Elkhorn, Elkhorn, CA

Elkhorn lies in northern Monterey County, east of Highway 1 and the harbor at Moss Landing, along the quiet shore of the slough it is named for. The community's spine is Elkhorn Road, and what lines it is rural in every direction: scattered homes on large properties, with farm ground and marsh edges close behind them. The houses read as country places rather than neighborhoods. Properties are spaced well apart and the open ground between them is part of the setting, so the whole stretch can pass for farmland with a few buildings attached. Almost nothing along the road counts as a commercial block. The reserve is the center of the outdoor life. Elkhorn Slough Reserve at 1700 Elkhorn Road has about five miles of trails and a paved, wheelchair-accessible loop, plus a visitor center and a native plant garden, and it is open Wednesday through Sunday, so plan weekend walks accordingly. On a clear day the trails give views across the marsh toward the bay. Kirby Park sits just north of the Reserve, with a boat ramp, free parking and access to the water for paddlers, and the Moro Cojo Slough State Marine Reserve is a short drive away. For groceries there is Elkhorn Superette at 2016 Elkhorn Road, a small market that sells fresh produce, local dairy, organic items and canned goods and opens at eight in the morning. It carries a Castroville mailing address. Meals and coffee mean driving to Castroville or the harbor at Moss Landing. A car is how the days work. Highway 1 is the connecting road, and even a quick errand beyond the superette is a drive. The slough sets the schedule more than the clock does. By afternoon the tide has changed the view, and the marsh looks like a different place.