Piedras Blancas Light Station in the central California coast town of San Simeon is no stranger to fame. The horror film “The Monster of Piedras Blancas” told of a creature terrorizing the coastline and the village. Visitors need not fear. The movie released in 1958 was fictional. The only creatures inhabiting the coast are the elephant seals that return to shore twice a year.
Where to Find the Elephant Seals
Elephant Seals can be seen at a rookery near the Piedras Blancas Light Station (piedrasblancas.org) in San Simeon. More than 7,000 elephant seals live at the rookery, which is open daily. Piedras Blancas is roughly 50 miles north of San Luis Obispo and is accessible via Route One, also known as the Cabrillo Highway. Bluffs to the north and south of the parking lot are the recommended vistas for viewing the seals. Keep your distance from the seals, which are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. This act protects the seals from being harassed or hunted by humans and their dogs. If you do bring your dog with you to see the rookery, keep it on a leash.
Visiting the Seals
You can visit the seals any time of year; however, seals in the rookery are sparse during March, August, September and October. The seals have a fairly reliable schedule of breeding, molting and birthing. Seals leave in March but return between April to August to molt. Autumn brings elephant seal excitement: November means the return of the mature males, who fight other males to achieve dominance for the upcoming breeding season. Winter is when females return to give birth, between mid-December and mid-February.
About Elephant Seals
Elephant seals were almost hunted to extinction in the 1880s. Seal and whale hunters harvested the elephant seals for the oil in their blubber. A cluster of approximately 100 seals survived the hunts and found shelter near Baja, California's, Guadalupe Island. Over time, the elephant seals moved up the coast, and a colony of more than a dozen seals were found at Piedra Biancas in 1990. The first seal birth at Piedras Biancas happened in January 1992; between 1993 and 1995, more than 600 more births occurred.
Area Restaurants and Lodging
Refuel before or after visiting the elephant seals at two coastal restaurants 10 miles south of Piedras Blancas. El Chorlito Mexican Restaurant (elchorlito.com) serves enchiladas, tacos and chimichangas for lunch and dinner. Manta Rey Restaurant (mantareyrestaurant.com) offers seafood stew, filet mignon and calamari. San Simeon is also the home of two lodging options, Ragged Point Inn and Resort (raggedpointinn.net), which has guestrooms with ocean or mountain views plus a five-bedroom rental house, and Silver Surf Motel (silversurfmotel.com), which has guestrooms with free Wi-Fi. Some guestrooms also have balconies, fireplaces or views of the ocean.
Take time to visit Hearst Castle (hearstcastle.org), also in San Simeon. The area began as a camp for the Hearst family. However, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst inherited the land in 1919 and decided to build his dream house. The castle plus three guest lodges were completed in 1947. The property includes gardens, pools and terraces spread over 120 acres. You can tour the castle, a State Historical Monument, daily. Three tours of different areas of the property are offered daily, and evening tours featuring tour guides in period costume are offered on Fridays and Saturdays in spring and fall.
- The New York Times Movies: The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1958)
- Piedras Blancas Light Station
- Friends of the Elephant Seal
- Friends of the Elephant Seal: Viewing
- Big Sur Chamber of Commerce: Elephant Seals
- Friends of the Elephant Seal: Frequently Asked Questions
- California State Parks of the San Luis Obispo Coast: Elephant Seal
- Hearst Castle: History & Art
- Hearst Castle:Tours
- San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau: Hearst Castle
- Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images