Elkhorn Slough & Moss Landing

Playful Otters, barking sea lions, and graceful egrets are only a few of the amazing wildlife you may see at Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing.  The area is also home to a plethora of good restaurants, art galleries, and shops.  You can also enjoy a variety of outdoor activities here, including fishing, surfing, beach combing, sea kayaking, whale watching, walking trails and even hydro biking.

HISTORY

Located between Monterey and Santa Cruz, Moss Landing is located where the Elkhorn Slough creates an estuary as it flows into Monterey Bay. Moss Landing is named for Charles Moss, a ship captain from Texas who built a wharf here in the mid-1800s.   The area was once a very busy whaling and fishing port and the site of many fish processing plants and canneries.  Today, Moss Landing Harbor is home to hundreds of fishing, pleasure, research and tour boats.  Commercial boats bring in Dungeness crab, halibut, salmon, albacore, sardines, squid, mackerel, prawns, and more.  Fresh seafood can be purchased off the boats and in the local restaurants.

BUILDINGS AND RESTAURANTS

Notable buildings in Moss Landing include the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories operated by California State University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the Moss Landing Power Plant.  Some of the amazing restaurants in the area include Moss Landing Cafe, The Whole Enchilada, Haute Enchilada, Lighthouse Harbor Grille, Pacific Grill, Lemongrass Seafood, Sea Harvest and Phil’s Fish Market.  Lines form daily at Phil’s for the cioppino, one of the restaurant’s most famous dishes.  For more information on local eateries in Moss Landing, see Restaurants.

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Moss Landing offers many fun activities and events including dancing, music, and wine and other tastings at both the Haute Enchilada and the Whole Enchilada.  The Elkhorn Yacht Club also hosts a multitude of fun events including a crab feed in February as well as seasonal parties and races.  There are also open studio art tours in September and October featuring local artists.   One of the most popular summer events in the area is the annual Moss Landing Antique Street Fair.  It is usually held the last Sunday in July and brings hundreds of vendors and shoppers together for a day of fun.  Other activities in the area include the May opener for rock cod fishing, blessing the fleet May 1, open house at the Marine Labs every spring, and a Nautical Flea Market in May.  For more information on events in the area, see Moss Landing.

WILDLIFE

Elkhorn Slough is one of the largest wetlands in California.  It began as a salt marsh and efforts are being made to help restore this habitat.    It is considered one of the top ten best birding spots in the country, according to Audubon.  More than 350 bird species migrate through Elkhorn Slough each year.  It is a nesting place for Western Snowy Plover in spring and summer.  In fall and winter, the wetland provides habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds.  My favorites are the snowy egrets and the endangered brown pelicans.

 

Moss Landing offers wonderful opportunities to view resident sea otters.  You can see rafts of sea otters swimming here, sometimes holding hands.  A raft refers to a group of sea otters in the water.   A group can also be called a family, romp, lodge, and bevy.  Whatever they are called, who doesn’t love those faces?  Too much cuteness!

I hope you are able to visit Moss Landing and enjoy its beauty.  Thank you for visiting my blog!  Wishing you peace, love, happiness, and beautiful vistas.