Viewing Elephant Seals near San Simeon

We had heard that elephant seals spend only two months onshore. The rest of the time they’re far into the ocean. That is true. Maybe it was an assumption on our part, but we thought they all came onshore at the same time, and that we were lucky to hit the right season when we saw hundreds of elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon, California. The truth is, you can view elephant seals at the rookery almost always, more at some times of the year than others.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option.

elephant seals on san simeon beachelephant sealsElephant seals come to shore to breed, give birth and molt. Adult males begin coming onshore toward the end of November and into December, followed by females who, over the next couple of months, give birth to the pups they carried for the past seven months. They nurse the pups for about four weeks.

Don’t miss a Midwest Wanderer post. For a FREE subscription, enter your e-mail address in the Subscribe2 box to the right and click Subscribe.

This is mating season, too, peaking around mid-February. After mating season and once the pups are weaned, the adults go back into the ocean, leaving the pups to learn to swim on their own. April through August elephant seals come back onshore to molt, starting with the females, followed by subadult (2-3 year old) males, and then adult males, each staying about a month.

elephant seals barkingelephant sealelephant seals at oceanfrontThere are two exceptions to the one-month beach period. Pups hang around for a little over three months after they’re born, nursing and then learning to swim. Adult males also stay around for over three months, during the entire birthing and breeding period.

You can find a complete calendar on the Friends of the Elephant Seal web site, but whenever you visit, you’re bound to see elephant seals at the rookery.

The seal rookery at Piedras Blancas is located on California Highway 1, about six miles north of San Simeon.

Accommodations in San Simeon: Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

**********

Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link, which means that if you book a room through this link, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

hank you for reading Midwest Wanderer. Don’t miss a post. Enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe to be notified whenever I publish another post. Subscription is FREE. After subscribing, be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm.


 

 

2 thoughts on “Viewing Elephant Seals near San Simeon

  • December 28, 2015 at 12:53 pm
    Permalink

    I love your site, Connie & Skip!! Happy trails to you, on your upcoming adventure :-)!

    Reply
    • December 28, 2015 at 7:20 pm
      Permalink

      Thank you, Susan!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *