Discovering Morro Bay: A Wildlife Gem on California's Central Coast

Tucked away on California's Central Coast, Morro Bay is a quaint seaside town, a haven for wildlife with a working harbour. We headed to their hidden gem on our first day trip, exploring Highway 1. 

Morro Bay: Spot the Otter

I’ve worked in the travel industry for many years, and many UK-based tour operators that sell a Highway 1 California Road trip will skip from Santa Barbara to Monterey with a stop at Pismo or San Luis Obispo to break the 4-hour journey. For this reason, I have never heard of Morro Bay. The classic coastal route through Big Sur has been disrupted since 2014, which does explain the detour. But what happens when you slow down, turn off, tune in, and drop down to the coastal route?

Living just an hour south of the rugged Big Sur coastline, we were eager to explore. The Big Sur road runs between Morro Bay and Monterey, and after excited stories about wanting to visit Monterey for the mesmerizing marine life and dramatic coastlines, some friends suggested we check out Morro Bay, as it's easily done on a day trip.

So, the first weekend as Jeep owners, we headed up Highway 1. This stretch is mostly US Route 101, it's a 4-6 lane highway and quick to get the 65 miles up the coast. It’s midwinter, so it’s chilly but pleasant enough for us newly arrived Brits! 

We parked on Embaracado, right behind the stores and boardwalk that runs the length of this quaint fishing town. There weren’t many people around, but as we opened the doors, the first thing we heard was the boisterous barks of the sea lions, a cacophony in this otherwise quiet town. We crossed the road, and we were met by a beautiful vista across the bay to the famous Morro Rock. Right in front of us were three sea lions basking on the rocks! 

Instantly, we knew this was our sort of place: clapboard buildings with independent stores, art galleries, and watersports and whale-watching providers. Cafes and ice cream parlours are dotted along a boardwalk, overlooking the bay towards a sand spit and rock in the distance. A raft of sea lions were basking out on a pontoon, and an abundance of seabirds took refuge at the sand bank across the water. 

We meandered through the town, browsing the galleries and came across the local birding society kiosk. They shared insights into the bird life in the bay, the best place to spot the otters and learned of conservation efforts in this delicate ecosystem. We were told the best spots to see otters, and as we headed towards the wharf, we spotted our first one - and what a sight it was, lying on its back, relaxing in the winter sun. 

Morro Bay has an active fish industry, and we were directed up to the wharf for the ‘best fish and chips in town’; as a British family, the best fish and chips are a continent and ocean away. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the fish and chips were - proper chunky chips almost like home. There are plenty of places to get fish-and-chips or chowders on the wharf. We ate at L’il Hut and will be back to try them all. As we ate, a crazy spectacle happened in the harbour behind us: a fishing boat came in; suddenly, the back of the boat was swarmed with sea birds, and the leftover guts were fought over; even a seal came into the action! 

Fueled and ready to explore more, we walked out to the famous rock and past a disused energy plant, which gives Morro Bay its tagline of ‘Three stacks and a rock’. I was pretty excited to see a sign for a group of cold water dippers that meet regularly in the bay and more excited to see them in the water - at home if I’m going anywhere near water, I pack my kit, but alas, today I was without—an opportunity, and as it turns out a rare one, missed. 

The walk out wasn’t far and we were treated to our first raft of sea otters, they were lying on their backs, rolling merrily in the sea kelp. We sat on the rocks, a respectable distance from them, and spent a while silently observing the otters. A few dodgy GoPro-through-the-binoculars pictures later, and I was set on upgrading the camera kit.

Further on, we rounded the bottom of the rock and out to the sea wall. Waves crashed over the rocks as the harsh Pacific Ocean was kept from the sanctuary of Morro Bay harbour. Pelicans were perched on the far rocks, ready to go fishing for their supper. Across the water is a natural sandbank that makes the natural harbour of Morro Bay.

As we headed back, we briefly stopped at the main beach, where the surf was up and the wind was strong. We strolled back to the car, with the obligatory stops at an ice cream parlour and a surf shop, and headed home with the intention of returning (with better camera equipment next time!).