Año Nuevo State Park

Año Nuevo State Park hugs the rugged Pacific coastline of San Mateo County, about 55 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge, and hosts one of the largest mainland breeding colonies of Northern Elephant Seals on the entire US West Coast. Each year from December through March, thousands of seals return to the beach — massive bulls weighing up to 5,000 pounds clash noisily over territory while females give birth and nurse their pups in dense, chaotic clusters. During the breeding season, access to the seal area is by ranger-led guided tour only, which must be booked in advance; outside peak season, coastal trails wind through sand dunes, past sea lion rocks, and toward the historic Año Nuevo Island lighthouse. Sea otters, brown pelicans, and occasional great white sharks in the surf zone round out the wildlife spectacle.