Ano Nuevo Elephant Seal Tours

My husband and I were so excited to see this tour, but then we had to cancel last minute due to a death in the family. We called and explained the situation but they refused to refund our tickets. So don’t book too far ahead unless you know you’re going!

This this was probably one of the coolest things I found to do.
One of the Unilocal weekly blurbs was on pescadaro, ca and one of the «things to do» in the area was the elephant seal walk at Ano Nuevo state park.
For $ 7 (plus $ 10 to park your vehicle), you can take a 2.5 hour walking tour around the elephant seals breeding grounds. The tour is guided by local docents who are pretty knowledgeable about the seals’ habits. If you go during the right time of year, you can see tons and tons of the animals up so close it’s ridiculous. The seals barely acknowledge your presence and you can take so many pictures of them interacting.
Be aware the terrain can get challenging at times as you have to hike up dunes in the sand. I clocked it and it ended up being a 3 mile walk from when you leave the marine center check in until you walk back. It’s best to dress for both the possibility of being hot and cool, to wear good walking shoes, bring binoculars if you have them, as well as water and snacks. Bathrooms are only at the parking lot and the staging area where the tour officially starts. January/​February is mating season and you definitely get to be a voyeur if that’s your thing .
I enjoyed it and wild recommend it to anyone in the peninsula area.

My boyfriend and I did this tour for the first time a few days ago. It was AWESOME. It was a last minute idea and I’m really glad we did it. It was so fun to watch the Elephant seals and learn about them. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. If you are in the area, this tour is definitely well worth the $ 7!

So disappointed… Drove my mom down to get into the last tour only to find out that they changed their times but on the website it’s says last tour 3:30PM. But we arrived the last one was going out at 2:45PM. And it was sold out. However we did run into a ‘private’ tour– which was only for friends of the volunteer. No luck getting my mom into the group.
We have enjoyed this park in the past & love taking visiting family to it. So that they can learn from the experience.
If ticket purchases are required in advance on the website then please inform the rangers about the policies & info.
Responses like: ‘I don’t know and can’t help you with that.’ Are quite disappointing after driving down & being turned away from a state park. We are dedicated patrons of California state parks & today’s experience with the ranger, website, volunteer guide on her private tour, made the park see more like Disneyland than a state park which we support & have enjoyed so much!

Great experience seeing so many elephant seals all at one place. They are fun and curious animals. Some of them are wandering pretty far from the coast in search of something. We’ll try to go in early winter next year when more action is going on on the shore. March was a quiet time for them to molt and sleep.
— visited March 29

This is a Bay Area treasure! I have been on this tour annually for about the past 15 years. I was lucky enough to go again yesterday 1÷25÷15. Yesterday was the best trip to date. Even though it was a warm day, the seals were very active.
You have to book the ticket well in advance because they sell out quick. A bargain at $ 7.00 per person and it’s only $ 10.00 to park. I suggest Jan. or Feb. date early in the day. The seals are more active early in the day when it’s usually cooler.
If you love the ocean and wildlife this is a must see adventure. More than worth and 1.5 hour drive one way I make every year. I wouldn’t miss it!

This is the only place in the world you can get up close and actually see elephant seals. It’s a truly amazing experience that brings one close to nature and gain an appreciation for the wonders of the ocean.
The tour must be booked in advance (for around 7 bucks per person) and runs from around Dec to March; I recommend going in January or February as the weather is usually great. As on our visit today, the weather was perfect. The facilities are great with ample parking. Staff and docents are friendly and knowledgeable. The tour is great for families and would be a fantastic experience for a child.
I really enjoyed learning something about the history of the native Californians (e.g. I had no idea grizzly bears preyed on the natives long ago) and also about the elephant sea lions. Also, it’s a great photo experience; just bring your DSLR like I did. I’ll be taking some other people I know back for sure.

5*****+++++ I would give this tour more stars if I could. Now I may be biased because I’m a nut for nature. Teehee! I always prefer my nature just like sports, live rather than on a television screen. There is something so wonderful about this connection we get as living species. Enough of my rant.
Best $ 7 I spent for a tour. There are tours every 15 minutes. Your guide is just a volunteer, I wish they had a tip jar, because our guide was so stellar. Our guide, Bill, a chemist professionally, gave us a science spin to our tour. One thing I noticed is that people were not really beach prepared for this tour. You trek through sand because… hello? This is a beach. I wore my tevas like a dork, but they are perfect for walking through the sand. One Unilocaler suggested boots if you are anti sand. Bring your necessities, sunglasses, jacket, sunblock, camera and a hat.
What else? Use the restroom as many times as you can, once you are out in the reserve, you won’t be back for 2.5 hours. Best time to go is during the peak season of Jan.-Mar. If you happen to be going on a weekend, I recommend making a reservation. I’m sure they sell out. We went on a weekday and it was pretty busy. Have fun and enjoy mother nature.

The tour is pretty amazing, but I’m not a huge fan of tours myself. One reason why I am only giving 3 stars.
Now the reserve and the elephant seals are amazing. The tour guide was great and knowledgeable. My husband and I (with our two hyperactive kids) just like to move at our own pace. We didn’t realize that each tour lasts 2.5 hours! It was a bit too much for our youngsters. They lost interest in the whole process less than an hour into the process and then every chance they got, were down playing in the sand. Fine, but sometimes they wouldn’t pay attention to staying in the people safe zones. It became an exercise of us trying to keep tabs on the kids.
We came with a group of cub scouts. Our kids were not the only ones acting up. Even the older scouts quickly became bored.
So if you are into tours, learning a lot about elephant seals, seeing them up close, learning about native Americans from a knowledgeable guide, and hiking in sand dunes for more than 2 hours, than this is an awesome experience. If you have young, whiny children that just want to play in the sand and not hike at all, save the tour, save your money, and take them to one of the state beaches near here.

VERY INTERESTING!!!
Highly recommended. You can see a lot of elephant seals in close.
The guide taught me a lot of intresting things about their life style, features.

The USA and Mexico have done a good job in protecting the elephant seals. Their numbers have steadily increased since near extinction in the 1890s. For more about the elephant seal story go to
One of the best ways to see these very large mammals is on a docent led walk at Año Nuevo State Park on the California Coast. The seals come by the 1000s to fight, mate, give birth, and molt before returning to the ocean.
The walk is listed as a moderately difficult hike. You do walk along, and up and down soft sand dunes. I admit, I did find it a bit challenging. I guess it’s time to go back to the gym. In addition to the guided walk, I walked along the portion of the beach that is open to the public without a guide. To get there you have to climb down some a wet stair like path and back up another. I saw one large male seal on this walk and a lot of birds.
This was very enjoyable Photo Friday Day and I think that both Kevin and I are happy with the images we took.
Reservations are a must to visit this reserve/​park from December 15 to March 31. The weekend walks sell out quickly

One of the best parts about vacationing in California is doing all of those things I really should have done when I lived there for the first 25 years of my life. Many of us take local treasures for granted until it is too late.
After hearing about the annual elephant seal migration to the beaches of Año Nuevo State Reserve, I was eager to visit with my family last spring. And I was entirely unsuccessful because tickets for the tour sold out well in advance. One year later, I made a point of reserving tickets on the first day available (56 days prior to my visit).
Año Nuevo is located on a rather desolate stretch of Highway 101 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. The drive from Santa Cruz was shorter than anticipated, since there is not much to see in between, so we arrived about 45 minutes prior to our scheduled tour time. They were wonderfully accommodating and let us join the first available tour. Some of the guests on that tour were running late, so I think the staff spends a fair amount of time juggling reservations around to everyone’s best advantage. Individual tickets are $ 7/​person, but there is a hugely discounted admission for school groups. Also be prepared to pay $ 10 per vehicle to park at the state park.
The tour itself was very informative and I think we hit the docent jackpot. David has been a guide for three years and clearly loved the area and its seasonal residents. We learned so much about the elephant seals and other animals that live in the reserve, as well as fun facts about the area and geologic features. It is along the active Frijoles earthquake fault (I kept saying «Holy Frijoles!» the rest of our vacation) which prevented construction of some proposed power plants and reactors and paved the way to keeping the area natural and undisturbed.
The elephant seals were nothing short of glorious, even on an unseasonably warm day in March so their activity was rather subdued. Our visit was during the end of weaner season, so most of the adult males and females had already left to seek food and adventure in the open seas. The guide described the timing of our visit as elephant seal kindergarten. The weaners spend their days learning to vocalize, fight and play. To keep cool they flip sand on their bellies and otherwise make the most amusing treks to and from the water with undulating blubber bellies.
I’ve seen plenty of sea lions, including rafts of seals along the Municipal Wharf at Santa Cruz, but the elephant seals are particularly interesting. One of the fascinating tidbits was that the pregnant females arrive at Año Nuevo, give birth, are impregnated once again, then leave rather quickly to feed in the ocean until they return the following year. The definition of wham, bam, thank you mam.
I was concerned that my boys would lose interest since the tour is almost two hours long, but they were completely engaged during the entire visit. They also liked identifying the paw prints of various animals in the sand and looking for snakes in the brush. The animal skulls and pelts in the visitor center were also a hit. Kind of boy heaven.
My oldest might have chatted the docent’s ear off peppering him with questions. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for those with very small children or those with mobility issues. While it isn’t overly strenuous, the walk is several miles long and you have to stay in close formation. A good portion of the tour is on the sand dunes.
Whether you live locally or visiting from afar, a fantastic coastal California experience.
A few tips for visitors:
1) Absolutely no food, including chewing gum, permitted on the tour.
2) Do bring your camera with the telephoto lens. You are at least 20 feet from the closest elephant seals.
3) No umbrellas, so it if is raining, make sure you have a coat with a hood.
4) Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Check out the seal cam:

If you live in Bay Area you have no excuse not to visit Ano Nuevo. This place is a treasure. Every year from Mid December to late March the state reserve is accessible via guided walks ($ 7) only. Weekend tours sell out fairly quickly so make your online reservation way in advanced. Depending on the time of your visit, you will see different things. First time I visited in mid March. Most of the adult already left but the little ones were fairly active. The young seals were busy learning how to swim and playing with each other. My most recent visit was in early January and it was the beginning of the mating season. Males started to arrive and there were a lot of fighting. Quite a few females still pregnant and the baby seals were still tiny.
For the rest of the year you can purchase a permit on site to hike in the area. There are elephant seals year around and the coastline is really beautiful.