Elkhorn, CA

Elkhorn is the quiet inland edge of a large tidal wetland on the Central Coast. The slough winds in from the harbor at Moss Landing, and the community sits on its east shore, where the marsh gives way to Salinas Valley farm fields. The estuary is the main reason people come. Elkhorn Slough Reserve is a research and restoration site that covers roughly 1,700 acres of marsh and tidal channels, with a docent-led walk on weekend mornings, with a visitor center, a trail network and a native plant garden. On the water, kayak and boat tours leave from Moss Landing to look for sea otters and harbor seals, and Kirby Park has a boat ramp and free parking for paddlers. The built-up part of the area is small. Elkhorn has no downtown, and the reserve is the nearest thing to a public gathering place on a weekend morning. Homes sit along Elkhorn Road on large parcels, and a single small market, Elkhorn Superette, stands in for the commercial strip, with fresh produce and local dairy on its shelves. Nothing here resembles a shopping center, so the feel stays low-key. Dining happens elsewhere. Castroville, with its Merritt Street restaurants, is the nearest town for a full meal. Getting around means driving. Highway 1 crosses the slough on a bridge near the harbor, and Castroville sits a few miles south of the community while Watsonville is a longer drive north. Salinas is the place for big shopping trips. The reserve is open Wednesday through Sunday from nine to five, so on Monday and Tuesday the nearby trailheads and the water belong to early walkers. Moro Cojo Slough, next door to Elkhorn Slough, has its own marine reserve and a set of nature walks. What Elkhorn offers is a front-row seat to the estuary with farmland at your back, and the cost is that dinner is always a planned trip.