Come find elephant seals, sandy trails, ocean views, historic barns and more at Año Nuevo State Park.
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4.5/5 · 290 reviews
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Sep 27, 2024
2 miles out and 2 miles back. Some sand walking and up and over 1 dune. Maybe half was on packed sand or boardwalk. Best educational center ever! Very modern in old barn with movies & facts on elepha… Full review by scotttimkim
Aug 8, 2024
Cove Beach is amazing. Clean sand and deep blue water. Better on a weekday. Almost the whole beach to myself. Also friendly docents at the seal watching location on the North Bighton Beach. Be r… Full review by Irene C
Jul 24, 2024
What a beautiful walk on a wonderful California state park. The hike is about 3 miles round trip. We seen hundreds of elephant seals. True an amazing day. Full review by matt b
The day we went there was several young children and even a baby (the Dad carried him in a front pack). Everyone's kiddos are different and handle situations differently, but I could …
The day we went there was several young children and even a baby (the Dad carried him in a front pack). Everyone's kiddos are different and handle situations differently, but I could tell about 3/4 of the way through the "tour" the younger kids were over it and ready to be done. If you can make the driver further south on Hwy 1 to San Simeon, you can actually see many more elephant seals, up closer than at Ano Nuevo and it isn't a "tour" so you come and go at your leisure. I've done both and we enjoyed both, but really thoroughly enjoyed Piedras Blancas in San Simeon.
I am visiting the cost on 6 June. Would it be wrong time for Seals? Shall I Skip it ?
A:
I think you can always see seals here, but the number varies by season. We were there in March and the weaning seals were just getting ready to head out to sea for the first time. …
I think you can always see seals here, but the number varies by season. We were there in March and the weaning seals were just getting ready to head out to sea for the first time. There were very few adults, and everything was very mellow. If I remember correctly, by June some of the females are returning. You might not see huge crowds of seals like in December, but it's a gorgeous place regardless, and this time of year you can wander on your own without having to have a park guide.
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