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.

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.

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

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 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.

The sky is pewter this morning at Elkhorn Slough, where the preserve and the Pacific meet. The February fog mutes scenes, but amplifies sounds: the chortle of mourning doves, the cry of a red-tail hawk, the squawk of a mallard somewhere out on the marsh.

Sea otters are popular with kayakers in Elkhorn Slough. But these adorable, charismatic animals are also voracious predators that help keep problematic invaders out of coastal waters.

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.