Año Nuevo State Reserve
add photosAño Nuevo State Reserve is fascinating in every season. Elephant seal pups are born between December and February during the “Breeding Season.” During the spring and summer months, elephant seals come ashore to shed their fur during the “Molting Season.” Each fall, yearling seals “hang out” on the beaches during the “Fall Haul Out Season.”
A Wildlife Protection Area is designated at Año Nuevo Point to provide wildlife viewing opportunities and minimize disturbance to the animals in their natural habitat. Visitor entry into the Wildlife Protection Area is restricted year-round. Plan your visit by checking out the “seasons” of the Wildlife Protection Area:
Pre-Season: December 1-14
Pregnant females and adult males begin to arrive on the beaches and form harems. Visitor access is closed during this period.
Breeding Season: December 15 – March 31
Northern elephant seals come ashore to give birth and mate from early December through March. Bull seals engage in battles for breeding access to the females from early December through January. Pregnant females come ashore to pup from late December to early February, and mothers nurse their pups for about a month before mating and returning to the sea. By early March, most of the adults have returned to the sea. Pups remain behind through March basking in the sun and learning to swim.
The reserve offers naturalist-guided walks between December 15 and March 31, which feature the seals in their natural habitat. To view the seals during this season, you must be on a guided walk. These popular three-mile walks over rolling sand dunes last about two and a half hours and are considered moderately strenuous. They operate daily from early morning. See Related Links for: Public Seal Walks and School Group Walks.
Molting Season: April 1 – August 31
Northern elephant seals come ashore during the spring and summer months to shed their outer layer of skin and fur. This “molting” process takes from four to six weeks per animal as they rest along the beaches. Female and juvenile seals molt from May through June and older males from July through August.
During the “Molting Season,” the Wildlife Protection Area is open for self-guided hiking by Visitor Permit only. Obtain your free Visitor Permit daily from the entrance station, between 8:30 am and 3:30 p.m. No reservations are required and no Guided Walks are offered. Visitors must exit the Wildlife Protection Area by 5 p.m., which is earlier than the general Reserve’s closing hour of sunset. Please plan to arrive early enough to obtain a permit and make the three to four mile hike before 5 p.m. Most groups require about two and a half to three hours to make the round-trip hike.
Fall Haul Out Season: September 1 – November 30
By summer’s end, most elephant seals have returned to sea to feed. Small numbers of one to three year old juveniles haul out on remote beaches as part of their early development.
During the “Fall Haul Out” the Wildlife Protection Area is open for self-guided hiking by Visitor Permit only. Obtain your free permit daily from the entrance station, between 8:30 am and 3:00 p.m. only. No reservations are required and no Guided Walks are offered. Visitors must exit the Wildlife Protection Area by 4 p.m., which is earlier than the general Reserve’s closing hour of sunset. Please plan to arrive early enough to obtain a permit and make the four to five mile hike before 4 p.m. Most groups require about three hours to make the round-trip hike.
8 Reviews for Año Nuevo State Reserve
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"Not Ideal for Small Children"
Older kids will get a kick out of climbing the sand dunes and visiting the seals, but toddlers are going to have a hard time. The parking lot is a good mile from the information center on a somewhat stroller-friendly path. You have to leave your stroller at the little info hut however, because after that the trails are mired in sand. It is a long hike past the info center to the Seal viewing area. It will be windy, and probably chilly. Bring layers, and a comfortable baby carrier
That being said, seeing the big animals up close is pretty awesome. Just be prepared for a lot of walking.
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1 family found this helpful
"For nature loving families"
This reserve encompasses a grassland, sand dunes and a coastline. The main attraction are the amazing elephant seals that come here to mate and to moult. There are a few trails thru the park, the paths are gravel and well kept , except for one small section of sand dune (don't bring a stroller. The kids found it really fun to fall all over, and you could really roll down it if tired). You get really close to the seals ( there are built-in lookout points) and the scenery surrounding the trails is truly beautiful - in summer the paths are lined with flowers, the gulls fly overhead to the inland marsh, the mountains are a backdrop on one side and the Pacific ocean on the other. Round trip from visitors centre and carpark is 3 mile or so, so you needn't be super-fit. Bring your own food and drinks.
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"Fun with the Family"
On 1,200 acres of dunes and beaches, the largest groups of elephant seals in the world come to breed from December through April. A moderately strenuous, 3-mile round-trip walk through grassy dunes brings you to an unforgettable sight: dozens of two-ton animals lounging, arguing, mating, cavorting in the sea, and wiggling around on the beach. As many as 2,500 seals spend their honeymoons here, and there’s lots of other wildlife to see, too.
During the mating season it is necessary to reserve spaces in three-hour, guided interpretive tours (800–444–7275). At other times you can wander around on your own; smaller herds remain all year. The boardwalk enables wheelchair access. Affording great views of the coastline, the 1.5-mile Whithouse Ridge Trail connects Año Nuevo with Big Basin State Park.
3 families found this helpful
"View animals in their natural habitat"
There are few places in the US where you can get this close to animals in natural habitat. Ana Nuevo is more than just a place that you can visit elephant seals. It is one of their view breading grounds. Each year these fantastic creatures swim between the California coast and the gulf of Alaska to feed and breed. You can see the seals all year round, but the most dramatic time of the year to visit is in the winter when the papa seals arrive ready to fight each other to lay claim on their harem of females. I know these seals really need to get with the times! During the winter months, you need to call ahead and book tickets because docents need to take you out to the mating grounds. Bring a pair of binoculars if you want to really take a close look at their fantastic elephant like trunk and tusks.
The walk out to the dunes isn't too far - about 1.5 miles, but it is over sand dunes for part of the journey, so young kids (under 8) may find it challenging to make the journey. The coast can also be very windy and cold in the winter months which can add to their discomfort. Be sure to bring wind breakers and food that kid can eat until the half way point where they you can't take food beyond. At this point, there is a also a porta potty. My kids always get really hungry from the cold and walk. So, we leave food at the little shelter at this point that we can come back to. Strollers will only work up to this point. The sand dunes then to be very unstable. A child carrier would work best.
1 family found this helpful
"Be prepared for a long walk!"
We reserved 20 tickets for our group of friends who had kids ranging from 2 to 10 years old. This is a LONG hike - 2.5 hrs round trip, and the guide will keep you moving without too many breaks. We reserved well in advance so we could go the first weekend in February, which is supposed to be the peak of mating activity. It also turned out to be Super Bowl Sunday (thank goodness for TIVO). We were VERY fortunate to have near perfect weather - 60s and sunny, which is not usual for this time of year on the coast. The adults in our group were fascinated by the hundreds of elephant seals - the males were HUGE and very protective of their female harem. The kids were interested in the seals for about 2 minutes and then became more interested in playing in the sand (the last part of the walk is through sand dunes, which when dry are tough on the calves and the lungs). A great trip that we'll probably do again in a year or two when our daughter, 5, is old enough to appreciate the seals a bit more (and make the entire trip without riding on daddy's shoulders for half of it).
1 family found this helpful
"Enjoying what California has to offer!"
My mom has been taking me here since I was a kid and I have always loved it! You can reserve a tour for a large group of people so you can go with friends and family. I just went on a tour last month and my daughter loved it. Mind you she's only 2, but she managed to walk almost the whole way (It's about a 2 mile trek), the puddles were quite exciting to her. It has always amazed me how close you get to the Elephant Seals and their pups. They are right there on the beach for you to see, hear, and enjoy. It's awesome and it's less than an hour away from the city!
1 family found this helpful
"Elephant Seals"
With Grandchildren ( from out of area), able to view 3 births of new seals & a coyote as well. Kids loved it! Absolutely amazing! If you have an option to enjoy...DO!
3 families found this helpful
"So beautiful"
This stretch of beach is peaceful, calm, and extremely beautiful. The weather is usually very mild and the water is fairly calm here so you can take the kids and have a nice time enjoying the beautiful beach. There are also plenty of camping sites around. In fact, there are a lot of cool things to do in the area - including fresh produce stands - that make this a nice day trip nature adventure spot. Enjoy!
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