Moss Landing Wildlife Area — Attraction in Watsonville Water Treatment Plant

Great place to kayak, see otters, harbor seals, otters, pelicans, cormorants and a million other sea birds. Wind in the summer months blows stronger from the ocean and harder as the day goes on, peaking around 5pm usually. If you start your paddle from the harbor that can make for a an easy paddle into the Slough but tough headwind on the way back. Paddling is pretty easy and the water is pretty shallow but not so shallow you have to worry about running aground. There isn't any good spots to haul out your kayak bcs the slough is mostly just mud. Plan accordingly. Have fun! Parking in the harbor cost 10$/car and another 6$ to launch personal watercraft. WARNING as of 7/30/22 the automated parking ticket machine has been removed and it cash only. In front of the bathrooms there's a metal box with blue envelopes that u put ur cash in, tear off the tag for ur windshield, and deposit it in the box. I was told by the Moss Landing Harbor management that the electronic box is supposed...

Nice, quiet area to kayak and observe wildlife, including sea otters, seals, egrets and other birds. There are a couple of places that rent kayaks 4 hours at a time; we spent two hours total kayaking on the channel and that seemed about the right amount of time, although we were on a short timeline and moving rather fast.

We were told that the land on the shore is privately owned, so you aren’t permitted to beach to picnic, fish, etc. Apparently the rules against boating and fishing are strictly enforced, along with the guidelines about maintaining appropriate standoff from the wildlife; while we were there on Memorial Day weekend, there were a couple of women on kayaks who were some kind of volunteer or state game wardens, there to enforce such regulations and guidelines.

Even on Memorial Day we were able to rent kayaks without a reservation; the slough (water channel) was busy with numerous kayakers but not...

HOLY COW! We went looking for animal encounters and adventures for our kids. In all of our world travels, NOTHING has come close to this experience. The sheer volume of seals (individuals and families, young and old), and Otters was astounding. Starting right at the dock, they were literally all around us. The water is very calm, and the setting is quiet allowing you to focus on why you came...the animals. It can get VERY crowded, so try to go during the week, and in the early winter. We went Thanskgiving week and it was empty. If you arent blown away by this experience, get your pulse checked. Oh, and the guides were friendly, knowledgable and maybr more excited than we...