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Just over an hour down the coast from San Francisco, Año Nuevo State Park makes for a fun and easy local day trip. It’s famous for housing one of the world’s largest mainland northern elephant seal colonies.
While the elephant seals reside there year-round, the best season to see them is from December through March, when docents host guided tours for the breeding season.
If you time your visit right, you could even glimpse gray whales migrating down the coast for a 2-in-1 wildlife watching experience — keep reading for details.
Breeding season at Año Nuevo
From December 14th through March 31st, the park invites guests to join docent-guided walks to witness breeding season from the bluffs, when seals come ashore to give birth and mate. The guided tours cover about 3 miles in 2.5 hours, and are the only way to visit the seals during this time of year.
You could witness pregnant females pupping through early February, or see enormous bull seals engaging in battle to breed. By early March, most adult seals have returned to the sea, but you can still see pups basking in the sun and swimming.
The preserve is closed during the first half of December, when pregnant females and adult males arrive to start forming harems.
Molting and haul out
During the rest of the year, visitors embark on self-guided walks to see the seals on their own.
Molting season is from April to August, when seals come ashore to shed their outer layer of skin and fur.
The “fall juvenile haul out” is from September to November, when a small number of juveniles remain on the beaches before they take to the sea.
Gray whale migration
If you visit Año Nuevo during breeding season, you may also have a chance to witness the gray whale migration from the coastal trails and bluffs. Each year between December and April, 15,000 gray whales migrate from the Arctic to Baja California and back — read our whale watching guide to learn more.
Visiting Año Nuevo
It’s essential to reserve a spot on a guided tour when visiting Año Nuevo between December and March. The popular tours book out quickly, especially on weekends.
The moderate walk takes you through several elephant seal viewpoints along a 3-4 mile path through sand dunes, so make sure you plan and dress accordingly.
🌐 Website: Año Nuevo State Park / California State Parks
📍 Address: 1 New Years Creek Rd, Pescadero, CA 94060