When elephant seals return to the California coast from their ten month journey through the depths of the sea, it is a monumental event. At San Simeon State Beach there are at times about 18,000 elephant seals on the four mile stretch of sand, some of them up to 5,000 pounds. The best spot to observe adult elephant seals is Hearst-San Simeon State Park Elephant Seal Vista Point, about five miles north of Hearst Castle.

The best time to come to the park to watch seals is from mid-November to mid-January. Elephant seals live most of their life in the sea, where they feed. Once they come to land, they fight for females, give birth, nurse babies and return the sea. Another great place to watch this annual spectacle is at Ano Nuevo State Park south of San Francisco. Elephant Seal Vista Point Map

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