Morro Bay Day Trip from Pismo Beach

Sally's Guide to Morro Bay

Morro Bay is my favorite day trip from Pismo Beach, and I have been going there for most of the 15 years I have lived on the Central Coast. It is a genuinely different experience from Pismo. Where Pismo is an open beach town with a pier and a busy downtown, Morro Bay is a working harbor town built around a sheltered estuary, a historic fishing fleet, and one of the most dramatic geological landmarks on the California coast.

The drive north on Highway 101 takes about 30 minutes. You follow the freeway past San Luis Obispo and then cut west through Los Osos Valley, and suddenly you see Morro Rock through the windshield. That first view of the rock, rising 578 feet from the water with the Pacific behind it, never gets old. There is nothing else like it on the California coast.

Morro Rock and the Embarcadero Waterfront

Morro Rock is the defining feature of the town and the first thing everyone wants to see up close. You can drive or walk to the base of the rock along a paved path at the north end of the Embarcadero. The rock is a California State Historic Landmark and a protected peregrine falcon nesting site, so climbing on it is not permitted, but walking around the base gives you an excellent sense of its scale. It is bigger than it looks from a distance.

The Embarcadero is the main waterfront street, running along the eastern edge of the bay with Morro Rock visible at the north end. It has a working harbor feel that is completely different from anything at Pismo Beach. Commercial fishing boats dock alongside pleasure craft. Fish markets sell the morning catch. Kayak rental outfitters set up on the docks. Seafood restaurants line the waterfront with outdoor tables facing the rock. On a clear day the walk from the south end of the Embarcadero to the base of Morro Rock and back is one of the best waterfront strolls on the Central Coast.

Kayaking Morro Bay Estuary

The estuary behind Morro Rock is one of the best kayaking environments in California. The bay is protected from the open Pacific by the sand spit, which keeps the water flat and manageable even when there is wind outside. Several outfitters along the Embarcadero rent kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and sit-on-top kayaks by the hour. No experience is required and the water is shallow enough near shore that tipping over is not a serious concern.

The wildlife in the estuary is exceptional. Sea otters are a near-daily sighting near the rock and along the north side of the bay. Harbor seals haul out on the sand spit. Great blue herons stalk the shallows. Hundreds of shorebird species use the bay as a migratory stopover, and the back bay area near Morro Bay State Park is a serious birding destination. I have paddled the estuary dozens of times and never had a quiet trip in terms of wildlife. Morning is the best time: the water is calmest, the light is beautiful on the rock, and the otters are active before the powerboats arrive.

Seafood on the Embarcadero

Morro Bay is a fishing town first and a tourist town second, which shows in the food. The seafood restaurants along the Embarcadero have direct relationships with the fishing fleet that docks within view of their tables. Clam chowder, fish and chips, whole Dungeness crab, fresh oysters, and fish tacos all appear on most menus. The quality is consistently high because the supply chain is short.

The fish market storefronts along the Embarcadero sell fresh catch directly to visitors. If you are cooking at a vacation rental or want to bring home something exceptional, these markets are the place to go. In winter, Dungeness crab season brings fresh whole crabs to the docks. The informal fish and chips shacks scattered along the waterfront are often better than the sit-down restaurants for a casual lunch.

Morro Bay State Park and Black Hill Hike

Morro Bay State Park wraps around the south end of the bay and includes a eucalyptus grove that serves as a major great blue heron rookery. During nesting season, which runs from late winter through spring, dozens of herons build their nests in the treetops. The park museum has exhibits on the Chumash people who lived along the Central Coast and the ecology of the Morro Bay estuary.

Black Hill, one of the Nine Sisters volcanic peaks, rises above the state park and offers a 2-mile round trip hike with about 600 feet of elevation gain. The summit views are excellent: Morro Rock and the bay to the north, the Pacific to the west, and the chaparral-covered hills of the interior rolling east. The trailhead is in the state park and easy to find. It is a moderate hike suitable for most fitness levels and gives you a perspective on Morro Bay that you cannot get from the Embarcadero.

Combining Morro Bay with Montana de Oro

The best full-day trip from Pismo Beach combines Morro Bay with Montana de Oro State Park, which is about 15 minutes south of Morro Bay through Los Osos. Spend the morning kayaking the Morro Bay estuary and have lunch on the Embarcadero, then drive south to Montana de Oro for an afternoon on the Bluff Trail and a stop at Spooner's Cove tide pools. The two parks have entirely different characters and together they show the full range of the Central Coast coast. You will be back in Pismo Beach in time for a late dinner at the pier.

If you are choosing between the two rather than combining them: Montana de Oro is better for serious hikers and tide pool lovers. Morro Bay is better for kayakers, seafood lovers, and anyone who wants a pleasant waterfront town experience with world-class wildlife. Both are worth the drive from Pismo. Neither will disappoint.

Sally's Tips for a Morro Bay Day Trip

• ●Go early for kayaking. The estuary is calmest and wildlife is most active from 7 to 10 a.m. Kayak rentals open by 8 or 9 a.m. on most mornings. Afternoon winds can make paddling less comfortable.
• ●Park at the south end of the Embarcadero and walk north. The public parking lots at the south end fill up last, and the walk north toward Morro Rock along the waterfront is half the experience.
• ●Combine with Montana de Oro. The two destinations are 15 minutes apart and complement each other perfectly. Morro Bay for the harbor and kayaking, Montana de Oro for the wild coast and hiking.
• ●Watch for sea otters near the rock. They tend to float in the kelp beds near the north end of the bay, close to Morro Rock. Bring binoculars if you have them.
• ●Eat at a fish market counter, not just the sit-down restaurants. The casual fish market counters along the Embarcadero often have better and fresher preparations at lower prices than the full-service restaurants.
• ●Hike Black Hill if you have the energy. The 2-mile round trip to the summit of Black Hill in Morro Bay State Park gives you the best overhead view of the bay, the rock, and the Pacific. It takes about 90 minutes at a comfortable pace.
• ●Check the weather before you drive. Morro Bay gets more coastal fog than Pismo Beach, especially in summer mornings. A foggy Morro Bay is still beautiful, but the rock views are better when it clears. The fog usually burns off by late morning.