Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
Elkhorn Slough feels a world away from San Francisco.
In fact, it’s just under a hundred miles south, a winding estuary teeming with wildlife that opens to the ocean in the town of Moss Landing, at the midpoint of Monterey Bay.
The best way to explore Elkhorn Slough is by kayak. With calm water and usually gentle wind, it’s a unique location that has a lot to offer for experienced and novice kayakers alike.
Several places to rent a kayak line the mouth of the slough at Moss Landing Harbor, but the one I can vouch for is Monterey Bay Kayaks. They provide a thorough safety training before releasing you to the water and ensure all kayakers are well acquainted with the wildlife regulations that keep both humans and animals safe. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made online.
Elkhorn Slough Safari also offers small boat tours of the slough and Monterey Bay Hydrobikes rents bicycles on pontoons.
Whichever mode of propulsion you choose, the slough does not disappoint. Sea otters and harbor seals abound in the water, while sea lions lounge noisily on the harbor piers. Scores of seabirds — more than 340 species, according to the consortium of government and nonprofit groups that maintain the area — preen along the marshy banks.
It’s the sea otters that make Elkhorn Slough such a gem. They frolic through the seaweed and nap together in rafts, and in the spring it’s easy to see pups riding on their mother’s belly.
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
The sea otters and other marine mammals are protected by federal law, and kayakers are expected to maintain a distance of “five boat lengths” from the animals, Monterey Bay Kayaks says. It’s not hard to enjoy them even from that distance, but the otters are curious and occasionally approach people on the water. On the rare occasion an animal tries to climb into a kayak, a “gentle but firm shove” with your paddle is recommended.
The slough extends for seven miles, but kayakers are generally restricted to the first two miles — plenty of space to explore and see the wildlife without having to cover too much distance on the way back.
The fact that the sea otters are there at all — not to mention how abundant they are — is a testament to the incredible success of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, a law that safeguarded some of America’s most vulnerable wildlife.
A combination of repeated oil spills and a booming fur trade nearly wiped out California’s sea otter population entirely by the mid 20th Century. As few as 50 individuals remained at one point, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. But sea otters were granted protection under the E.S.A. in 1977, and their population quickly grew.
They numbered about 3,000 along the California coast in 2019, the last year data was available, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which conducts an annual sea otter census. Roughly 125 of them live in Elkhorn Slough.
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
Another environmental success story towers nearby. The Moss Landing power plant, with its two massive smokestacks poking into every vista for miles, was recently converted into one of the largest battery facilities in the world. The batteries store excess power when the regional grid is full and release electricity back to the grid during production off-hours, helping Monterey County transition to clean energy after years of pumping pollution into the atmosphere.
Separately, the Monterey County Planning Commission granted approval in February for a new joint project between Tesla and PG&E at the power plant, which will store electricity from local renewable sources and release it to the grid during peak usage times.
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
After exploring the slough, head to one of the many seafood restaurants in Moss Landing for a delicious lunch. The harbor is constantly bustling with fishing boats, commercial and private, so any meal there is practically guaranteed to be sea-to-table fresh. Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery is a popular spot, and their machine-like efficiency means a long line shouldn’t dissuade you.
Whether you’ve never sat in a kayak or are an expert paddler, Elkhorn Slough has plenty of surprises and charm to make for a satisfying day trip. As I once heard a passerby say in Moss Landing, “Come for the sea otters, stay for the fish and chips.”
