An Easy Coastal Hike With Huge Nature Rewards at Año Nuevo State Park

Northern Elephant Seal

Date: June 8, 2024
Place: Año Nuevo State Park, Pescadero, California
Coordinates: 37.119850, -122.307338

Length; 4 miles
Level: easy

Año Nuevo State Park is mostly known for its elephant seal community. It is however, also an excellent birding site. So when I suggested to Pappa Quail to go on a hiking day out, he proposed going there. I didn't need much convincing (none at all, in fact). So on an early June morning we crossed the San Francisco Bay and Peninsula and arrived at Año Nuevo State Park. While I was getting my things ready, Pappa Quail already found a bird in the brush: a little, gray bushtit. This bird must be resistant to the poispon of the poison hemlock, the plant whose seeds it was eating. 

Bushtit

I settled for a wide shot of the rugged coastline with all the inlets and rock islets, and the coastal cliffs adorned by Monterey pines and cypresses. 

Coastal View

Our hike was on a straight-forward in-and-out trail with just a little loop at the end where the elephant seals were. We begun by cutting through the meadow between the old farm house and the watering pond that used to serve the historic farm there. 

Our Hike, as captured by my GPS

Squadrons of pacific brown pelicans crossed the sky, gliding beneath the gray line of the typical Northern California coast morning fog that still hung over the ocean. 

These pelicans are smaller than their inland counterparts, and live primarily along the coast, over the salt water and high surf. They are quite impressive birds, these pelicans. 

Pacific Brown Pelican

Pappa Quail wanted to go specifically to Cove Beach, where bank swallows were nesting, on the coastal cliffs. Across the trail from Cove Beach was a pond and the pond was surrounded by a thick belt of wetland vegetation, including a large field of tule.  

Wetland Vegetation

The western tule, which is a type of bullrush, was one of the most useful resources of the Bay Area's native peoples. They used it to build their homes, boats, snares, utility baskets, figures to play with or use as hunting decoys, and other useful items. 

Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis

Of the flowering plants I saw there in bloom was the giant vetch, growing in large bushes that sometimes turned to vining on other plants. 

Giant Vetch, Vicia gigantea

Because of the thick vegetation, very little of the pond was actually visible from where we stood. Pappa Quail took the time to scan the area that he could see while I scanned the vegetation to see what I could find there. 

Longroot Smartweed, Pesicaria amphibia var. amphibia

One of the flowering plants that bloomed outside of the tule belt was the California bee plant. It is a pretty common wildflower in the Bay Area, but I found it very challenging to photograph. Now that Pappa Quail was taking his time looking for birds, I took that time to take numerous photos of the bee plant. 

California Bee Plant, Scrophularia californica

From the trail junction I had a nice view of the cliffs bordering Cove Beach on the west. A large colony of pacific brown pelicans was roosting on the south edge of that cliff. Below it, the rock was holed by many cavities, eroded away by the coastal elements. More to the right there was another line of guano whitewash and a few cormorants sitting there. After we approached the cliff from below we saw that this roosting tenement cliff had one more level to it - that of the bank swallows, which isn't visible in this photo below. 

Large bushes of poison oak flank the narrow trail spur to Cove Beach. Some other, more friendly plants were mixed in that big blob of poison oak. 

Hedge Nettle, Stachys chanissonis

We descended the short, steep trail to Cove Beach. The upper part of that trail was a bit overgrown and I had to be careful to not rub against the poison oak. The bottom part was wide and more open, but it was also seeping water. 

Cove Beach Trail

The first bird we saw on the beach was a sole, female surf scoter. These oceanic ducks don't venture on the beach very frequently, so our first thought was that there was something wrong with this duck. She didn't look sick, though. 

Surf Scoter, female

Pappa Quail moved along the beach, scanning the cliff side for the bank swallow nest holes. I moved along the beach looking for other interesting sights. 

Cove Beach

I reached the end of Cove Beach and found that the end of the cliff that jutted into the ocean had a squished 'arch' through which the waves were coming in. 

Cove Beach Arch

A little more inland was a shallow cave in the rock. I peered inside it and although it did look like people were going in on a fairly regular basis, I didn't see anything interesting inside. 

In the corner of the cliff water seeped out of the soil. This fresh water source supported a nice vegetation patch, including many seep (yellow) monkeyflowers in bloom. 

Meanwhile, Pappa Quail was finding birds. He spotted a male house finch, standing out with his bright red plumage. 

House Finch

He also found the nesting colony of the bank swallows, way up the cliff. Bank swallows aren't very common in California and are nesting in only very few places, Año Nuevo State Park being one of them. For a very long time, Pappa Quail stood there below the cliff with his very heavy camera lens trained on the nesting holes. He took many, many photos of them that day, and I spent a very long time going through all of them, selecting the best one for this blogpost, one that shows both the fledgelings in the hole and the adult birds flying in and out in their endless effort to keep their young well fed. 

I watched the swallows for a little while, then continued to scan the beach for other things to see, such as sand diggers that crawled between the salt water and the sea strand. For these little crustaceans this poetically impossible place is their living space.  

Sand Digger

For a few long minutes I also watched the waves coming in. This ever changing constant visual never ceases to captivate me.  

Other people take a much more active path of appreciating waves - a small group of surfers (well clad in wetsuits) played with the waves, going in and out of the surf. They were a pleasure to watch. 

By the time Pappa Quail was satisfied with the bank swallow photos I have photographed every possible sea foam formation on that beach. I was ready to continue the hike. 

Cove Beach, view east

Just before going up the spur trail back to the main coastal trail, we saw another surf scoter by the beach. It was a male this time. The female we saw earlier was nowhere to be seen. 

Surf Scoter, male

Happy with his findings, Pappa Quail marched up the trail quickly. I lingered behind a bit to look at more wildflowers that grew on or below the walls of poison oak. 

Coast Man-root, Marah oregana

By then I already knew that this hike will be about wildflowers no less than about birds, but I still didn't know how much. 

Pacific Aster, Symphyotrichum chilense

Up at the trail junction I caught up with Pappa Quail. He was standing below the small grove of Monterey pines that grew there, focusing on a tiny hummingbird that was perching on a low, dead branch. 

Anna's Hummingbird, female

Past Cove Beach the coastal trail cut through a large, flat meadow. Up ahead a small grove of Monterey pines marked where the naturalist station was. Last time we visited this park the coastal trail was closed beyond that point - it closes annually in the winter to allow the elephant seals to breed without human disturbance. It wasn't elephant seal breeding season now and we expected that part of the trail to be open. 

Trail

In August 2020 a huge complex fire ravaged large areas of the southern San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Looking behind me towards the mountains I could see the severity of the damage, nearly four years after the fire. 

Pappa Quail was also looking up, but for different reasons. He spotted a northern harrier that was flying low oiver the meadow, in search of food. 

Northern Harrier

I returned my attention to the trail and the meadow flanking it. Most of the grasses were dry or drying but there were quite a few plants that were blooming between the grasses, nearly all of them (like the grasses) non-native species. 

Sheep Sorrel, Rumex acetosella

Of these meadow wildflowers the prettiest one was probably the morning glory. There are many native species of morning glory in California, but this one was probably the invasive field morning glory, that became very prevalent along the California coast. 

Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis

Another non-native species I started seeing in that meadow was the yellow glandweed. There were only a few of them by that part of the trail but later on, in the sandy area, there were massive patches of the yellow glandweed. 

Yellow Glandweed, Bellardia viscosa

Closer to the naturalist station I started seeing blackberry bushes. Now that really slowed me down, because there were plenty of ripe berries ready for picking. There are numerous blackberry species in the Bay Area, some native and some invasive. I have not the knowledge to tell them apart by looks, and not by taste either. These berries were very yummy, though. 

Blackberry, Rubus sp.

When we reached the naturalist station we found the naturalist standing by a display of bones, teeth, and pelts. She was busy talking with other park visitors, so we stepped aside to a view area over the coast to see what we could find there.   

Coastline, view southeast

We stood high above the water. Below us on the surface, a number of waterfowl were floating passively on the mild waves. These birds were pigeon guillemot. 

Pigeon Guillemot

We returned to the naturalist station and Pappa Quail chatted with the naturalist for some time. Meanwhile I checked the flowers that were blooming nearby, where the Año Nuevo Point Trail continued to where the elephant seals were. What attracted me over to the flowers patch were the lovely California poppies, but the first thing that caught my attention when I got there were the bumblebees that feasted on the, showing all the joy that an insect can express. 

Bumblebee enjoying a California Poppy feast

Alongside and in between the poppies bloomed numerous Indian paintbrush, adding their brilliant red to the poppies' yellowish-orange. There were other flowers there too, but the show was mainly put on by the poppies and paintbrush. It was probably the most brilliant bloom patch along this hike. 

Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja affinis

I returned to the naturalist station where Pappa Quail was wrapping up his chat with the naturalist. I took a moment to get a close up shot of a come cluster hanging from one of the Monterey pine trees that were shading the station. 

Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata

Pappa Qual also focused on the pine tree, where on top of a cone perched a barn swallow. Barn swallows were nesting under the naturalist station's arch but this year's nest has already matured and the birds were outside. 

Barn Swallow

The Año Nuevo Point Trail was open and accessible. Pappa Quail and I continued on westward along the coastline. For a while the trail remained a wide and comfortable packed gravel path. The trail stretched along a coastal plateau dotted with clusters of willow, lupine and poison oak bushes. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

The sides of of the trail were painted yellow with lotus flowers, and dotted with clover's purple. The display of wildflowers was only getting better with each step of the way. 

Bird's Foot Trefoil, Acmispon sp.

Even very common wildflowers such as the yarrow, flowers I hardly give a second glance normally, seemed more lively and vibrant that day. 

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium

I noticed the coastal bush lupines right away when we took the Año Nuevo Point Trail and was disappointed that they weren't blooming. I was glad when I saw some blooming lupines further down the trail, and very happy when, even later on, saw numerous large bushes in full bloom. Some of the lupine bushes shared their space with the tall, red-flowered bee plants. 

Coastal Bush Lupine, Lupinus arboreus

A short spur jutted out of the trail, leading to a coast overview. The view northwest was blocked by the vegetation but I got a nice view of the half moon coastline on the southeast. I noticed a small' plat rock island a bit off shore, but at that point I didn't pay attention to the fact that it was bare. 

Pappa Quail paid his attention to movement out in the ocean. He thought at first that it was a dolphin, but when he enlarged the photo he saw that it was a sea lion. These pinnipeds jump-breathe like dolphins when moving fast near the surface.  

Sea Lion

Past the mound of vegetation we did get some view to the northwest. Not a direct view of the coastline, but of the south tip of the Año Nuevo Island with the old, historic lighthouse station. 

The nice gravel path changed into a raised boardwalk as the soil turned into sand and the vegetation took over the entire area. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

A large dune stood in our path just before South Point. The trail continued straight up the dune so we went on to ascend the sandy slope. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

Little primrose flowers bloomed near the trail. These beach evening primrose plants have long stems to help them remain rooted when the wind blows the sand away, and hairy leaves to protect them from the abrasive force of the flying sand. 

Beach Evening Primrose, Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia

Of the dune we saw the trail junction with the South Point Loop. It's a small loop trail to the beach. Even without knowing there would be elephant seals there I would have wanted to check it out, so I pointed it out to Pappa Quail and we took the turn to South Point.

South Point Loop Trail

The soil was sand, grounded by rich coastal vegetation. Many little wildflowers bloomed along the narrow sandy trail, some of which I haven't seen yet on this hike. 

The sand was wet, and it was by fresh water for sure, because all the plants that were growing there were fresh water plants. 

Magnificent Seep Monkeyflower, Erythranthe grandis

We could hear the elephant seals way before we reached South Point beach. When we got there we saw a bunch of elephant seals strewn on the dead kelp and the sand. Most of them were asleep, but some of them were active and quite vocal. 

South Point

Sumer is the down time for the elephant seals. The large bulls have finished their reproductive duties long ago and returned to the ocean depths. Those on the beach during summer were adult females with maturing pups and young males who haven't yet grown the bulgy nose typical of the mature bulls. The large bulls we've seen last February in Point Reyes National Seashore. 

Northern Elephant Seal

Pappa Quail was happy to see the elephant seals (bulls excluded) but he never forgot to look out for the birds, even the most common ones. 

Western Gull

I, on the other hand, focused on the truly important things - the beach wildflowers, for instance, of which there were quite a few. 

Silver Beachweed, Ambrosia chamissonis

There were also other people at the South Point Beach overlook. One of them was a ranger who made sure that visitors did not approach the seals. She also explained about them and pointed out to us one seal which had a radio transmitter attached to her fur. Apparently it wasn't such a hard thing to to - the sleeping seals could be easily approached and wouldn't budge when the transmitter was glued on their body. Not that I'd ever volunteer to do that task. 

Elephant Seals, one with a Radio transmitter

Pappa Quail joined in the conversation that was going on between the ranger and other visitors, and meanwhile I found myself captivated by what looked like a small wasp that was busy digging on the sand. The busy insect didn't get very far with her efforts - the sand kept spilling back into the hole she was trying to create. Every now and then another wasp would pop by and hover for a while over the digging one, then would drift away. The sight was hypnotizing. 

Eventually Pappa Quail detached himself from the discussion group and pulled me back onto the path to return to Año Nuevo Point Trail and continue on to Bight Beach, where we were told were many more elephant seals. 

Rushes

There were plenty of low willows along the trail, and nearly all of them were infested with galls. I like to photograph these galls but I rarely post them here, unless they are interesting. The galls in the photo below were interesting. They gave me the 'look'. 

Galls

A bird was singing from a nearby tree and Pappa Quail recognized it before he even saw it - it was the California thrasher. There was no mistake once we saw the bird with that long, curved bill. 

California Thrasher 

The trail from South Point to to Bight Beach was on soggy wet, partially flooded wet sand. The flooded area wasn't transient - boardwalk planks were laid there for hikers to walk on. There were more wildflowers blooming along this part of the trail, too. 

Slender Willowherb, Epilobium ciliatum

We reached the Bight beach overview area, which was set with raised wood decks over the thick vegetation. There were many people there already, viewing the large, crescent-shaped beach, and the colony of elephant seals that were sleeping just off shore. 

Northern Elephant Seal overlook at Bight Beach

From the viewing deck at Bight Beach we had direct view of Año Nuevo Island, and the old historic building that used to serve the lighthouse keeper and his family. The ranger that was present on the deck told us that decades ago this island wasn't yet a full island and that there used to be a land bridge that would get exposed in low tide, allowing vehicles to go back and forth from the lighthouse to the mainland. This land bride got eroded with time. The lighthouse was decommissioned and the island has now the status of a full nature preserve and is off limits to humans. Enjoying the island now are many birds, and also a colony of loud sea lions. 

Año Nuevo Island

Right below the viewing deck on the beach side, bloomed a beautiful beach plant - the beach sand verbena. I am very familiar with this wildflower but I never get tired of seeing it. A blooming beach sand verbena makes any coastal trip so much prettier. 

Yellow Sand Verbena, Abronia latifolia

The viewing area of Bight Beach has two large decks separated by tall vegetation and connected from behind by a short boardwalk. After staying some time on one of the decks we moved over to the second one where we found another ranger standing by a display of bones and skulls of local wildlife, including those of elephant seals. 

The ranger told us that the elephant seals were on the verge of extinction - hunted down for meat, fur and blubber, by the end of the 19th century less than a 100 of them remained. With great conservation efforts their population bounced back, and their numbers are currently estimated at around 175,000. Since the surviving population were all of the same colony, all of todays northern elephant seals are close blood relatives. Researchers follow closely the seal population and study their life and behavior using radio transmitters and also painted numbers. The ranger pointed out to us a marked seal on the shore. 

Northern Elephant Seal

Not all the seals were sleeping. A few young males were in the shallows, practicing their big bull mannerisms with one another, equivalent of teenage boys. 

Northern Elephant Seal

We could watch the elephant seals longer, but I wanted to do another hike in the area that day, so after noting some more wildflowers near the viewing deck, Pappa Quail and I thanked the ranger and turned to go back on the main trail. 

Yellow Yarrow, Eriophyllum confetiflorum

We passed the wet sand boardwalk planks and headed back toward the big dune by South Point. The park has also a North Point beach, but the trail there was closed. During our time at Bight Beach the clouds gathered overhead, and the sky was now completely gray and glum. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

We didn't see the California thrasher again but another songbird was voicing out his spring song atop one of the willows - a spotted towhee was singing there at the top of his throat. 

Spotted Towhee

On the way back I had a second opportunity to take better photos of wildflowers the I saw blooming there when we walked to Bight Beach. 

Davy's Centaury, Zeltnera davyi

We climbed up the big dune again, and skipped on going to South Point this time around. From the height of the dune we had a very nice view of the southeastern coastline that stretched below. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

The trail was marked with wood labs and poles at the bottom of the dune. There was an information sign there but my attention was on the little fence lizard that darted away quickly as we approached. 

Western Fence Lizard

We didn't take many photos on our way back. Pappa Quail moved ahead at a quick pace and I just took a few scenery wide shots here and there. The gray sky seemed to have affected us, plus we were both pretty hungry by now. 

Año Nuevo Point Trail

Despite our eagerness to get back, when we passed that ocean view point near the trail Pappa Quail pulled me to it and pointed out to me that flat rock that we saw earlier on our way in. At that time the rock was bare. Now it was occupied by a resting harbor seal. The rock was much higher above the water now, indicating that the tide was lower. 

Harbor Seal

The map on the park's brochure had a trail marked on it, that went inland from the Naturalist Station looping back to the parking area around the pond and the wetland. When we asked the naturalist about it though, she said that that trail was no longer being maintained and we wouldn't be able to follow it.  We resigned to return the rest of the way on the same coastal trail we hiked in on.

Año Nuevo Point Trail

Not that we had any problem with it - new things can be seen that we missed on the first time we walked that trail. 

Red Sand Spurrey, Spergularia rubra

The way also back gave us a different point of view on things that we did see. In some cases this second point of view was even better than the first. 

Pond

Even so, our way back was much, much faster Driven by hunger we quickly covered the distance of the meadow trail and went directly to the old barn that now serves as the park's visitor center. There is a picnic area outside of the old barn. Most of the tables were already in use and seeing more people coming down the trail I sat down at one of the still empty tables while Pappa Quail went to fetch our food from the car. We had a nice picnic lunch there, in view of the three story roosting cliffs where pelicans, cormorants, and bank swallows made their home at. Far on the horizon was the flat, Año Nuevo Island. The ocean looked calm, and as gray as the sky. 

We finished our lunch right at the time some large raindrops started falling. These drops never matured into a full rain event, but they signaled that it was time to get going again. Pappa Quail wrapped up our things and took everything back to the car while I peeked inside the visitor center for a few minutes. I exited the old barn on the other side where I spotted yet another fence lizard. 

Western Fence Lizard

Pappa Quail joined me behind the barn and pointed out to me a purple sage that was blooming there. The sage was planted there as part of a Bay Area native plants garden, but but looked very lovely, and this was its natural habitat. 

Purple Sage, Salvia leucophylla

We had a full, and very rewarding visit in Año Nuevo State Park that morning, but there was still much daytime left for us and now it was my turn to suggest a hiking location. I've already thought about it at home so when we were ready to go I punched in the navigator the coordinates of Butano State Park - only a short distance away inland, across Highway 1.