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Top Wildlife Spots on the California Coast
(and a bit inland!)
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends some of the top wildlife spots along the California coast.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
The Pacific Coast Highway is excellent for wildlife watching, with everything from whales, seals and sea lions to... zebra! Zebra? Yes, there's a herd of zebra at Hearst Castle which can be quite a surprise if you happen to spot them.
You can see plenty if you simply drive the highway, but you'll see even more if you're prepared to venture inland a little, or get out onto the ocean on a whale watching cruise. You'll see more than just whales, although as always with wildlife there are no guarantees.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
In addition to finding great spots where you can see wildlife actually in the wild, there are plenty of good places where you can see wildlife in captivity, often being cared for after injuries. If you ad in major places like the San Diego Zoo, the Pacific Coast Highway is a great drive for lovers of wildlife.
Our Pick of the California Guides
Here are some of the top spots for wildlife viewing:
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
We knew nothing about this place that's just north of Huntington Beach, but we had time to spare so we stopped to find out more. What a total delight it is. It's hard to believe you're just a few miles from Long Beach when you're walking around the sand dunes watching the seabirds and seeing hawks in the sky. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Bolsa-Chica-ER
Dana Point
Dana Point is the place where the Pacific Coast Highway officially starts (or ends) and it's noted for its Festival of Whales, so definitely a good place for whale watching. See our Dana Point page.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
Marine Mammal Care Center
In San Pedro to the west of Long Beach, this center cares for and rehabilitates distressed marine creatures. These include the many sea lion pups who get lost, hungry or disoriented while they wait onshore for their mothers, who have to go out a long way to sea in search of food.
Sometimes the mothers meet with accidents, leaving no-one to care for the pups. You'll probably also see elephant seal pups here too.
Monarch Butterfly Grove
Right off the highway by Pismo State Beach to the south of Pismo Beach town, this grove of eucalyptus trees is where you'll see thousands of monarch butterflies each year. They come for the mild climate from about late October to late February/early March In the last few years there have been anything from 25,000-35,000 butterflies there, although there are sometimes boom years when over 100,000 will show up. They have a great website too: http://www.monarchbutterfly.org
Monterey
As well as its fabulous aquarium (a must-see), head to Old Fisherman's Wharf to watch the sea lions around there.
Morro Bay
This is another of our favorite wildlife spots along the whole California coast, and it's a great little town too! Walk or drive from Morro Bay out to the big rock around the bay and you're sure to see sea otters swimming around in the water. They're fascinating to watch, feeding themselves or wrapping themselves in seaweed. There are lots of cheeky ground squirrels too, and peregrine falcons nest on the rock.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is also a good place from which to take a whale watching cruise.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center
This place inland from Laguna Beach (https://www.pacificmmc.org/) cares for any orphaned or injured sea lions found anywhere along the Orange County coast, and do an amazing job, also looking after seals and elephant seals too.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals
One of our favorite places along the entire California coast is this beach near Hearst Castle and San Simeon. We stop every time we drive by, and always stay far longer than we intend to. See our separate page here.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
Point Lobos State Reserve
We were staying in Monterey one time when someone told us we had to take a walk around the Point Lobos State Reserve, south of Carmel. We're so glad we did, and you can read why here.
Photo (c) Donna Dailey
Whale Watching
This top experience deserves a page to itself, of course, where you'll also find links to our accounts of the whale watching cruises we've done. Click here.
Wildlife Learning Center
In Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley of northern Los Angeles is the Wildlife Learning Center. This wonderful zoological park cares for abandoned, rescued, displaced, and zoo-born animals, with a view to educating visitors about their behavior.
There are over 100 creatures there including foxes, lynx, a blind screech owl called Zeus (watch the video), and a sloth called Lola who's appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show with Kristen Bell.
Other Wildlife pages
Best Time to Visit Mendocino
PCH Travel picks the best time to visit Mendocino, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals Beach
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals Beach is near Hearst Castle, San Simeon and Cambria and is one of the best things to do when driving the Pacific Coast Highway.
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a small city on the Pacific coast of southern California, right on the Pacific Coast Highway and noted for its beaches and surfing.
San Simeon
San Simeon is a tiny town of a few hundred people close to Hearst Castle on the California coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Lighthouse Inn at Point Cabrillo
The Lighthouse Inn at Point Cabrillo is a romantic, historic guesthouse on the Mendocino California coast, on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Santa Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, or Catalina Island, is off the shore of Southern California and reachable from Long Beach, San Pedro, Newport Beach, and Dana Point.
Encinitas
Encinitas is a beach city in Southern California, famous for surfing, and regularly chosen as one of the best places to live in both California and the USA.
Santa Barbara
Standing on the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Santa Barbara is an attractive resort with a historic downtown, sandy beaches, a mission, and good museums.
La Jolla, in southern California
La Jolla in southern California is north of San Diego off the Pacific Coast Highway and has museums, restaurants, hotels, beaches, and the Birch Aquarium.
Monterey, on the Pacific Coast Highway in California
Monterey in California is off the Pacific Coast Highway and home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Monterey State Historic Park.
La Jolla Aquarium
The La Jolla Aquarium, officially known as the Birch Aquarium at Scripps overlooks the Pacific Ocean, with sea creatures from seahorses to sharks.
Point Reyes National Seashore
The Point Reyes National Seashore is an hour’s drive northwest of San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway and is maintained by the National Park Service.
Best Beaches in California
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's list of the best beaches in California with beaches in Santa Monica, Big Sur, Malibu, Carmel, Cambria, La Jolla and Coronado.
Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey, with photos
A walk around the Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey and Carmel provides lots of photo opportunities, especially of the Harbor Seal Birthing Area.
Morro Bay
Morro Bay is a delightful small town on the California coast roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and noted for the huge Morro Rock.
Dana Point
Dana Point in California is the official start or end of the Pacific Coast Highway, and its attractions include whale watching, and Doheny State Beach.
Whale Watching from the San Diego Shoreline
Whale watching trips and tours in San Diego are one of the California city's best activities but you can watch the whales from the San Diego shoreline too.
Santa Barbara Whale Watching
Santa Barbara whale watching cruises in southern California can be booked through Condor Express, with whale watching trips leaving from the harbor.
Vagabond's House Inn
Historic and romantic Vagabond's House Inn Bed and Breakfast in Carmel is a great place to stay with free wine and cheese and generous breakfast.
Stanford Inn by the Sea Mendocino
The Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino on the California coast is an eco-resort with yoga classes and the award-winning Ravens Restaurant.
Northern Elephant Seals
Pacific Coast Highway Travel tells you what you need to know about California’s Northern Elephant Seals, and where to go to see them in their natural habitat.
Laguna Beach
The Pacific Coast Highway goes right through Laguna Beach, a relaxed artsy beach resort whose attractions include shopping, galleries, dining, and beaches.
San Diego Whale Watching
San Diego whale watching tours like this from Hornblower Cruises let visitors get up close to see gray whales, dolphins, sea lions and other wildlife.
Visiting Hearst Castle
This Visiting Hearst Castle page gives all the practicalities including location, types of tour, length of tours, how long to allow, and much more information.
Carlsbad
Carlsbad is a beach city north of San Diego in southern California famous for its flower fields, LEGOLAND resort and water park, surfing and SEA LIFE Aquarium.
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Recent Articles
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‘Zero tolerance' for speeding along PCH in Malibu even for Oscar winners like Sean Penn
Sep 13, 25 04:56 AM
When it comes to reckless driving, authorities may not care even if the driver is a two-time Oscar winner like Sean Penn. The actor in the upcoming film “One Battle After Another” was cited for speedi… -
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