California's Elkhorn Slough and its watershed is a remarkable meeting place between land and sea.

With five state beaches, several parks and preserves, and two wildlife areas nearby, the Elkhorn Slough area offers even more places to go hiking (with and without your dog), birding, fishing, horseback riding, camping, or boating.

What is Elkhorn Slough? Curving seven miles inland from Moss Landing, Elkhorn Slough is one of California’s most important coastal wetlands.

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve features a visitor center, picnic areas, and five miles of trails through beautiful oak woodlands, calm tidal creeks, and open grasslands. We are committed to ensuring the health of Elkhorn Slough and its surrounding watershed for generations.

Elkhorn Slough is a remarkable sanctuary for wildlife, tucked into a patchwork landscape of farms, ranches, and residential communities, The slough provides habitat for a diverse population of birds, plants, marine mammals, and fish.

heavy-metal nanoparticles in marsh soils at Elkhorn Slough Reserve following the recent fire at the nearby Vistra Power Plant's lithium-ion battery storage facility. The staff of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve and Elkhorn Slough Foundation are working to assess environmental effects of the Moss Landing battery fire.

The goal of the Reserve research program is to inform conservation strategies for Elkhorn Slough and other estuaries. This research includes long-term monitoring to detect changes over time and short-term projects to understand and diminish threats to Slough habitats and communities.

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve, located at 1700 Elkhorn Road, is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Reserve is closed Monday and Tuesday. When the Reserve is closed, you cannot drive in, walk in, or access the trails, restrooms, or visitor center.

We do not permit kayaking within Reserve boundaries. Check out our kayaking page to see areas where boating is permitted at Elkhorn Slough. You can launch kayaks or other small boats at Moss Landing’s North Harbor, located on Highway 1, or at Kirby Park, located north of the Reserve on Elkhorn Road.

Elkhorn Slough, a seasonal estuary extending inland for seven miles (11 kilometers) from the midpoint of Monterey Bay in Central California (Figure 1), provides extraordinary biological diversity and recreational