If you happen to be driving along Highway 1 in California or end up in the San Simeon area whether to visit Hearst Castle, or just simply driving by to get to one of the towns along the coast there is a Elephant seal viewing area which is free to visit. While the Elephant seals may not be on the beach the entire year, it is worth stopping to check especially if it is during breeding/birthing season. We were lucky & visited during the winter which is one of the times they can be found.
There is actually a pretty decent sized parking area that is easy to access & everything is marked clearly. When were arrived there were two state park workers who had a table set up, answering questions and talking about Elephant seals. You won't be able to go down on the beach next to the Elephant seals of course, for their protection and yours, but you'll still be able to see them fairly close.
In three separate spots you can see the Elephant seals just over the railing lined up along the beach. When we stopped by a few of them were quite loud, a few were fighting and many were sleeping. There were even some sleeping babies which was adorable to see! The weather was perfect on the day we visited, so we had some great views. It was well worth the stop.
Not far from the main Elephant viewing area is the Friends of the Elephant seal visitor center which offers a boardwalk and more viewing spots, along with a souvenir shop. The visitor center is located at 250 San Simeon Ave Suite 5A San Simeon, California 93452 and the viewing area we visited is just south of that right off of the highway.
If you are planning a trip to California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. You can also click the "Things to do in California" link located on the right hand side of my blog/in this post.
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