Fall might just be the best season of all! Around San Simeon, the transition into autumn is notable as afternoon breezes have a prickle of cool ocean air and dusk settles in earlier and earlier. Wildlife around San Simeon follow their natural cycles as animals of all kinds transition towards colder months ahead.
The king of San Simeon wildlife is unquestionably the elephant seal! These giant mammals can be found all along the coastal areas in and around San Simeon and, grouped in rookeries that form their home bases. As September begins, young elephant seals begin to haul themselves out of the ocean where they spent most of the summer months molting and proving their abilities to survive into adulthood. The autumn gathering back to their rookeries is an important step in the elephant seal life cycle because it is in the rookeries that babies will be born over the winter and nurtured by the group for the first months of their lives. Throughout the fall, elephant seals can be viewed from designated vista points near their rookeries that provides the respectful distance needed to keep both seals and their human friends safe.
Elephant seals aren’t the only stars of the wildlife world in San Simeon! Whales also love the ocean waters around San Simeon and fall provides two fantastic opportunities for whale watching. Humpback whales typically migrate throughout August and September, so keep those binoculars handy to be able to view these magnificent water mammals as they migrate in their pods. Later in the fall, roughly in November and December, gray whales take their migratory turn south. Once nearly extinct, gray whales now thrive along the Pacific coast despite having one of the longest migration journeys of any mammal at about 10,000 miles! Although whale watching tours can provide closer viewing, there are ample opportunities to see both humpback gray whales from the San Simeon Bay Pier as they make their journeys.
While you’re checking out seals and whales, you’ll surely catch a glimpse of the imp of the sea: the sea otter! We love otters here in San Simeon because they’re endlessly entertaining. From playing in the surf to snuggling their babies, otters are fun and super relatable. (Honestly, doesn’t it look like they’re having a blast?) Otters can be found all along the Central Coast year-round, so find a good viewing spot and give yourself some time. Sea otters are sure to make an appearance while you’re there!
If you’re more of a landlubber, San Simeon has plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities for you too! The famous Hearst Castle zebras are always a delightful surprise for San Simeon visitors. While zebras are clearly not native to the area, the descendants of William Randolph Hearst’s zoo have survived and flourished for generations here. With no native predators, they’ve managed to increase in numbers and are now a sure way to amaze out-of-towners. Usually found in the eastside ranches along Highway 1 south of San Simeon, be sure to pull over to give yourself plenty of time to marvel at the San Simeon zebras.
California condors can also be seen throughout San Simeon. Often confused with turkey vultures, condors have a wingspan of over 9 feet that extend out to finger-like feathers that rarely flap as the birds soar high above the ground. Just north of San Simeon, Big Sur is home to a condor sanctuary that helps provide safe rehabilitation for injured birds before their release back into the wild. Although California condors are still a federally and state protected endangered species, the efforts to protect them have paid off: there are now about 500 condors, up from a meager 22 in the 1980s.
A trip to San Simeon throughout the fall is an exploration of nature. With a community-wide dedication to protection and education, animals of all sorts flourish around the region. It’s truly a haven for wildlife and wildlife lovers!