Tour Highlights

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Trip Itinerary

Accommodations

Details

$650 - General Admission

Open to everyone

Coon Creek Trail

The Coon Creek Trail is a scenic route that takes you through a coastal canyon in the southern part of Montaña de Oro State Park. After heading inland for 2.5 miles, you'll come across a delightful grove of Monterey cypress trees, where an old homestead used to stand. Take a moment to rest in the cool shade provided by the cypress trees before embarking on a 5-mile round trip hike, which includes a 250-foot elevation gain. Along the way, you'll encounter junctions with the Rattlesnake Flats Trail and Oats Peak Trail, offering hikers the opportunity to further explore the wonders of Montaña de Oro State Park.

Elfin Forest

Adjacent to the Morro Bay estuary, the El Moro Elfin Forest in Los Osos is a 90-acre natural area belonging to San Luis Obispo County Parks and California State Parks. Its plant communities include coastal brackish marsh, riparian woodland fringe, pygmy oak woodland, maritime chaparral, and coastal dune scrub. The Elfin Forest supports more than 200 species of plants, 110 kinds of birds, 22 species of mammals, and 13 species of reptiles and amphibians. It is home to rare plants, butterflies, snails, and birds. Chumash middens occur throughout the Elfin Forest.

Morro Bay Estuary

The Morro Bay estuary provides an ideal habitat for many animal species, ranging from sea slugs to sea otters. The calm, shallow waters provide food, nursery, and breeding grounds for many animals throughout the year. Morro Bay is also an important stopover for migratory animals such as birds and monarch butterflies. The varied habitats within the Morro Bay watershed allow for a wide range of species diversity, including some plants and animals that can only be found locally, known as endemic species. Examples of endemics include the Morro ten-lined June beetle (Polyphylla moroensis), Jones’ layia (Layia jonesii), and several subspecies of manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.).

Morro Bay State Park

Morro Bay State Park is 13 miles west of San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast. The park features a lagoon and natural bay habitats. On the lagoon's northeastern and eastern edges, there are saltwater and brackish marshes that support thriving bird populations. Two of the nine “morrows” (a chain of volcanic peaks also known as the Nine Sisters) are within park boundaries. Birding and botany along the trails in the park are excellent.

Morro Rock

Morro Rock is an iconic landmark on California’s Central Coast. Located west of San Luis Obispo, the 578-foot tall mass of volcanic rock rises above the Pacific Ocean, separating the inviting sands of Morro Strand State Beach from the blue waters of Morro Bay Harbor. Starting from a protected coastal wetland along Highway One in Morro Bay, this easy beach hike crosses dunes into Morro Strand State Beach, where you can walk along the ocean to the wave-battered mini-mountain guarding the entrance of Morro Bay. The rock is the westernmost example of the morrows (a chain of volcanic peaks known as the Nine Sisters). Nesting peregrine falcons can be seen around the rock, and sea otters are often visible at the nearby harbor entrance.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is the most extensive remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the second largest in California. It encompasses an 18-mile (29 km) stretch of coastline on the Central Coast of California and extends from southern San Luis Obispo County to northern Santa Barbara County. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is home to a unique dunes ecosystem and many endangered and threatened species of plants and animals.

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

The Piedras Blancas Rookery is the only elephant seal rookery in the world that is easily accessible, free, and open to the public every day of the year. The Elephant Seal Rookery dates back to the 1700s when elephant seals and other marine mammals were hunted for their oil-rich blubber, then used to make oil for lamps and lubrication. The maritime fur trade of the Pacific Northwest nearly led to the extinction of local seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales, and otters — by 1900, it was believed that the northern elephant was extinct. Twenty years later, the seals received protected status in the United States, and California's population has slowly recovered.

Piedras Blancas Light Station

Above the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, between San Simeon and Ragged Point, stands the Piedras Blancas Light Station. Built in 1875, the historic monument warned mariners of the rugged, rocky coastline. Still in operation today, the Light Station now offers tours of the grounds year-round. We will embark on an exclusive 2-hour tour of the grounds and lighthouse.

Spooner's Cove - Montaña de Oro

This beautiful Cove has pebbly sand, tide pools, caves, and unique rock formations to climb on, especially at lower tides. Spooner's Cove is one of the Central Coast's best beaches; this picturesque shoreline is perfect for tide pooling, picnicking, and beach combing. Caves, climbing rocks, and a babbling creek make it an ideal destination to explore. We will explore the local dune and scrub vegetation and learn about marine terraces and the Monterey Formation.

Tent Camping

CIR has reserved campsites for the group. You will need to bring all of your own camping gear (tent, sleeping gear, etc.) and most of your food. We will prepare one group dinner at the campground on Saturday night, but you must prepare the other dinners, plus breakfasts and lunches. We will supply stoves, pots, pans, and ice at the campground.

At the camp, the sites have water, flush toilets and tables, access to hot showers, and nearby restaurants.

Hotel Accommodations

Morro Bay has a bunch of hotels in the area. Below are a few that are near by the campsite.

• Sandpiper Inn

• The Inn at Morro Bay

• Embarcadero Inn Suites

• Estero Inn

Your registration includes:

• Personal tours from expert naturalists

• Shared campsites at Morro Bay Campground

• Use of our camp kitchen (stoves, pots, pans)

• One group dinner at Morro Bay Campground