Rent a kayak from outfitters on Hwy 1 and paddle past harbor seals into Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, or take a guided weekend hike and go bird-watching. Docent-led tours typically depart at 10am and 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and electric-boat cruises are also available.
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.92 MILES
Monterey is practically synonymous with its world-class aquarium overlooking Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects dense kelp forests and…
19.49 MILES
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been an Americana classic like few others for over a century. Now as in 1907 when the amusement park first opened, the…
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
22.88 MILES
They bark, they laze and bathe and they’re fun to watch – sea lions are the stars in this state park some 4 miles south of Carmel, along with the…
9.56 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
21.18 MILES
This educational center is part of UCSC’s Long Marine Laboratory. Interactive natural-science exhibits include tidal touch pools and aquariums, while…
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo
20.78 MILES
Carmel's strikingly beautiful mission is an oasis of solemnity with flowering gardens and a thick-walled basilica filled with Spanish Colonial art and…
16.54 MILES
Find out what's currently open at Monterey State Historic Park, grab a free map and buy tickets for guided walking tours inside this 1847 adobe building,…
University of California, Santa Cruz
22.11 MILES
Check it: the school mascot is a banana slug! Established in 1965 in the hills above town, UCSC is known for its creative, liberal bent. The rural campus…
Nearby attractions
8.11 MILES
The La Selva Beach exit off Hwy 1, near Watsonville, brings you here, where you can have miles of sand and surf almost all to yourself.
9.5 MILES
Steinbeck was born and spent much of his boyhood in this house, four blocks west of the museum. It’s now a twee lunch cafe, which we’re not sure he’d…
9.56 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…
11.14 MILES
Founded in 1797, this mission claims the largest church among California’s original 21 missions. Unknowingly built directly atop the San Andreas Fault,…
5. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
11.14 MILES
Buildings around the old Spanish plaza opposite the mission anchor this small historical park. Cavernous stables hint at San Juan Bautista in its 1860s…
6. Garden of Memories Memorial Park
11.29 MILES
Steinbeck is buried in the family plot at this cemetery, less than 2 miles southeast of downtown Salinas.
11.58 MILES
Near Watsonville, the La Selva Beach exit off Hwy 1 leads here to this sparsely populated beach.
12.88 MILES
Containing the Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory, this park offers excellent views of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean from its four-mile network of…