Wonderful day hike, eucalyptus groves, flowers and plenty of monarch butterflies to see on our anniversary trip. About a 1-2 hour hike.

Such a fantastic little hidden gem of hiking trails!! I came in search of the migrating Monarchs but the trails were absolutely bursting with all sorts of birds too! Definitely some very easy hiking - hardly any elevation gain and the trails are very well maintained and obvious. The trails are all dirt and a little gravel - I wouldn't suggest they're handicap accessible. The trails start in a residential area - across the street from houses - so be mindful for the residents. You get nice views of mountains all around in the distance. And it's not long before you find yourself in the middle of a eucalyptus forest - which is a favorite of the Monarchs! There are numerous trails that take you all in and out of the eucalyptus forest and this is where you'll find most of the concentration of butterflies. I only saw one moderate sized cluster and the clusters are hard to see - so it's nowhere near the scale and accessibility as the grove at Pismo Beach - but still awesome! There were tons of the Monarchs flying around and sunning themselves in small groups. But for me, the highlight was all the birds!! I even saw two on my life list that I'd been dying to see but hadn't yet (the Cassins Kingbird and the Common Yellowthroat)!! There were so many different species everywhere!! Especially once you get to the coastal oak trees by the beach cliffs. Which was another pleasant surprise- such lovely ocean views from the cliffs! There are several trails and lots of offshoots that take you all around the preserve and out by the coast. It seems like you can go down onto the beach possibly - but I saw signs saying it's a Snowy Plover habitat so I'm not sure it's allowed - just be aware and read the signs. There's lots of shade around the forests but not outside of them so I recommend sunscreen for sure. Parking is street parking and mine was the only car. I believe there's another parking area further down the Main Street as well. Parking and entry is free but there are donation boxes at the trailhead. The trails have some fun information signs along the way. I didn't see any bathrooms so plan ahead. Such an excellent trail system! Will definitely be back!

You can park on Coronado Dr and walk toward the end of the street or about 100 yards before the end of the street is a walkway that leads to several placards and leads to the trail to the eucalyptus tree grove where the butterflies come for winter. It’s late February and in the high 60s and appears they have all flown north.On the other side of trees is an expansive area know as Elwood Bluffs and has great walking / hiking trails and access to the beach.Great area to walk and not see too many people

Trees devastated by drought no Longer host Monarchs. Absolutely no visitor information Available even Parking was problematic

I am a local and I have come here for many years. I always love coming to see the butterflies in this beautiful eucalyptus grove that smells so fresh. It's always possible to continue the adventure and walk out the bluffs to the beach, not very far away. I notice that some reviewers here are disappointed that they didn't see many butterflies, or that the butterflies were all folded up with their wings closed. It's important to know when the butterflies are there, when they are most active, and also to realize that more butterflies are here in some years than in others. The butterflies are here in the winter, from around November to February. They are most active when the weather is warmest. The best time to see them would be on a sunny, warm winter day, in the warm middle of the day, when you can see them drifting through the air through the grove of eucalyptus trees. When the weather is cold, they gather onto the trees and fold up their wings to keep warm. If it's really cold, the butterflies will gather themselves into a ball about the size of a basketball hanging on the tree, to keep themselves warm. It can be hard to see them when they have their wings folded up, since then they are camouflaged to about the same color as the eucalyptus forest. It's only when they are flying around that you see that beautiful bright orange and black on the top side of their wings. I've only been lucky enough to see it once, but if they have formed into balls and then the weather warms up to a certain degree, the balls of butterflies burst apart in a silent explosion of butterflies suddenly filling up the forest. What a beauty! The butterflies here migrate back and forth between here and the Rocky Mountains. The butterflies that go to Michoacan, in Mexico, are the same kind of butterflies, but they migrate along a different route. I learned this and many other fascinating things about the Monarchs, including how to tell the males and females apart, from reading the informative signs at the entrance to the Monarch grove, entering from Coronado Drive. The monarch grove is easy to find, about a 10-minute walk from where you park. To get there from Hollister Ave., turn towards the beach onto Coronado Drive, go almost to the end of the drive and park there. The entrance to the monarch grove is on the right side of the street - you will see signs. Just walk towards the beach - the butterflies are in the grove of eucalyptus trees that is visible from the place where you've parked.