Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing – Watchable Wildlife Treasure

I spent a month this winter in Monterey, California. There were a lot of reasons I wanted to explore this part of the central California coast.  I wanted to watch wild waves in winter storms. I wanted to search for sea stars in slippery tidal pools. I wanted to hike skinny trails overlooking precipitous cliffs and crashing surf.  I  wanted to spend quality time getting to know a different environment, one I’d  had little opportunity to experience.  I wanted to commune with the coast.

I did all those things. I also found another special place, an unexpected treasure.

Elkhorn Slough

Did you ever know someone who was quiet and unassuming, easy to overlook, but pure gold when you got to know them? Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing are like that. They’re easily overshadowed by the flashier natural attractions nearby. This region to the north of Monterey doesn’t have the dramatic scenery of Big Sur or Point Lobos. It’s not a place where you can stop at a viewpoint, take an Instagram selfie, and say you’ve been there. You need to take your time here. Its power is more subtle.

 

Elkhorn Slough is a mosaic of private and public land united in the effort to protect the estuary and restore it to a pristine environment. The Nature Conservancy recognized that this could be one of the last great places and got the ball rolling. The lands are now managed by the non-profit Elkhorn Slough Foundation. The waters within the slough are managed by the state. It is a State Marine Reserve and Conservation Area and a National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Elkhorn Slough is the second largest freshwater estuary in the state of California. surpassed in size only by San Francisco Bay. You might be beginning to understand why I consider this place a national treasure.

This is where the sea otters hang out. Elkhorn Slough hosts California’s largest concentration of sea otters. That’s right, those adorable, ultra-cute, playful little critters that melt everybody’s heart. Sea otters.

Theirs is another great comeback story. Sea otters used to range from Baja California to Alaska. They were hunted to the brink of extinction for their fur, the thickest, most luxurious fur in the world. The southern population came especially close to extinction. By 1938, only about 50 survived, living in remote waters off Big Sur.

There are nearly 3,000 sea otters in California now. They play a vital role in maintaining a healthy coastal ecosystem. They keep the kelp forests alive by eating sea urchins. The urchins’ population has exploded because their main predator, starfish,  has declined catastrophically  due to sea star wasting disease.  Sea urchins are decimating the kelp forests along most of the Pacific Coast, but Monterey Bay’s kelp forests are surviving due to the otters.

Sea otters alone are a good reason to visit Elkhorn Slough. But there’s more. Elkhorn Slough is also a birder’s delight. It provides habitat for nearly 350 different species of birds. Wading birds rule here. There are ducks galore and dozens of different kinds of shorebirds. Raptors to hunt them all. Songbirds, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, the list goes on and on.

You would think a place like this would be overrun with visitors, but it’s not. If it had National Park or State Park after its name it would be, but there’s protection in anonymity. I visited on a Saturday and was the only participant on the ranger-led nature walk.

The best way to visit Elkhorn Slough is by kayak. Although, of course, you need to give the animals their space, you can really immerse yourself in their environment when you’re on the water.

If you are visiting by land, be aware of the tides when you come. If it’s high tide, that’s the time to see the otters. Elkhorn Slough at high tide is an especially good place to see momma sea otters with their babies. If there is a king tide, though, you may not be able to reach the best blind for the sea otters. Pay attention to the tide table and the weather!

Low tide is best for bird watchers. It was low tide when I visited. The birds were fantastic, but I was a little disappointed that I’d missed the sea otters. The ranger empathized and let me in on another little known wildlife watching hot spot.

Moss Landing

Moss Landing State Beach and State Wildlife area is home to a bachelor gang of sea otters. Yup, hanging out with the boys is something sea otter males do. You can find them there practically any time. They are very entertaining to watch. They have a few different games they like to play. One is wrestling, and then there are a couple they play solo; endless somersaults and continuous barrelrolling. Their favorite activity, though, seems to be napping.

Moss Landing State Beach is another great birdwatching location, especially at low tide.

Walk over the dunes to the actual beach, and that’s where the surfers go. You can watch another kind of wild life there!

Moss Landing State Beach is easy to overlook. If you wait for the sign, you’ll miss it, and it’s a busy two-lane highway. It’s hard to turn around, as the traffic is often nearly bumper to bumper. If you’re coming from Monterey, look for the sign that says “Jetty Road” after you pass by the tiny village of Moss Landing.

In the town of Moss Landing, there is yet another great wildlife watching opportunity. Salinas River State Beach and Wildlife Area is at the end of the road.

If you’re in the Monterey area, take a day off from the flashier destinations and head north to Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing. You’ll be glad you did!