Adventures With Nature

Adventures with Nature

Adventures with Nature Programs are guided walks and talks facilitated by California State Park Staff and Volunteers. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. These fun, free programs are exploratory in nature, revolving around cultural and natural resources in the coastal California State Parks in San Luis Obispo County. No dogs, please. Rain and/or inclement weather will cancel all outdoor events. For a full list of upcoming events, please check our event calendar.

The Ever-changing Natural Beach

Every other Friday, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, November 8th & 22nd

With four tides a day, the beach is dynamic; there is always something new to look at and discuss. Join State Park Volunteer, Sharon, to learn about the creatures and features found on a natural beach. After a table talk, we’ll walk the beach to see what we observe and talk about the effects of current events and seasonal changes. 1 mile; 2 hours

Meeting Site: The tables next to the campground kiosk at Morro Strand State Beach, off Yerba Buena Street and Highway 1 in Morro Bay.

Materials: Wear closed toed sturdy shoes and sun protection; dress in layers for the coast and bring plenty of water. All ages welcome for this easy-paced walk, which includes moderately strenuous terrain with walking through soft sand.

Rain or stormy weather will cancel. *There is limited cell phone service coverage in this area of the park.

San Simeon Hiking Series

1) The Boucher Trail: Thursday, October 31st 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Join State Park Interpreters on a guided hike on the Boucher Trail to explore a beautiful coastline and look at the different flora and fauna of the area. Enjoy a 1.5 mile walk through coastal bluff, grassland, andwetland areas located just North of the Elephant Seal Rookery. Learn about the rich history of area and the human inhabitants who worked and lived in this area. 1.5 miles, 2 hours.

Meeting site: Meet at the northern parking lot(paved) of the Elephant Seal Rookery.

 

2) Junge Ranch Trail: Thursday, November 21st 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Join State Park Interpreters on a guided hike on the JungeRanch trail to explore a beautiful coastline and look at the different floraand fauna of the area. Enjoy a 2.0 mile walk through coastal bluff, grassland,and wetland areas located on the edge of the town of San Simeon. Learn about the rich history of area and the human inhabitants who worked and lived in this area. 2.0 miles, 2 hours.

Meeting site: Meet at the trailhead, which is on Vista del Mar street.

 

3) Point Sierra Nevada Trail: Thursday, December 12th 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Join State Park Interpreters on a guided hike on the Point Sierra Nevada trail to explore a beautiful coastline and look at the different flora and fauna of the area. Enjoy a 1.7 mile walk through coastal bluff, grassland, and wetland areas several miles north of the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. Learn about the rich maritime history of the area as well as different plant species, there is also an opportunity to explore tide pools. The trail ends on the beach and there will be walking across sand to get to the ocean and some tide pools.

Meeting site: Meet at the trailhead, which is off of Highway1. Point Sierra Nevada Trail (North) will navigate you to the trailhead using AppleMaps.

Materials: Wear closed toed sturdy shoes with good traction and dress in layers for the coast. Hiking poles are recommended for anyone needing extra stability; the trails this program will cover are relatively flat and considered easy to moderately strenuous. Bring water, camera, and binoculars.

*There is limited cell phone service coverage in these areas of the park. Please plan accordingly.

Oceano’s Beavers

Saturday, November 9th 10:00 AM-12:0 PM

Join State Park Docent Dan to learn about the beaver’s physical adaptations, their role in our country’s westward expansion, why they were hunted, and their local history. Enjoy an easy-paced walk around the Oceano lagoon as we search for evidence and signs of beaver activity. Dress in layers with comfortable walking shoes. Bring insect repellent and water: binoculars are a plus. Moderate walk; 0.5 miles; 2 hours. All ages are welcome. Please RSVP by calling 805-474-2664.

Meeting site: Meet at Oceano Dunes Visitor Center at the Oceano Campground, 555 Pier Ave, Oceano

King Tides: Guided Tide-Pooling

Thursday, November 14th & December 14th 12:30-2:30 PM

Join State Park Interpreters as they explore tidepools during a King Tide! Please come prepared for chilly weather wearing layers, bring a bottle of water, sunscreen, and make sure to wear non-slip shoes that can get wet. Rain or stormy weather will cancel this event.

Meeting site: Leffingwell Landing State Park, Moonstone Beach Dr &, CA-1, Cambria, CA 93428

King Tides Pop Up

Saturday, November 16th 9:30-10:30 AM

Everyone is invited to Morro Bay to learn about and document the King Tide with your phone or camera! Drop by our table in front of the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History anytime from 9:30 am – 10:30 am to learn about the King Tide happening that morning.  Then, contribute to “The California King Tide Project”, by photographing the tide by Windy Cove, the marina kayak launch, and along the Marina Boardwalk Trail.  By taking part in the California King Tide Project, your photos will help document high water levels and improve our understanding of how coastal environments may change in this beautiful location. During this event, we invite everyone to take a snapshot of King Tide water levels in Windy Cove and around the Morro Bay State Park Marina, so that we can gain a fuller picture of how marine waters encroach upon different environments. We hope to see you there. This event is hosted as a collaboration between California State Parks and the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo’s College of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Marine Sciences.

Meeting site: Table in front of the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History

Nature Knowledge: Trivia!

Saturday, November 23rd 2:00-3:30 PM

State Parks is hosting trivia! Spend the afternoon testing your knowledge about the nature and history preserved by California State Parks in the San Luis Obispo Coast District. Win or lose, you are sure to learn more about the plants, animals, and people who have made their home in these beautiful state parks!

Meeting site: Meet us at Leffingwell Landing in Cambria. Bring a picnic, friends, family, and your brain to play along!  Picnic tables are available on a first come, first serve basis, but bring along camp chairs or a picnic blanket in case they are full when you arrive.

Coon Creek Native Plant Walk

Saturday, November 23rd 9:30-11:30 AM

Join California State Park Volunteer Sally to learn how plant communities thrive along the central coast and maritime environments. Enjoy a 1.5 mile walk along the lush Coon Creek riparian corridor, located at the far south end of Montaña de Oro State Park. Learn how to identify diverse plant species and a bit about the history of this beautiful canyon. 1.5 miles, 2 hours. 

Meeting site: Meet at the farthest south parking lot in Montaña de Oro State Park, located 1 mile south of Spooner’s Cove. Arrive early as parking is limited and may fill up.

Materials: Wear closed toed sturdy shoes with good traction and dress in layers for the coast. Hiking poles are recommended for anyone needing extra stability on the initial steep decline down into the canyon from the parking lot; the rest of the trail this program will cover is relatively flat and considered easy to moderately strenuous. Bring water, camera, and binoculars.

*There is limited cell phone service coverage in this area of the park.

Let’s identify plants & animals using iNaturalist!

Sunday, November 24th 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Join State Park Interpreters and learn how to use iNaturalist, a FREE app that helps you instantly identify plant/animal species by taking a photo! This program includes a 15-minute indoor session where we will introduce you to the app’s features. Then, we will venture outside to walk the Oceano Lagoon to ID real plants and animals.  Please have the app downloaded and a profile created before attending the walk.

 

Meeting site: Meet at the Oceano Dunes District Visitor Center, 555 Pier Ave Oceano CA.

Elephant Seals of Hearst San Simeon State Park: Virtual Field Trip

Wednesday, December 4th 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Registration is required at https://ports-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NiITL4oqS6W6o7mYGZJrvw#/registration

Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating lives of Northern Elephants Seals from Hearst San Simeon State Park during this live, virtual field trip! We will observe elephant seals from the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery – the largest mainland elephant seal rookery in the world, while investigating the incredible adaptations that allow elephant seals to migrate thousands of miles per year, go months without eating, and dive thousands of feet deep.

To learn about PORTScasts offered at state parks all throughout California, please visit https://ports.parks.ca.gov/2-portscast/portscasts-calendar/