Where to see otters in California? This is the question I hear very often as a travel blogger. There are a lot of coast animals in California that are very easy to spot but sea otter is one of the most beloved. Otters are cute, playful and just absolutely adorable – no wonder people love them. In this article I will tell you about all the best spots where to see otters in California as well as other cool coast animals.
In this article I am going to cover California coast from Point Reyes to Morro Bay for an easy one day adventure from San Francisco Bay Area. I am not going to cover Southern California or Northern coast of the State in this post.
Where to see otters in California
There are three best locations to see otters in California: Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay within the limits of the town of Monterrey and Morro Bay.
Elkhorn Slough is located between Santa Cruz and Monterey. To see otters in California’s Elkhorn Slough you need to go either on a boat tour or a kayaking adventure into the Slough which is a National Estuarine Research Reserve. Lots of otters live in the Slough and you are guaranteed to encounter some but it is the most expensive way to see otters in California because you will have to pay for a tour or kayak rentals unless you have your own kayak.
That said, visiting Elkhorn Slough is an unforgettable adventure because in addition to otters it is home to over 700 species, including aquatic mammals, birds, fish, etc.
Here is a detailed guide for kayaking Elkhorn Slough.
You can also enjoy seeing otters from the comfort of your home through a couple live webcams located in Elkhorn Slough.
The second place to see otters in California is Monterey Bay. Some people rent kayaks in the town of Monterey and paddle along the shores of the bay but often you can see otters from the shore as they love to come into the marina as well as hang out near Hopkins Marine Station. If you are watching otters from shore it is absolutely FREE of charge.
You can also stop by Monterey Bay Aquarium which has a great sea otter exhibit (incidentally with a live webcam too) but I personally love seeing these wonderful creates in the wild.
For a detailed weekend itinerary for Monterey Bay check out my article Monterey Family Vacation.
Morro Bay is my most favorite place to see otters in California because there are so many of them there and they are very predictable. You are almost guaranteed to see them in the mornings near Morro Rock. And there is no expense involved since otters can be easily observed from shore.
For a detailed weekend itinerary to San Luis Obispo County where Morro Bay is located, check out my article Things to Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo.
Where to see elephant seals in California
As with sea otters, there are 3 perfect places to see elephant seals in California: Point Reyes National Seashore, Año Nuevo State Park and Friends of Elephant Seal Visitor Center in San Simeon.
In Point Reyes you can typically see elephant seals in winter. We saw them on Drakes Beach and other locations where you are taken on a shuttle (you are not allowed to drive in certain portions of Point Reyes in winter because of the crowding caused by visitors coming to see elephant seals). Parking at Drake’s Beach is FREE but you need to pay for the shuttle that leaves from the aforesaid beach.
I love this specific location to see elephant seals in California because you don’t need to hike far to get to the viewing spots, they are right there at the shuttle stops so it is very convenient with small kids.
Año Nuevo State Park is famous specifically for elephant seals. About 10,000 of these animals come here every winter. There is an entrance fee to the Park and then you can hike yourself to see elephant seals or you can partake in a guided walk (also for a fee). The hike is 3-4 miles long which might not be good for small kids. This Park also has a live webcam.
Friends of Elephant Seal Visitor Center is located in San Simeon right on the beach which is frequented by elephant seals. It is FREE to see these cool animals here. San Simeon is located in close proximity to Morro Bay so it would make a nice trip to see both sea otters and elephant seals (my detailed itinerary is listed above in “Where to see otters in California” section)
Where to see sea lions in California
It is rather unusual but you don’t have to go to a state park to see sea lions in California. Two of the best places to see sea lions in California are actually located in densely populated urban areas: San Francisco and Monterey.
In San Francisco sea lions became permanent residents at Pier 39. You can see sea lions at this Pier any day, any time of the year. For other cool things to do near Pier 39, to make it a great 1 day San Francisco outing, check out my article Unique Things to Do in San Francisco with Family: Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.
In Monterey you can see sea lions year round. Popular spots include docks around Fisherman’s Wharf and the Coastguard jetty. See my suggested Monterey weekend itinerary in “Where to see otters in California” section above.
You can also see an occasional sea lion from the Pacifica Municipal Pier when it is swimming in the ocean and trying to outsmart the local fisherman with their catch. 🙂
One other place where you may spot sea lions is Point Lobos State Park. They do visit the area but their sightings are not guaranteed the way it is in San Francisco or Monterey,
Where to see harbor seals in California
The best place to see harbor seals along California’s North-Central coast is in Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. Harbor seals live in the Reserve pretty much all year round and it is easy to spot them on the beach or on the rocks right off the coast. Visiting Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is FREE of charge.
The second location to see harbor seals in California is Point Lobos State Park. The pupping season is April-May and mating season is June through August. There is a per vehicle fee to enter the park.
Where to see whales in California
There are 2 types of whales that can easily be spotted along the California coast: grey whales and killer whales.
Grey whales migrate along the coast between the months of December and March. There are several spots that are presumably good for whale watching but these are not the places where we spotted whales. You may call it bad luck but I cannot recommend a place where I personally never saw a whale even though it is officially listed as one of the top spots. I will only tell you where we do see grey whales without fail every year.
Our most favorite place is Pacifica. We typically see grey whales from the bluffs around town. It is FREE to park there and FREE to observe – what’s not to like? To learn more about other attractions in town, please, check out my article describing in details all the great things to do in Pacifica, California.
The other great way to see whales in California is to take whale watch tour. Tour boats come very close to whales and there is a high chance for an epic encounter. When we went on a whale watch tour we could smell the whales breath, that’s how close we were!
There are several companies offering whale watch tour in Monterey Bay. It is a fantastic opportunity to see whales. That said, it is one of the most challenging. It is typically a 4 hour tour that is not cheap and you may be severely affected by sea sickness. If you are prone to motion sickness you need to be well prepared with remedies or else it could become very miserable 4 hours.
Killer whales typically show up in summer in the areas close to San Francisco and Monterey Bay where they come to feed. There are not as many killer whales in California as, say, in Washington State or Alaska but you can see some. As luck would have it, the places that we saw killer whales are the same that we saw grey whales – Pacifica and Monterey Bay. Whale watch tours run throughout the year, except that at different times of the year you will see different whales in California.
Where to see dolphins in California
We only saw dolphins twice in Northern/Central California. Monterey Bay is definitely the best place to see them Generally, Monterey Bay is such a great spot to see California marine animals because it has rich feeding grounds and lots of ocean inhabitants come here to feed. We saw lots of dolphins on the above mentioned whale watch tour.
The other time we saw dolphins in California was in Big Sur. The coastal waters in Big Sur are so clear that we saw dolphins in the water while we were standing on top of a high cliff looking down. Potentially you can also see otters and grey whales here as well.
To learn more about things you can see and do in Big Sur, please, check out my detailed Big Sur itinerary.
Are you interested in smaller California coast animals?
If you are interested in smaller California coastal animals then you definitely need to visit California tide pools. Here you can find sea stars, sea urchins, anemone, sea cucumbers, crabs and even and occasional octopus.
Our most favorite tide pools are in Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and in Santa Cruz. In Fitzgerald Marine Reserve you can either explore tide pools on your own or book a guided tour. In Santa Cruz you can only explore on your own, just along the beach front in town or at Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is FREE to visit but you do have to pay for entrance at Natural Bridges.
The best times to explore California tide pools is during King Tides, when the tides in are the highest but then the tides out are the lowest. I have a detailed article that talks about Santa Cruz tide pools in town and King Tides: Scenic CA-1 Family Road Trip Itinerary and California King Tides
Good tide pools are also located at Point Lobos State Park but it is a longer drive from San Francisco Bay Area compared to the aforesaid tidepools areas and there is a per vehicle entrance fee.
For tides information for any location along the California coast, please, consult this tide prediction website.
Where to stay in San Francisco
Booking.comIf you found this information about where to see otters in California as well as other coast animals useful, please, share it with others because there is a high chance it will help them plan their road trip too.
To stay up-dated on all the news and get access to cool videos and photos, please, subscribe to my social channels.
