rare bird species. Highly recommend visiting here. read more

Once again great afternoon to enjoy another walk with A.J. - very relaxing. Seals, sea otters, multitude of birds, and phenomenal scenery. read more

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The Rock is definitely worth a visit if you are in the vicinity. It is awe inspiring and it's a nice walk around it. Watch out for the sand getting in your eyes when it is windy, I learned the hard way. Too bad there is this huge industrial area nearby which is an eye sore. read more

Cool rock located right off the coast of Morro Bay. Climbing on the rock is prohibited!! You can visit the area surrounding the base of Morro Rock. That's it, though. Morro Rock is simply very photogenic! Something calming about just looking at that darn rock from a distance. So, if you are driving along Hwy 1 in the Central Coast...do yourself a favor and check out Morro Rock. Very cool rock indeed. read more

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I loved it here. This is such a unique geological landmark. You can walk around the rock if you drive up to it. There's a small beach you can go to and touch the water if you want (before the jetty that breaks the waves). There's seals and surfers and historic statues. A cool place. read more

Morro Bay Rock - The rock (not Dwayne) - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

Way bigger than it looks in the pictures. Don't swim in the ocean. Saw a sail boat flip over. There were otters. There were loads of gophers. Cool hidden gem of a seaside attraction. read more

Very cool rock that you can drive to and stand under. There is a beach to the right that has sand dunes and boat slips to the left. I walked about 1 mile down the beach and found sand dollars everywhere. read more

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its a HUGE rock! It was pretty cool to see. We drove right up to it! I think we should have gone to the beach to get a better view of it. But it was pretty cool. Its HUGE! I wish there wasn't an overcast when we came at 8am! We just did a quick pit stop and headed up to Big Sur. read more

Morro Bay Rock - The Rock is huge! - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock reminds me of the Rock of Gibraltar. Though much smaller, it stands guard to the entrance to the small seaside town of Morro Bay. It is like a huge dome and appears to be made of a single piece of rock. It is inhabited by scores of seagulls, pelicans and other sea birds. It is possible to walk up to the rock but not sure if climbing it is allowed. Two thirds of the circumference of the rock is on the seaward side and almost steep vertical walls. It is visible from several miles out in the ocean. Sea otters, sea lions and sometimes dolphins can be frequently seen in the waters around Morro rock. Whale watching is very popular and I have seen multiple whales less than a mile from the rock clearly identifiable by the water spouts. A nice place to visit whether for just a couple of hours or the entire day. If traveling from San Francisco, it is possible to visit Pismo Beach, Morro Bay and Solvang all in a day though it may be a long one! read more

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I could never get tired coming here. Last time we came here (my family) was I believe at 2011. This is a very gorgeous place, a very unique place. A fisherman's wharf with a beach near or by the big Morro rock. This rock is unusually pop up right on the beach end of the Morro Bay. It's like a a giant decided to put a huge boulder right around where you will see a beach instead of a rock. Anyway our 3rd or maybe 4th time around here in Morro Bay is as more to relax and see briefly the sight. I was with my family on our way back home from a wonderful weekend here at central coastland. We decided to have lunch - brunch nearby and head out to Morro rock to revisit the place we came here years ago. I remember the girls enjoying the little clear sandy beach right in the side of the "rock" on a warm day. Although I was pretty disappointed they have closed the road towards that beach end but I understood why the local wants no vehicles inside that tiny road. To preserve some beauty. It was pretty windy and cold today. But the beauty is still there. read more

Morro Bay Rock is beautiful. The pictures at sunset are priceless. There's a pathway around the rock for a nice stroll. There's a beach nearby. We visited on the weekend and there were beautiful kites in the sky. Otters swim around nearby! There's free parking on the unpaved lots. read more

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This place was so neat. Lots of lil hermit crabs all over the place. Squirrels that want your snacks. And if you're lucky...you'll spot big crabs too. Didnt see any otters. Bummer. Parking was free and there are restrooms along the way. Please tread carefully along the shore. Let the hermit crabs have a chance at life. And don't let your obnoxious kids bag up the crabs. One girl had several in a bag that she was gonna take home and "eat" later..... Cant we just leave SOMETHING nice to enjoy? read more

People don't go to Morro Bay without a picture of the Rock, but did you know its history, it was the core of a old valcano. It was blow about 15 20 miles landing where it sits. For more history go to the embarcadero museum across from the state park and golf course read more

can you say sea otters? tons of them playing in the kelp beds coulda stayed all day to watch them frolick! read more

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Definitely a must see spot when driving along the coast. Stop for a few hours and walk the Morro Bay Rock Area where you will see sea otters and seals right in the bay. We saw pelicans and other birds as well. There are great places to eat and cute shops to browse. The beach right by Morro Rock is a great spot to see some surfers, too. My family enjoyed walking around the area for a few hours, and then we returned to our campsite at Morro Strand beach. read more

Nice view! I wouldn't come expecting to stay a long while; it's more of a pitstop location. You can drive right up to the rock and get some great pictures and there's tons of free parking all around. Out in the Bay surrounding the rock, there's some sea otters and seals to be spotted along with several ducks! read more

It's the best attraction near Pismo. You have a nice bay to have fun, eat, shop, boat, great views and walking area and you have ocean access. The food variety is actually far better than Avila and Pismo offers. It's much cleaner and more friendlier as well. read more

I really have to laugh at anyone who took the time to (poorly) review this spot from merely "driving by unimpressed"... seriously? Obviously if you're not one for nature or site-seeing or walks on beaches or monuments or wildlife or the ocean........than sure it's not impressive. But that's like giving a Mexican restaurant a bad review b/c you don't like tacos. I wish there was a rating system for the reviews too, so we could weed out the dumb ones. From afar, yes it's a big rock. When you're standing next to it, it's a HUGE motherf-ing rock! It's the inside remnants of some ancient sea volcano and that's completely awesome in my opinion! The beach is home to a crowd of chubby little sea squirrels that play on the rocks and sun themselves! Sea squirrels, really. I had no idea! If I was a kid I'd love this even more. Tons of little tide pools for poking sea snails and other random creepy sea life. Giant breaker rocks to climb around on. Fog. Ocean. Sun. Free. Really, what the heck are you people doing driving up the scenic CA coast if you don't like the scenery??? I'd totally recommend a stop if you're passing through! Go get some fudge or sea shells down the road a few minutes in the little beach town to top it off. read more

You have to see it in person to understand what majesty is. I come here any time I need to recharge. Dress warmly and come for sunset. I find it so inspiring, I've written a film that uses The Rock as a centerpiece. I've walked out to the end of the jetty many times. You're not supposed to. It's dangerous. People have died when a rogue wave smashed their skull against the rocks. I go anyway. I'll be back again. The Rock takes a town that could be on the coast of Maine and makes it Californian by imposing an extraordinary vista on an otherwise simple blue collar fishing town. It is simply a wonder. read more

Such a great place to visit. It was peaceful and beautiful. Love the atmosphere, even the people seem happier up North!

This place has a great attraction here, they are called Morro Rock Beach Squirrels. They are fearless, and they will follow you around while you are visiting the beach, and all they ask for in return is some food or crumbs for them to eat. What they do not warn you about, is if you do not feed them, they will run up and down your legs as you scream for your lives, and then once they get your attention the will search your car for that one McDonald's fries that is in between the seats. We actually had a great time, and discovered that this is a great place to have a picnic or just come and sit on the beach with the family, but maybe next time we will bring the family, as they did not visit us this last trip. We are looking forward when we can visit Morro Rock/Bay again. read more

This is our Rock of Gibralter. My family has been looking at this view, since the late 1800s. You cannot climb it anymore, but my mom and her father use to. At the very top it use to be a lookout tower for our military during WWII. Happy 4th BTW. Our Military use to watch for Japanese submarines. South of here our Coast was fired upon. The Goleta Historical Society placed a historic marker sign describing the attack at the beach below the Bacara Resort west of the Sand Piper golf course in 2002. Morro Bay Rock is great, because you can drive your car out to the Rock and experience probably the largest igneous inactive volcanic rock surrounded by water that you may ever get to see, and have a picnic. The Rock is the Northwesternmost of the 7 Sister Rocks. The Rock was formed through a subterranean volcanic erruption, causing the magma to rise above the earth's surface at the ocean floor. The magma was cooled by the ocean and over time, a lot of time arguably Morro Bay Rock grew into this stunning feature. At the base of the Rock is great surf if you are a surfer. The Professors surf with their students and we have a great academic culture of locals and visitors. Yes, I have seen Whales breach here! This is the place in April and May. Holly Campuzano CoastalSLO.Com read more

So pretty! Highly recommend the walk from embarcadero to the rock. The beach is an awesome place to fly kites with kids. read more

Morro Bay Rock - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

Exciting place to stop and see the rock...bring food for the chimpmunks...you might need a light jacket

We stopped here on our way down the coast. What a super cool spot. Just such a unique and impressive natural sight. It is not far out of the way, and in my opinion well worth the trip. read more

Morro Bay Rock - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

You HAVE to visit this rock if you are in the area. It is a magnificent sight, and we were lucky enough to see a huge family of otters just floating off the shore. They couldn't have been more than 30 feet out. The walk around the walk is scenic as well. At the end of the pathway, you will reach an area where numerous visitors have built hundreds of small rock towers. Taken together, it is quite a surreal experience, and is itself worth the visit. You should build your own rock tower as well! We sure did. There is also a relatively isolated beach area that you can enjoy. read more

Cool beach with lots of sand dollars and hermit crabs. Right next to a cool cove where you can watch a pod of sea otters swimming. Not a swimming beach. read more

This is a large rock on the edge of Morro Bay beach. You can't touch the rock as it is protected, but you can look for birds and other wildlife. The top part of the rock is usually covered in fog. read more

Morro Bay Rock - Rock - Beaches Near Me - Morro Bay, California

This is my favorite place away from home. If you have never been you need to come on down. Its a magical rock and fearies live in and around it. The beach is very nice and charming. Its usually very windy and has a lot of people. This is definitely a family place. Its a nice place to collect sea shells and sand dollars early in the morning. Some say that they like to observe the rock from far away I think not you have to view the beauty up close and personal to feel the magic in your heart. read more

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The hubby and I always stop at Morro Bay to hike the back trail beside the kayak rental and watch the pelicans and families of otters frolicking in the water. We usually spend a hole day here just enjoying nature, hiking, feeding the squirrels and soaking up some sun.....too much sun today, we both got a good sun burn. Go figure, it was foggy and overcast for most of the day but I guess the sun bouncing off the reflected water got us good! This is never more than a day trip so we always hit this spot on our way to Cambria. Must have been a good day for it - cause the place was packed! One great restaurant here is Windows on the Water. We may go back this week and do the Kayak or a boat trip.....if I can talk Mr. D into it! :) read more

I am not going to tell you about how it was (I have only been coming the the rock since 1970). I just know that the view of the rock is always inspiring. The birds are fantastic. The surf is lovely. The beach to the north is great for a stroll. The view of the breakwater on the south is nice all the time and FABULOUS when there is high surf. Come and enjoy. read more

While in Pismo my family and I decided to stop by Morro Bay to see the Bay rock upclose. It was beautiful. We parked just about as close as you can get. We went on a Wednesday and was absolutely perfect. It does get a bit chilly so it might be a good idea to keep a pullover somewhere close. Parking was a piece of cake , nature was live and in your face .Its great place to clear you head and was a lot cleaner than I would expect a beach to be . read more

Get off the 101 freeway at main street and then follow it all the way to the water. Make a right at the wharf and you will park right next to the rocks. There are SEA OTTERS here and a bunch of friendly squirrels that will come right up to you. It smells like bird poop. read more