SLO Cal pro surf

Searching for Monarchs on the California Coast
January 18th – 26th 2026 (8 nights)

After two weeks of strong winter storms, California was finally given a reprieve.  Clear blue, sunny skies and warm conditions followed.  The nice weather presented an opportunity to finally visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach.  We had visited the Grove many times in the past, but only during off season (Spring, Summer, and Fall) when no butterflies were around.  Peak season for the migrating Monarch butterflies is during the winter (with mid-November through December presenting the highest numbers).  With good weather forecast for the next ten days, we planned a last-minute trip which included a visit to Pismo.

We made our first stop on our way up the California Coast in Santa Barbara (about a three and a half hour drive from our home in Carlsbad) to visit our cousin Jon and his family.  We situated the Scamp 13′ in my cousin’s driveway for an overnight stay.  After setting up the Scamp, we had a great lunch at the line-out-the-door Pang Zi Noodle Shop.  We then walked off lunch along the waterfront (there’s an arts and crafts show on Sundays — ) and down Santa Barbara Stearns Wharf Pier.

After walking most of the afternoon, we were ready for dinner!  We met my cousin Jon and his wife Ida at the Santa Barbara Public Market and had a chance to catch up with what’s been going on in each others’ lives.  There are a number of restaurant stalls inside the Public Market, offering a variety of foods.  We had excellent pizza at Ca’ Dario Pizzeria followed by some of the best ice-cream we’ve ever tasted at Rori’s Artisinal Creamery.

The next morning, we went for a long hike with our cousin Jon, his wife Ida, and dog Toby (a Sheepadoodle).  We hiked through the beautiful Elings Park.  It’s the largest privately funded non-profit park in America, at 230 acres.  Everything was so green after all the rain.  During our hike, we discovered the Santa Barbara Model RC club and their small model airport within the park and enjoyed speaking to some of the members and watching them fly their models.  From Elings Park, we hiked through to the Douglas Family Preserve, a smaller park but with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.  After having a very fun visit with family, we continued our journey north to Pismo Beach to see the butterflies (and our good friend Jim)!

Pismo Beach North Beach Campground is a campground adjacent to the beach behind sand dunes in Pismo Beach.  It’s a very popular campground, offering premium beach side campsites for only $25/night!!!  There is good Verizon mobile phone reception here along with water spigots and a pay RV dump station (currently $10).  We reserved site #83 (pull through site) at the last minute, which is one of the best sites since it is right behind the dunes with a short walk to the beach and Monarch Butterfly Grove.  Sometimes great sites become available at the last minute as people often cancel for various reasons.  The first thing we did after setting up our Scamp 13′, was to visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove next door.  It was late afternoon and cool though, and the butterflies, we were told, were all sleeping!

The next morning we learned that the Monarch butterfly population is at historic low levels this year (down from tens of thousands a few years ago and hundreds of thousands in the 1990’s to only a hundred now).  Some reasons given for the population downturn are increased pesticide / herbicide use, climate changes, and shifts in milkweed growth (the exclusive food source for Monarch caterpillars).  The Monarchs seen at the Pismo Monarch Grove are the “migratory super-generation” that make their way over thousands of miles from Canada, down the coast of California, to the border of Mexico.  A ranger mentioned that because of the heavy rain this past year, there’s a chance the numbers will rebound next year.  There’s an app that allows tracking of some of the Monarchs (they are tracked with an extremely small and light bluetooth transmitter which is attached to their body).

We had a great lunch with our close friend Jim catching up and enjoying the excellent food at Old Juan’s Cantina in Pismo Beach.  We revisited the Monarch Butterfly Grove after lunch and saw more Monarchs which were enjoying the sun and warm afternoon temperatures.  We then walked from the campground down to the beach and along the boardwalk to the Pismo Beach Pier.  The SLO Cal pro surf event was happening during our visit and we had fun watching the surfing from high above on the pier.  Before leaving town for our next stop, we had to try the Old West Cinnamon Roll shop (established in 1972) as it is frequently mentioned as offering the best cinnamon rolls on the West Coast.  It did not disappoint!

Our next stop, New Brighton Beach State Park Campground, is one of the most popular beachfront campgrounds in California.  About a three hour drive north of Pismo Beach, the campground is located close to the cute beachside towns of Capitola and Santa Cruz (home to UC Santa Cruz), offering plenty to see and do.  The campground is at the top of the bluffs, looking down at China Beach and the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, with some premium campsites offering spectacular ocean views (a number with electric hookups).  We had site #72 ($35/night) which is a good site with a partial ocean view ($50/night for premium sites).  There’s a threaded water spigot nearby and we were able to connect two hoses to directly fill our fresh tank (also using a velcro strap to hold down the water valve).  There is an RV dumpstation at the park exit which accomodates four RVs simultaneously (currently $10).

We had plenty of things to do during our two day stay at New Brighton Beach State Park.  There’s a trail which goes down to the beach from the campground, along the water and then up a stairway back to the campground (about a mile loop).  We saw sea birds and dolphins on our morning walks.  We explored the little town of Capitola (with attractive beach shops, restaurants, and pier).  There are some colorful photo-worthy Mediterranean townhouses (24) and a hotel (17 units) near the pier called the Venetian Court.  They were built in 1924 and represent one of the first condominium style developments on the California coast!  Next, we drove to the town of Santa Cruz, walking along the wharf (recognized as the longest wooden wharf/pier on the West Coast of the United States).  Hundreds of sea lions hang out under the pier on the rafters.  They put on a show, barking loudly and playing.  The sea lions are a lot of fun to watch.  At the end of our visit to Santa Cruz, we enjoyed touring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center.  Lastly, we hiked The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, a nature preserve with over forty miles of hiking trails.  The Marks family of Salinas, California deeded more than 9,000 acres to the State for use as a public park in 1963.  It’s a forest of dense coastal redwood trees that cover most of the park which provide a peaceful experience.

Visiting family in Oakland was the final stop on our coastal adventure.  Just under two hours from Santa Cruz, “The Town” offers a myriad of fun things to do.  We always enjoy walking in the redwoods, visiting Alameda Island (posh eateries, architecture, and walks), playing pickleball at the local Montclair courts, riding the Bart, and enjoying celebrating birthdays with family and friends.  This time we celebrated a birthday by taking some scenic walks (one through a district with historic Queen Anne style homes), going to our favorite bakery (their almond croissants are phenomenal) and playing pickleball.

On the journey home, we stayed near Bakersfield at the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area campground to break up the eight hour drive from Oakland to San Diego.  Our lake front site (#41) with full hookups cost $33 for the night.  It’s a relaxing place which we’ve enjoyed before.  Just make sure to avoid visiting in the summer as it can be very hot in the Central Valley that time of year.

We had such a great time on this trip, even though it was planned last minute and we didn’t see that many butterflies.  It shows that sometimes following a goal can lead to detours that become the highlight of the journey!

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