The first time I slept on the beach was at San Simeon.
I was 17 and had hitchhiked from Colorado to California with a friend. Traveling up the California coast one evening, we asked the young guy who gave us a ride if he knew of a good place where we could camp.
He stopped the truck in the middle of nowhere. He said, “Walk through these trees to the beach. Camp there.”
The towering waves were quite impressive to a couple of mountain girls who had never walked a beach. The ocean was so LOUD! I turned to Judy and said “We’ll never get to sleep with all this noise.”
It was one of the best nights of sleep I ever had.I never forgot that night, but it was a very long time before I returned.
The first time I ever saw elephant seals was on TV. It was a National Geographic show about South Georgia Island near Antarctica. They were fascinating. Elephant seals can dive down as deep as a mile underwater and stay down for up to two hours. I thought they were some of the strangest, most exotic animals I had ever seen.
Imagine my surprise when I found out that I didn’t have to go all the way to the southern hemisphere to see these strange animals. That I could see them in California, just a few scant miles from where I’d first experienced the ocean!
I’ve been back to the Cambria/San Simeon area a few times in the last few years. It’s my favorite place on the central California Coast. Elephant seals are just the beginning.
You can find treasures on the beach. Moonstone Beach is famous for its moonstones, but what I really like are the wave-polished, colorful agates. I could sift through the pebbles here for hours.
Cambria is a lovely little town. My favorite place to stay here is the Bridge Street Inn, a sweet hostel/B&B just a block and a half off Main St. The rooms are lovely, there is a good kitchen available for guests, and the hosts are kind. I highly recommend it.
If the weather’s nice, though, I’ll be camping. San Simeon Campground is just an underpass away from the most incredible birdwatching beach. There’s a (barely) offshore island there that is part of the Piedras Blancas section of the California Coastal National Monument.
Pelicans, cormorants, whimbrels, sandpipers, egrets, herons, and vultures are only a few of the birds you can see here with just a short walk.
My main draw, though, remains the elephant seals. You can see them pretty much any time of year, but the best time of year to see them is in the winter, November through February. That’s when all the action – fighting, breeding and birthing – takes place. Viewing platforms are only a few feet from the seals – and the best part is – it’s free!
Have seen and loved them but as I recall you smell them long before LOL!!
This area holds a special place in my memory.. s road trip from western WA via routes 101 and 1. Loved every piece of scenery along that. Thanks for the reminder. Lovely article.
I have loved every bit of the scenery along the way this trip, too. Thanks!
Nice pictures, are you using a camera or a phone?
I’m sorry I missed your comment. I’m using a high end point and shoot, not an SLR but with a bit more range than a phone.