Monarch Butterfly Grove — Attraction in Pismo Beach

The Monarch Butterfly Grove is a short, flat dirt loop, lined by a wooden fence and surrounded by tall trees. Monarchs flock here every year between October and February to breed. On cold mornings and cloudy days, butterflies roost in the branches of the trees and take flight once in the sunlight. The butterflies are difficult to capture with a phone camera, so bring your best zoom lenses! You may also see researchers doing field work, which is exciting.

There are two benches within the loop, but most people lean against the fence while watching the butterflies. At the entrance to the loop near the gift shop, there is more seating available, mostly used for educational talks; however, unfortunately, talks are not being held this year (2021).

The Grove also has access, via hiking trails, to the ocean and campsite. Be mindful of your footwear as the trails are a mixture of paved road, dirt, sand, and boardwalk.

FEES: None! The Grove and parking is free. Consider donating or shopping at the gift shop to support butterfly and land protection.

PARKING: Street parking only. If you arrive during the height of the day, it is peak visitation hours and the shoulder of the road is full of vehicles. People are constantly leaving, however, and the furthest parking is only a minute or two walk to the gates of the Grove.

RESTROOMS: There is a port-a-potty near the entrance to the Grove. No hand sanitizing or washing station available. On the Sunday afternoon I visited, the potty was clean and...

This is a beautiful little gem near Pismo Beach, CA. We went here on a Monday, there weren't too many people. We arrived around 1030 a.m, it was chilly but the sun was out. As it got warmer and the sun rays light up the Eucalyptus trees, the Monarchs started to awaken. Around noon we saw more activity, 50 or more butterflies would fly off the trees at a time. I recommend bringing binoculars, the butterflies are clustered on the trees and are hard to see. Some flew low, right above our heads. It's a small Grove with a trail that goes circular. It does get muddy if it rains, it was pretty muddy when we went. There is a camp off the trail behind the Grove and it looked like it may have lead to the beach, but not certain. The restrooms seemed to be located in the camp, a ways away. There was a small gift shop that opened around 1130 or so, it's a trailer that you walk up to and can look at their souvenirs, they also sell binoculars. The best time to see the butterflies is around noon to 1 or 2 p.m. when it is warm and the sun is high. Great for families. The hours are...

Awesome place to come and get some nature trails in. Was a beautiful day everyone arround was very friendly. If you drive her parking is a little awkward with the road right behind you and expect to get your shoes pretty dirty. There are outdoor restrooms, from this area it's about a 15min walk to the ocean side where you can go get in the water. There are many trails to choose from. It is pet friendly there are many dogs with their owners out while we were here. There is areas that have doggy bags just in case you forget yours. We only saw a few butterfly's while we were here unfortunately. Their is a souviner butter fly shop that has shirts sweaters merchandise, waters binoculours and more there. Some of the merchandise is a little pricy. To give you an idea 2 shirts a small hardback book and a mug was about 100.00 here. We would love to come back and take advantage of the camping ground at a later time it's a really nice area to come and camp and enjoy how close that water is to it and just the...