"A little bit of God's country between San Simeon and Big Sur" is how Tim Burres, owner of the Piedras Blancas Motel, describes this remote length of northern San Luis Obispo County coast.
Until recently, most California Highway 1 motorists sped through "God's country," past all things named Piedras Blancas--the guano-covered rocks named by the explorer Juan Cabrillo in 1542, the quaint lighthouse built in 1874, and some funky houses constructed in the 1950s.
Now travelers have a big reason to stop. The Piedras Blancas coast has been colonized by thousands of elephant seals. There are droves in the coves, huddled masses on the beaches.
Following close on the flippers of the seals are wildlife watchers from around the world. The creatures have become an international draw, and coastal interpretive displays offer information in Spanish, French, German and Japanese.
Elephant seals were hunted to near extinction in the first half of the 19th century. The animals were killed for their blubber, which was made into lubricants and lamp oil. The species barely managed to survive in isolated colonies on the Guadalupe Islands off Baja and on California's Channel Islands.
The seals were observed "scouting out" the Piedras Blancas shoreline as early as 1977 and began landing in large numbers in 1990. About 4,000 animals bask and breed on the beaches these days. The highest seal count occurs in May when the creatures molt; however, some seals are found on the beaches any time of the year.
December through February is the breeding and pupping season. Elephant seals eat squid and small sharks, while large sharks (great whites) and killer whales eat them. Friends of the Elephant Seals (volunteer docents clad in bright blue jackets) are usually stationed at the major vista points to answer visitors' questions.
While seal viewing has become popular, on most days the pinnipeds still outnumber the people who watch them. Any hiker who heads north from the vista points will find a lovely and lonely length of the California Coastal Trail and, likely, some surprising solitude.
The route crosses land belonging to the Hearst Corp., which has granted hikers and other visitors a "revocable right to pass." In practical terms, this means that the hikers, kayakers and surfers using the trails crossing private property need to be extra courteous.
