FROM MONARCH BUTTERFLIES TO BLUE WHALES – HIGHWAY 1 ROAD TRIP HAS THE WILDLIFE GOODS

Just as much of North America goes into “hibernation,” the California Central Coast springs to life with thousands of monarch butterflies, migrating whales by the dozen, and hundreds of elephant seals. You may ask, if winter is such a quiet time elsewhere, why a Highway 1 Road Trip reveals vibrant wildlife around every bend? It’s simple. These animals take up residency in a natural habitat that remains virtually unchanged, a magical environment where we also observe nature in all of its splendor.

Any wildlife tour on a Highway 1 Road Trip should begin by downloading the Highway 1 Wildlife Map. And it must include the monarch butterflies. Every fall, these gutsy migrants travel as far as 2,000 miles from the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains to luxuriate in the warmer climes of San Luis Obispo County | SLO CAL. Back up and think about that. Butterflies travel over the peaks in all sorts of weather on an unbelievable journey to the Pismo Monarch Butterfly Grove and elsewhere along SLO CAL’s stretch of Highway 1.

According to Kristin Howland, Project Director for the Western Monarch Trail, “If you haven’t seen thousands of monarchs burst from their clusters in the warming sun…you are sure to witness something magical!”

Scientists don’t often employ the adjective “magical” to describe natural phenomena, but Howland is spot on. Watching thousands of monarch butterflies dangle from the eucalyptus branches is guaranteed to take your breath away.

Here’s a fun comparison. A monarch butterfly weighs about two one-thousandths of an ounce. The gray whales swimming off the coast weigh between 30 and 40 tons. The blue whales in the area weigh around 200 tons. From one-half gram to 200 tons, yet it’s arguable that the monarch’s migration is much more rigorous.

Not that the gray whale migration is anything but amazing, either. Every December and January, these massive mammals swim along the Central Coast, migrating from feeding territory in the Arctic and wintering habitat in Baja California. There’s lots of opportunities to spot these magnificent creatures as the Highway 1 Road Trip contains more Whale Trail vista points than anywhere else on the West Coast.

The CA Central Coast is to marine mammals what the Serengeti is to terrestrial mammals. Sea otters loll about in Morro Bay and elsewhere, often with pups in tow. Harbor seals can be seen spy hopping, elevating their heads to watch us watch them, and often haul out on docks and rocky outcroppings. Dall’s porpoises can often be seen from shore cresting the waves in pods that range from three to as many as 20 individuals.

Unusually, the rarest pinniped is also the easiest to observe. Every winter, elephant seals return in huge numbers to the Piedres Blancas elephant seal rookery just north of San Simeon near the Piedres Blancas Light Station. The rookery, visible from a boardwalk a mere 20 feet away, is a must-visit for anyone interested in watching fascinating animal behavior “up close and personal.”

How up close? Piedres Blancas is considered the most accessible elephant seal rookery in the world. How personal? Yearling pups try desperately to avoid the 4,500-pound bulls as they shimmy along the beach, establishing territory and fending off rivals, a fascinating standoff to observe in its own right. But the real show is the cows, who return in January to prepare for giving birth after several months of gorging in the open sea. Mating begins as the birthing ends and the territorial skirmishes intensify. Observers come away astounded that nature’s display can be observed so closely.

The Central Coast bioregion’s mammal diversity recalls Africa in one surprisingly specific way: the famous Hearst Castle zebra herd.

Most of the animals William Randolph Hearst brought to San Simeon have long since passed, but the zebra herd continues to thrive. Best of all, the 125 zebras are now treated as a wild herd that forages freely on the Hearst Ranch

Plenty of grazers can be found in a very different habitat along the coastline: the invertebrates that populate scores of tide pools along the shoreline. As gorgeous as the ochre sea star, giant green anemone, and Pacific purple sea urchin may appear, there are few more competitive ecosystems in the animal kingdom.

The brainless sea stars are among the fiercest predators on the planet, distending their stomachs to envelop and digest their prey. With eyes on the tips of their legs, sea stars spend their days hunting for game with the intensity of a polar bear seeking seals. Of course, the kaleidoscope of colors is reason enough to spend time at the edge of a tide pool.

Like the butterflies, many bird species overwinter in the grasslands, the woodlands, and along the coastline. Raptors hover above the Estero Bluffs, flycatchers hunt from their perches on the live oak branches, and sanderlings chare the retreating waves only to turn tail and sprint desperately away from the oncoming surf. Further north, an occasional California condor can be seen soaring high above Ragged Point just south of Big Sur.

With 13 State Parks, a marine sanctuary, and several preserves and estuaries, SLO CAL’s 85-miles of coastline and its ten small towns along the Highway 1 Road Trip are perfect oases for a few days of wildlife viewing. Artists and artisans depict many landscapes, seascapes, and inhabitants in Cambria’s galleries. Several restaurants and cafes in Cayucos offer casual menus and perfect repasts after a morning spent observing the nearby tide pools. The Edna Valley tasting rooms (only 4 miles from the coast) provide an excellent ambience in which to discuss the dazzling monarchs. Ditto when chuckling about sea elephant behavior from the Hearst Ranch Winery deck.

Whether you choose to gaze at the zebras grazing on the San Simeon hillside, watch for whale spouts from a vista point, or keep your eyes peeled for sea otters breaking oysters upon their chests, the Highway 1 Wildlife Map will show you where to go. Download the map and begin your safari on a Highway 1 Road Trip to CA’s Central Coast or visit H1RT.com.