Elephant Seals

The elephant seal rookery, right off Highway One about 4.5 miles north of Hearst Castle is most interesting during breeding season, from December through February when almost 4,000 pups are born in just a few weeks. At other times of the year, you may find animals who have returned to shore to shed their skin and for a while after their parents return to the sea, the young "weaners" will be around, learning how to swim and growing stronger before making their first trip into the ocean.

The breeding area and rookery are right beside the highway, and easy to get to.