Año Nuevo State Reserve encompasses miles of San Mateo county coastline and a separate backcountry unit, but most people know the reserve as the northern California destination to see elephant seals. During the elephant seals' mating and birthing season, from December to March, the only way to see the seals is on a docent-lead walk. Reservations are hard to come by; easier if you can finagle a weekday visit. From April to November, simply show up at the reserve headquarters and ask for a visitor permit. Staff members can guide you to the most likely spots in the protection area to see seals.
     You can explore Año Nuevo's undeveloped coastline north of the protected area from a string of small trailheads along CA 1, where primitive trails wander through sand dunes to quiet beaches. The reserve also manages a "backcountry," which stretches east uphill into the Santa Cruz Mountains. While this unit, called Cascade Ranch, is attached to the bulk of the reserve's coastline property, it feels completely separate, and possesses none of the amenities offered at the park headquarters.
     Note that once in the protection area, the trail network is somewhat fluid. To protect the seals, some trails described below may be closed -- follow the instructions park staff dispense. The following account may differ slightly from conditions on the day you visit. Año Nuevo is one of the most pristine reserves I've ever seen in the bay area, so please take extra pains to keep it so 
     Begin at the southwest edge of the parking lot, at the signed trailhead. Walk about 90 feet on Año Nuevo Point Trail, then at a T junction, turn right.
     Año Nuevo Point Trail takes a nearly level course through coyote brush, coffeeberry, and blackberry brambles. There are partial views south to the ocean. At .05 mile, you'll reach a signed junction in front of a piece from the wrecked schooner Point Arena, which went down off this coast in 1913. Stay to the right on Año Nuevo Point Trail.
     Most of the trailside vegetation is a dense thicket of coyote brush, toyon, poison oak, grasses, and willow, but there are a few young Douglas fir as well. Blue-eyed grass is the dominant spring flower, and in summer you might see beeplant, sweet pea, goldenrod, and salt marsh baccharis in bloom. The white soil of the aptly named Chalks is conspicuous on the forested hills to the east. Beware of one solid tall hedge of poison oak, on the left. An interpretive panel about rodents and raptors stands off the side of the trail, one of several displays throughout the reserve. At 0.69 mile the other end of Pond Loop Trail feeds in from the left at a signed junction. Continue straight on Año Nuevo Point Trail.
     The trail straightens out and heads for the sea. This stretch is a good spot for bird watching -- raptors including redtail and coopers hawks are frequently sighted, and on my April hike I saw goldfinches flitting from bush to bush. At 0.93 mile, you'll reach the wildlife protection area, with a staging area exhibit building and wildlife area trailhead. (If you're visiting when the wildlife area is closed to the public, this is the turn-around point for your hike.) Be sure to check out the interpretive panels which showcase the sea mammals found at Año Nuevo. In addition to the famously protected elephant seals, California sea lions, harbor seals, and steller sea lions visit or live in the area. Continue straight on Año Nuevo Point Trail.
     Ropes line the trail, separating visitors from a tangle of buckwheat, willow, blackberry, coyote brush, ragwort, and yellow bush lupine. The grade continues at a flat pace. A spotted towhee perched on a trailside coyote bush when I headed out to the viewpoint on an April hike, and on the way back I spyed a Bewick's wren. Look for a short spur path on the left, leading a few feet to a lookout, where there are great views out to Año Nuevo Island. A lighthouse and fog whistle once stood on the island, warning ships away from the treacherous rocky coastline, but now the buildings are in ruins and the island is home to marine mammals and seabirds. You may also notice a tiny see-through cave under the bluff at South Point, and a collection of rocks just off the coast, commonly populated with birds. On my autumn hike I could see a handful of harbor seals bobbing in the water near the rocks. Continue on Año Nuevo Point Trail. You'll pass a bench on the left, then walk over a brief boardwalk section. At 1.36 miles, the trail splits at a signed junction. Stay to the right, toward the North Point Seal Viewpoint.
      With loose sand underfoot, the trail traverses up and down a sand dune. As the trail levels out again, a path heads back toward the South Point Seal Viewpoint, on the left at 1.54 miles. Continue to the right. A few steps later a signed dead-end spur to Bight Beach viewpoint heads left. (In April 2005 Bight Beach was the northern-most seal-viewing spot; follow the ropes to whatever area is open.) Continue straight.
     The trail crosses a closed boardwalk. On my visit animal prints and scat were visible on the firmer stretches of sand, and northern harriers soared overhead. Ragwort, silvery beachweed, coyote brush, willow, searocket, yellow bush lupine, beach primrose, paintbrush, and yellow sand verbena are common along the trail. You may hear the elephant seals' distinctive vocalizations (kind of like the competitive deep drawn-out belly burps of teenage boys), a sure sign that seals are not far away. At 1.87 miles turn left at a signed viewpoint junction. The path ends after a few feet, offering sweeping views to Año Nuevo Island and North Point. Return to Año Nuevo Point Trail and turn left.
     On a clear day you might see Pigeon Point lighthouse winking to the north. The trail curves left and ends finally, at 2.07 miles, at the edge of a short bluff. Off to the right on a sandy beach below North Point, I could plainly see about 60 juvenile male elephant seals dozing. On my visit docent John was on duty -- answering visitors' questions about elephant seals, and positioning a viewing scope. A few seals were romping together in the water, building callouses on their chest for the fierce competition of mating season, which generally begins in December. Pups are born in January, and adult females leave by mid-March, on their way to feed in the sea between the California coast and Hawaii. Adult males, weighing nearly 2 1/2 tons, depart for coastal waters off the northern United State and British Columbia. Seals return in spring and summer to molt. When you're ready, retrace your steps back to the junction with Año Nuevo Point Trail and Pond Loop Trail, at 3.46 miles. Turn right onto Pond Loop Trail.
     Grass and coyote brush along the trail frame nice views east to the Chalks and the reserve's Visitor Center, a historic barn. Pond Loop Trail approaches a few pine trees, and then descends slightly to a signed junction at 3.66 miles. If you'd like to return to the visitor center area via the beach, turn right here, otherwise continue straight. Skirting the shore of a small pond, you might notice California aster and swamp knotweed in bloom during late summer. Pelicans are commonly spotted, either splashing about in the pond or flying overhead. On an April hike, I saw dolphins gracefully moving through the ocean just off the shore, and a bit further out, a group of sea otters. At 3.79 miles there's a signed junction with a trail heading south to New Years Creek Continue on Pond Loop Trail, to the left.
     The trail ascends easily, then meets Año Nuevo Point Trail at a previously encountered junction at 3.91 miles. Bear right. At 3.96 miles you'll return to a junction, with a path heading left to the parking lot, but continue straight, toward the Visitor Center.
     After just a few steps you'll reach a small interpretive sign about gray whale migration. Look for whale bones on the left. Pass through the Visitor Center, where you can view some exhibits and browse the gift shop, then exit the building, bear left, and walk on the path back to the parking lot.

Total distance: 4.10 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday April 5, 2005

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