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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.
A lone fisherman on Moss Landing Beach during the King Tides. The extreme low tides pose prime conditions for fishing. 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.
The Sea Goddess is one of several whale watching tour ships in the area. 
Moss Landing Harbor is home to the Monterey Submarine Canyon, a mile-deep chasm filled with a variety of sea life, including whales! 
The twin towers of the power plant can be seen for miles. 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.
The main drag in Moss Landing has many quaint, historic buildings and shops. 
Moss Landing is a great place to bike and enjoy the quiet fishing village. 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!
Moss Landing is also one of the best places to spot whales up close! 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.
Nothing is more fun than playing in the sea foam when the tide is low. It reminds me of when my Mom used to pour Mr. Bubble in the bathwater and the bubbles got higher and higher in the tub! Good times 🙂 -
Pebble Beach & 17-Mile Drive’s Beautiful Vistas
Pebble Beach is well known for its golf courses and mansions, but it is also home to some fabulous beaches and exquisite ocean vistas. Both rugged and romantic, this area is sure to captivate you. Bird Rock, Fanshell, Moss, Seal Rock, Spanish Bay, and Stillwater Cove are some of the beautiful public beaches you may see when you enter 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. Spanish Bay Beach
I advise entering 17-Mile Drive at the Pacific Grove gate on Sunset and starting at Spanish Bay Beach, the northernmost beach in Pebble Beach. It lies at the bottom end of Asilomar State Beach. It has a wide, sweeping beach flanked by sand dunes and the Spanish Bay golf course. It is named after Spanish explorers who camped here in the 1700s during their search for Monterey Bay. A wooden boardwalk takes you north to Asilomar and south to Moss Beach. Surfing is big here, but wading and swimming are not recommended due to strong rip currents.
China Rock was initially the site of a Chinese fishing settlement in the 1800s. The Restless Sea, Point Joe & China Rock
After visiting Spanish Bay Beach, continue back onto 17-Mile Drive and head south to the Restless Sea, Point Joe & China Rock. They are bordered on the east by Monterey Peninsula Country Club. The Restless Sea is considered one of the most turbulent wave areas in Pebble Beach and in the past was the site of many shipwrecks. Point Joe was named for a man called Joe. Not Joseph, Joaquin, Joshua or Jonathan, just plain old Joe. Anyway, plain old Joe lived in a driftwood hut here in the early 1900s and sold (no, not drugs!) trinkets. I wonder what plain old Joe would think today if he saw what had sprung up around his original little shack. A bit of a shock, perhaps.
Sea otters are just the cutest. I love when they float around on their backs holding hands. Bird Rock & Seal Rock
Further south are Bird Rock and Seal Rock. They are bordered on the east by Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Bird Rock is a haven for pelicans, cormorants and sea lions. You may also see sea otters frolicking in the water or gray whales during their winter migration.
Fanshell Beach
Fanshell Beach is next on 17-Mile Drive with amazing vistas of Cypress Point and the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered on the east by Cypress Point Golf Club. I must shell you that I am a big fan of this beach because babies are born here! That’s right! Harbor Seals give birth to their pups in this area in the spring. Be aware that areas of the coastline may be closed from April through June to protect the moms & their babies.
Cypress Point Lookout
Continuing south to Cypress Point Lookout you will enter the 5,300-acre Del Monte Forest. It is a magical forest because it is home to the rare Monterey Cypress. Monterey Cypress trees are truly enchanting; they can top out at 70 feet tall and live up to 300 years! At Cypress Point Lookout you will also see views of the national marine sanctuary, Carmel Canyon, which is a part of the 10,000 foot deep Monterey Canyon. Be aware that the sanctuary is surrounded by a high, chain link fence.
The Lone Cypress
The Lone Cypress is the next stop. This tree is the official symbol of Pebble Beach. Perched on a granite hillside off 17-Mile Drive, the iconic Lone Cypress is said to be as old as 250 years, which would conjoin its beginnings to those of the USA. In 1768, founding father Samual Adams wrote a letter opposing taxation without representation and calling for the colonists to unite in their actions against the British government. And of course, we all know how that came to play out!
Pescadero Point
After the Lone Cypress, you will pass the Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point. This was the setting for the famous “Witch Tree” which was used as a creepy background in movies and television until it was blown down during a storm. Pescadero Point is also a big surfing area with winter waves as high as 50 feet.
A rite of passage for local kids is jumping off the end of the pier at Stillwater Cove. Stillwater Cove
The final destination is Stillwater Cove. This is a narrow beach accessible below the Pebble Beach Golf Course. It is a great scuba diving site. Paddleboarding and kayak tours from Stillwater Cove into the nearby Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary are also fun activities here. To get to this beach, follow 17-Mile Drive to Palmero Way, then continue on Cypress Drive to the end of the Beach Club. There will be signage to guide you.
Helpful Tips:
- Check out the online 17-Mile Drive map beforehand (or pick up one at the entrance).
- Drones and motorcycles are not permitted in Pebble Beach.
- It is often very windy and chilly here, bring a warm jacket or coat.
- Bicyclists can enter for free through the Pacific Grove Gate.
- Follow the signs and red-painted dash lines on the road to stay on the legal route. No vigilantes are allowed here except for Clint Eastwood.
- The $10.25 entrance fee is waived if you will be dining or staying at a Pebble Beach restaurant or inn, or you can get a refund if you spend at least $35.00 at most Pebble Beach businesses.
- There are four primary entrances: the three most frequently used are Hwy 1 at Hwy 68, the Pacific Grove gate on Sunset, and the Carmel gate on San Antonio. I recommend starting at the Pacific Grove gate on Sunset if you only want to see the ocean views; you can then depart through the Carmel gate at the base of Ocean Ave.
- Check the weather before you visit via Pebble Beach webcam.
- The worst time to visit is during the U.S. Open Golf Tournament in June and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February due to heavy traffic. The drive also closes on the third Sunday in August for the Concours d’Elegance classic auto show.
- Restrooms are available at Bird Rock and the Visitor’s Center near the Lodge at Pebble Beach.
Thank you for visiting my blog! Wishing you peace, love, happiness & beautiful vistas!