Los Osos

Baywood-Los Osos, California, United States

Bird watching is a highlight of any visit to Sweet Springs. The preserve lies along the Pacific Flyway, a superhighway for at least one billion birds that migrate between Alaska and Patagonia.

Los Osos

Baywood-Los Osos, California, United States

With several miles of coastline, including plenty of bays and channels composed of craggy terrain, Los Osos is an area perfect for tide pools. Nowhere is that more evident than in Montana de Oro State Park, an 8,000-acre natural playground on Los Osos’s west side. Here, limpets, crabs, anemones, sea stars, urchins and more make their home in the shallow intertidal zone.

400 S Dolliver St
Pismo Beach, CA

Monarch Butterfly Groves in Los Osos Home to two Monarch butterfly groves, Los Osos offers the sort of habitat Monarchs prefer: a temperate coastal climate and access to nectar. Monarch Grove Natural Area in Los Osos With eighteen acres at the end of Monarch Lane in Los Osos, the Monarch Grove Natural Area offers plenty of habitat to explore. With the help of a retired Cal Poly biology professor, this Monarch butterfly lookout continues to provide a welcome home to visiting Monarchs. The Monarch Grove Natural Area can be found in the Monarch Grove Homes development, just off Pecho Valley Road in Los Osos. From Los Osos Valley Road, turn right on Monarch Lane, just where the road forks left toward Montaña de Oro State Park. Turn right on Del Norte to the Sea Pines Golf Course. Park at the golf course and follow signs to the Monarch Grove Natural Area. Sea Pines Golf Course Not far from the Monarch Grove Natural Area, you’ll find Sea Pines Golf Resort. Home to a nine-hole executive golf course and disc golf course, Sea Pines is the only hotel on the Central Coast located directly on a golf course. Enjoy the driving range, practice area and great dining options, all backdropped by views of seaside dunes and wildlife. Located directly adjacent to both the Morro Bay Estuary and Sandspit Beach, you’ll find that there’s always more coastal magic to explore. Tucked away in the southern coast of Morro Bay, the 2,300-acre protected estuary spans Morro Bay to Los Osos and is home to more than 250 species of land, sea and shore birds (including rare and endangered species). Rent a kayak and paddle through the enchanting back bay waters or enjoy a picnic lunch on Sandspit Beach. You can also hike a scenic nature trail meandering from the Monarch Grove Natural Area to the beach. Whichever route you choose, you’re sure to make the very most of your wildlife viewing experience along Highway 1.

Morro Bay

Morro Bay, California, United States

Find sea otters mostly in protected bays and coves, among the kelp seaweed that sways just offshore. The Morro Bay inlet is one such habitat, especially visible along the Embarcadero and in the Estuary. Also try otter spotting from piers in Baywood, Avila Beach (Harford Pier), and W.R. Hearst Memorial Beach in San Simeon. Or hike along the Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro State Park, the Boucher Trail in San Simeon, or Estero Bluffs in Cayucos. Each of these trails winds past prime sea otter viewing spots, as does the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk in Cambria, as well.

Los Osos

Baywood-Los Osos, California, United States

Los Osos-Baywood Park Whale Watching Make a day of exploring majestic Montaña de Oro State Park in Los Osos-Baywood Park, and include whale watching in your fun. How to get to Montaña de Oro Drive south on Highway 1 and take exit 277 toward Los Osos/Baywood Park. Turn right onto South Bay Boulevard and again, right on Los Osos Valley Road. This becomes Pecho Valley Road, which enters Montaña de Oro State Park. The Whale Trail sign stands at the south end of the park, north of Corrallina Cove. Reach the sign 1.65 miles into the Bluff Trail (trailhead near Spooner’s Cove).