Such a peaceful place to go to watch the sea lions, otters, rabbits, birds.... Lovely wildlife all around. 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. read more

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Smells fishy. Lots of dead fish along the shore. Lots of boaters and kayakers when we stopped for lunch nearby. Busy, busy road here. Hwy 1 was almost bumper to bumper along this stretch. Patience, please! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Pretty area - Beaches Near Me

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Less crowded. Surrounded by Elkhorn Slough. Lot of birds to watch. Fun for kids to play on dunes and on the vast expanse of empty beach read more

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I love it here at Moss Landing, it's very peaceful and reminds me of growing up as a kiddo. Used to come out here a lot with my uncle who has passed, but coming out here reminds me of a use and hanging out with him. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

Always a five star review for this beach! It is an excellent place to see sea life. Otters, sea lions, harbor seals, pelicans, seagulls, and many others! Right out in front of this beach in the deep ocean is the underwater Grand Canyon of Monterey Bay. And during whale season you can see whales lunge feeding off the coast. I am so blessed to be able to drive 15/20 minutes and see these sights. Be careful entering this beach. Please drive slowly and carefully. I have gotten a mail in my tire once before parking here. The road is very sandy. Many families and surfers come here this drive slow!! Parking is free. Happy Yelping adventures to all! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Low tide. - Beaches Near Me

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It's always nice to come out to this beach when you want to clear your mind of everything going on in life. The chirping of the sea birds along with the calming sounds that the tides make as they meet the shore are simply relaxing. I also really like how you can encounter some friendly folks and dogs as you take a stroll around the beach. I usually like to check out the little tide pools that come up when the tides have receded far enough. You'll be able to see some starfish, sea anemone, and tons and tons of barnacles! However, you don't have to take my word for it! Make a visit and check it out yourself :) Tip: Try to plan your trip to this beach early, as the parking lot can fill up rather quick, especially during a weekend!! There are other areas where you can park, but it's gonna be a bit far from the beach itself as the lot already is off to the side. read more

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This beach is tucked away in between Watsonville and Salinas (more so Castroville) Near some AWESOME restaurants (if you know you know) People fish here There are sand dunes You can see seals and other wild life The views are awesome read more

For wildlife lovers, this is 10/10 must visit. There are so many sea otters, seas, and birds to see along 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. read more

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Arrived on a Saturday around noon and there were parking spots - either in this gravel section or along the fence. I walked along the rocks where people were fishing and immediately saw jellyfish swimming in the water. I also saw otters. It's not too crowded so it was a pleasant escape from the rest if bay area. I saw a couple portapotties but no other established restrooms. Next time I would reserve a time to kayak. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Jellyfish - Beaches Near Me

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Moss Landing is located in northern Monterey County. We visited in November 2023 for the first time and loved it! We stayed at the Moss Landing RV park, which is located next to the beach. We ate at The Haute Enchilada Art restaurant, which offered really delicious food. We visited a local farmer's market, an antique store, and the Shakespeare Society of America. Next to the rv park, there's a harbor with many sea lions. Great little gem! read more

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We haven't actually been to the beach here, but there's a really good place to view otters in the harbor. The last two times we were here there was a raft of 15-20 otters in the water. A few of them had come up on the beach below to nap, and they looked like furry sausages. Bring your binoculars! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - wandering onto land - Beaches Near Me

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This is such a beautiful little beach for letting the sand sneak between your toes and breathing in the salt air. You wont be barraged with a lot of tourists because this is off the beaten path and few people venture here. Great place to watch the sea otters eating their dinner by cracking it open with a rock. Such clever little creatures. Or you will Find some great fishing just off the rocks. Dress warm because it is always cool, and the water is like ice. read more

Depending on what you're looking for, this beach is either a five star or a one star. I will start with the five star review. This natural bird and sea life preserve is an incredible place for photography and nature viewing. You can see several protected and some endanger species. The opportunity to get up close viewing of California Sea Otters, see lions, pelicans and several other birds is incredible. Be sure to pack a lunch, as you will want to stay as long as possible. The beach and ocean entry area is a little bit hazardous and probably scary to people who have not spent much time in the ocean. It to you are looking for a sunny beach side resort to hang out in, this is your one star review. The parking is limited and very difficult. Be careful not to get stuck in the sand. If you're looking for a clean restroom go somewhere else, in this area only out houses are an option. The water is cold, the waves and surface are rough and riptides will kill you, it's frequently cold and very foggy weather brisk wind. But overall this is a excellent naturalists location! read more

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Review #002 - 2017 This beach is absolutely beautiful! For a few minutes, I almost made myself believed that I was back in Hawaii again... I actually drove by this beach twice in October 2016, but didn't get a chance to stop by because it was raining on both occasions. So, when my brother and nephew from Laos came to visit, I decided to bring them here to get some tourist shots to post on their Facebook accounts. I managed to get one of myself as well. We showed up around 1:30 PM on Friday, Dec. 30th, and it was so beautiful. Considering that it was wintertime, the weather was still nice and there were so many surfers around. I almost couldn't find a parking spot, but I was lucky enough that someone was leaving and we only needed to park for about 10 minutes just to snap a few pictures so we managed to park right at the entrance of the beach. Unfortunately, since I didn't really expect to stop at the beach, I had my boots on and it was quite a tough walk through the beautiful sand to get close to the water and capture the waves in the background. I'm glad I made the effort because our photos came out quite nicely. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Dec. 30, 2015: Beautiful color contrast of the sand, blue sky & white clouds... - Beaches Near Me

Lots to do kayak, swim (although I'm not sure it's permitted), and fish. I saw lots of small crabs beneath the dock located on the rocks covered in algae. There were tons of them just crawling around. Also as the kayakers are strolling the waters there was sea lions swimming beside them was a great view to see. Lots of bird species flying about the area and a nice little restaurant was located in the same parking lot that smelled amazing like fish and chips!!! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - kayakers - Beaches Near Me

Beautiful park and beach access. We saw over a dozen little otters the day we went. Also on clear days you can see whales. It was crazy awesome! They also have restrooms here so great place to stop and stretch you legs. The scenery is beautiful al around! This beach is super smooth not many rocks and would make a great photo opportunity! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

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Oh. My. God. Sea Otters. If I could just leave my review at that, I would. But I guess I should explain a little bit more. So my husband and I were in Monterey for a day. While doing some research before we left, he just so happened to find this place marked on the interwebs as "Secret Sea Otter Hideout." Or something like that, I don't have photographic memory so don't sue me if you can't find it. Anyways....he kept saying, "Well we don't need to go, it's probably no big deal. Only if we have time and I know we won't. Blah blah blah." All I heard was, "Secret Sea Otter Hangout." I tuned out the rest. There was nothing else I needed to hear. So while heading back to San Francisco, we made a quick stop at the park. We had no idea where we were going and when we should stop or where these sea otters would be, but all I kept thinking was "I'm going to see these Sea Otters, and their hideout will be a secret no more." We followed the path around the park, passing by what appeared to be locals getting ready for a day of watercraft-filled activities. We finally found a dirt lot and pulled in. I stepped out of the car, mouth agape - there was a mass of sea otters napping in the water right in front of us! About two dozen furballs of adorable just a few feet away causing my head to nearly explode from the cuteness overload. Ok, I know. I sound dramatic. I guess I should say that I'm a nature lover kinda gal and I could have spent the entire afternoon watching these sea otters hang out in the water. If you went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and thought to yourself that it wasn't very interesting, then this place should definitely be a skip on your itinerary. Reading other reviews, I'm apparently a dummy and this place has a gorgeous beach to see. Well, we missed that. We parked in a spot, stared at some sea otters, got a good look at lots of birds and some sea lions too, and left. We were pretty pressed for time, so maybe it's a good thing we didn't know about the beach. Otherwise, my friend in San Francisco would have been filing a report for a missing person. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Otters!! - Beaches Near Me

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What an amazing place. Located right near the Monterey Submarine Canyon and its plentiful fish, the site is a favorite with shoreline whale watchers. Parking is free and plentiful, and the beach is cool and windy -- the perfect NorCal beach experience. I brought a chair, a blanket and a sandwich and had a fantastic day watching the majestic whales offshore as they breached and glided by. AWESOME spot to spend your day. Yes you can go on a whale watching cruise nearby, and spend $35-50 for the up-close whale experience, which is of course wonderful. But honestly I had such a perfect time here on the beach for free. Stop by the Whole Enchilada for your snacking needs beforehand. read more

F*ck yeah, sea otters!!! I came here thinking I'll probably see a few otters, if any at all, but I saw a ton!! You can't get super-up close to them, there's a small cliff that separates you from the bay and where the otters hang out. But if you have a camera with zoom, you're sure to get some amazing photos. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

We came here today specifically for the sea otters. Turned on to Jetty rd and followed it all the way down until it ended at a small lot. To your left there is a small harbor and strip of sand with a rocky shoreline with tons of sea birds. Climb up on the rocks and look towards Highway 1. I saw about 5-6 otters floating on their backs-one was particularly close breaking a shell and eating his lunch. Recommended you bring binoculars-while they are relatively close, it was still amazing to get the zoomed in view of their furry faces. Nearby, across Highway 1, there appeared to be another viewing area that would be great for birding! We didn't do that today but will be back! We also saw lots of sea lions, pelicans and gulls. Overall well worth a stop before heading south to Monterey. Fortunately we had a little time to walk out on the beach and walk around for a bit. It seemed very clean and had soft lighter sand. It might be nice to sit out on a warmer day-no swimming though-warnings abound for the powerful surf on the beach side. Minus one star for the less than stellar view of the nearby power plant but overall a must visit if you'd like to see a not-so-crowded nature area. read more

My favorite beach in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area. My dad brought me here as child and I brought my son here when he was a toddler for his first beach experience. It's a quite and clean beach with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Center just down the way. During the season, you can see sea otters, dolphins and even whales from afar. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

This place is great for fishing! We (and when I say we, I mean other people I was with) caught some eel and fish. Fresh dinner! I did see a lot of sea otters here but unfortunately most of them were dead. There were otter and bird carcasses that washed up to shore. Bones covered the sand and it was just a very sad sight.It was like a graveyard which is why I didn't give it more stars. This beach is beautiful otherwise with plenty to do from kayaking to dining along the beach. read more

I love beaches! They are my favorite place to go when I need a break and recharge. Moss Landing is awesome. Free parking and a great place to watch some big waves, watch some wildlife (if you are lucky) and think about how small you really are and not to take life so seriously. read more

The best beach EVER! At least coming from a SoCal person that's used to crowded beaches. Heh. Of course, this time of the air and the water is waaaay chilly. But the big highlight...we let our dogs loose to run crazy up and down the beach. Yeehaw! They had a blast and nobody was bothered. Oops! Just saw a previous post - no dogs on beach. Doooh..... I guess we time it right. Just before sunset and no one around. Phew! P.S. I DID pick up after my pooches, so I don't feel too guilty. :-\ read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

Quiet nice beach. Seems like a spot for couples. Great location to watch otters. Saw a couple photographers seeing taking pictures of the otters. read more

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Dogs are NOT allowed on the beach itself. I love this beach. Understated, but wide open and not very many people. Great place to take the puppy for socialization over at the Sea Lions section At least I think the sea lion part of this is attached and considered as such? read more

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Could I LOVE this beach any more? Probably not! While touring Highway 1 and beyond, came across this GEM (my FAVORITE word!) LOVED IT! First thing I had to do was put my toes in the sand. Weather was unstable, raining a bit, but WHO cared! Due to work and coaching/volunteer schedule, we really can't take BIG trips (nor are we interested in doing so.) Day and weekend trips SEVERAL times a year suit us just fine. We LOVE it when we can get in a BUNCH of stops, and this beach just fit the bill. Loved the path to the beach itself, and the dune area that was lovingly protected by ropes. We are able to catch some surfers AND some otters on our day visit. This water can be pretty unforgiving, so we did heed the multiple signs that clearly indicated "Intermittent Waves." So, toes in sand and a stroll is what we did. Just sat and talked and talked about how AWESOME life is, and what a BEAUTIFUL beach we were enjoying it from! read more

Moss Landing State Beach - In my HAPPY place! - Beaches Near Me

If you want to view sea otters in their natural habitat then this is the place. We usually stop here on the way up to Big Sur and I am always happy that we made the stop. read more

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It's a beach. I didn't see anything particularly special about this beach that is set in front of the Moss Power Plant. It's not pretty and doesn't have anything special to offer. There are far more scenic views at beaches only a few miles south of it. One plus: you can see tons of seals bathing on the sand or feeding in the water. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

BEWARE: This review is a warning of the break-ins that happen there. Someone smashed our rear window and stole our stuff. Our bags were covered in the back too. The officer said it happens pretty often and there was broken glass nearby we saw later. I think they should have signs warning it's a theft hotspot. Hopefully this helps somebody. Do not park there if there's anything in your car you can't carry with you that you don't want taken. By the way the beach is beautiful. read more

There was no one here. (Glorious) Could see whales spraying and sea otters & sea lions swimming up to say hello everywhere. Looks really crappy from the parking area, oh it's not. Come here for the amazing views and fantastic opportunities to get close to animals that are otherwise pretty rare to see in such numbers and close proximity to the shore. If you're coming here looking for a five star bathroom maybe you should just stay home or go somewhere else. *WARNING* I really doubt it's very safe to swim here with all the animals around. (otters and lions are main food items for sharks) It's also right smack in the middle of the red triangle. I would never let a kid get into this water past waist deep personally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Triangle_(Pacific_Ocean) read more

Heading south on Highway One to visit Moss Landing is an iconic, timeless drive. As the road dips into valleys and rises up again along the marine terraces, the vegetation changes from tall trees to the pristine rows of kale and artichokes being farmed for the rest of us. Moss Landing is recognized by the two tall towers of the power plant (a natural gas-powered electricity generator), but take a right before the main visitors section, drive to the end of the lot, and you'll find a beautiful, long and wide sandy beach just on the other side of the dunes. It feels raw and natural, while the distant mountains on either side of the bay look like paintings. There's not much here in terms of amenities; if there was more than just a single port-a-potty, I could see it becoming a popular beach hang-out. We were here to see a pod of whales feeding off anchovies -- something that happens about once every five years. They could be in this area for a few weeks and I'm hoping to get back out there to take photos with a real zoom lens. But even without a camera, it's amazing to see so many whales spouting and jumping nearly 100 yards out from the harbor. If you love whales, this is the time to check them out! And if you really love them -- although I don't like how close the boats come to them -- there are plenty of whale-watching tours from Moss Landing. read more

Ideal place to see sea lions and sea otters throughout the year! One of my colleagues recommended taking a day trip to Moss Landing and we came here on a warm Sunday afternoon to stroll around in the beach and watch the sea otters. Lovely to watch their activities! Plenty of free parking nearby. I highly recommend bringing your binoculars because it is pretty cool to watch the things that the otters do! Just nearby is a place where you can also watch lots of sea lions within a very close proximity. The sea lions bark so much that your ears get deafened. But kinda cool to see them become territorial with other sea lions and plunging into the waters! read more

This is a great beach to view sunsets. Its proximity to Phil's is also a plus. It's right off the freeway and parking is free. read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Beaches Near Me

Sea otters are probably one of my favorite animals and this is the one place where you get to see them congregate in their natural habitat. Depending on where they are you can see them pretty up close too! I mean how do you not get excited by those adorable little faces rolling around in the water?! I think you can see other wildlife like seals and birds but my main focus was on my otter friends. The only downside to this place is that there are kayakers in the water too and if they get too close (which they often do) they will scare away the otters. Like someone mentioned in a review before me DONT BE THAT KAYAKER! Don't ruin the moment for everyone else just so you can "get a closer look." read more

Moss Landing State Beach - Sea otters! - Beaches Near Me

Great beach for sea otter and sea lion sight seeing! The first half is mainly the beach. As you get closer to the dock area, there are rocks along the shores where you can find people sight seeing or fisherman fishing. Unfortunately, a dead sea otter and bird were found amongst the rocks when my boyfriend and I were exploring the rocks... The second half of the beach by the docks and shore, which is a further drive down. Is where the sea lions and sea otters like to sunbath and take their naps. The sea otters can also be found eating meals while floating on their backs. However, it is not permitted to go anywhere near them, so a cliff with ropes and parking was created to establish the boundary between humans and the animals. There are kayakers and boats that go in and out constantly here, its so scary knowing that the big boats just go right through these animals without care... Sea otters are an endangered species ): A lot of seagulls and pelicans as well. A really peaceful beach for sight seeing, don't expect any places to BBQ though. Mainly just to walk around and play in the water or chill in the sand, or else you come for the view of the sea otters and sea lions! read more

The Best place to stop and enjoy Sea Otters and Seal Lions... tons of people fish here and very quiet beach just to relax. Great parking . read more

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Glorious looking beach! Empty! Only a few surfers. Ok is still January, but the day was sunny, so was expecting more people visiting like me, but just a few and since the sand area is so vast, you don't even have to bother waving hellos to fellow unknown people. I did not see any marine animals other than good looking surfers venturing the waters, whatever was peaceful and instead of Moss Landing should be called Mars Landing as you will feel you land in another planet...bring a picnic and enjoy the waves and the breeze. read more

Nice, quiet, and relaxing spot to spot seals and sea otters. Parking is limited, there's no public restrooms, but due to how little tourists seem to be interested in this place, it's pretty clean. read more

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This is a great place to look at the sea otters. they are guaranteed to be there, abut 25 of them. Laying in water or frolicking. This place is well known for their whale watching from the beach and for bird watching. There is a restaurant at east side of the bay, After your otter watch or whatever, you might want to go to the Sea Harest Fish Market & Restaurant. They serve top quality sea food at a $$ pricing. No kidding. It is also the only restaurant which has a good view of sea otters, many birds, many many. I know my sea food, I am sure you'll love it. Bring your binoculars and telescopes. read more