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Outdoor Recreation & Nature

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is world reknown for its wildlife viewing opportunities. When you explore the bay by boat you may discover curious animals from seabirds to whales to turtles to jellyfish. Sanctuary Cruises provides year round whale watching from Moss Landing's A Dock and special charters in the marine sanctuary, all on Coast Guard approved vessels (831)917-1042. In the Moss Landing Harbor, Tom's Sportfishing offers whale watching charters and Marine Sanctuary nature trips (831)633-2564.

For the outdoor adventurer, Moss Landing is the gateway to Elkhorn Slough, one of California's largest wetlands and a National Estuarine Reserve. The Elkhorn Slough is a special place of natural beauty that supports a variety of wildlife such as playful sea otters, curious harbor seals and thousands of migrating birds. It is a birder's, photographer's, and hiker's paradise. One of the best ways to visit this intriguing placeis by boat on the waterways. Elkhorn Slough Safari offers a fun, high quality, and relaxing guided pontoon boat nature tour which travels right through the heart of the slough (831)633-5555. Guided paddles of the slough and rentals you can take at your own pace are available through Kayak Connection (831)724-5692. Monterey Bay Kayaks (831)373-KELP or (800)649-5357 provide rentals, classes, kayak sales, and slough trips. Monterey Birding Adventures can expertly lead you on landward birding explorations designed just for you (831)632-2473. Elkhorn Slough Visitor Center is the hub for education programs, displays, docent guided walks, and special classes; all focused on the outdoors (831)728-2822. Hiking trails leaving from the visitor center offer wonderful vistas of estuary, mudflats and marshes. Programs at the reserve and throughout the slough are supported in part by the Elkhorn Slough Foundation (831)728-5939. (See photos of local nature in the photo tour link )

Many visitors enjoy the local scenic State Beaches, state wildlife areas, and federal wildlife refuge. Walking, surfing, shore fishing, and others are some of the beach activities. A popular Moss Landing beach outing is to take a horeseback ride with Monterey Bay Equestrian Center, (831)663-5712. Wildlife areas offer nature study in marshes and sand dunes. The waves at these beaches are very popular with local surfers.

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