Seaside city located on the Central Coast of California, known for the large estuary that is situated along the northern shores of the bay itself

How to Get There

From Los Angeles (201 mi): Get on US-101 N from W Temple St. Follow US-101 N to Calle Real in Santa Barbara. Take exit 101B from US-101 N. Get on US-101 N from CA-154 W/San Marcos Pass Rd. Follow US-101 N to CA-1 N/Toro St in San Luis Obispo. Take exit 203B from US-101 N. Follow CA-1 N to Morro Bay Blvd in Morro Bay.

Overview

Morro Bay (Morro, Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city located on the Central Coast of California. Morro Bay is the name of the large estuary that is situated along the northern shores of the bay itself. The larger bay on which the local area lies is Estero Bay, which also encompasses the communities of Cayucos and Los Osos. The city of Morro Bay is 20 km (12 mi) northwest of San Luis Obispo and is located on Highway 1. Los Osos Creek discharges into Morro Bay.

Jon Sullivan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons ; Image Size Adjusted

Morro Rock

Morro Rock is a 576 foot (176 m) high volcanic plug located at the entrance to the harbor. Originally, it was surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled in to make the harbor. It was quarried from 1889 to 1969, and in 1968, it was designated a Historical Landmark.

The area around the base of Morro Rock is open to visitors, with parking lots and paths. Climbing the rock is prohibited due to risk of injury, and because it is a peregrine falcon reserve.

The most popular beach is on the north side of Morro Rock, north of the harbor. There are also excellent beaches north and south of the town which are owned by the State of California.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Morro Bay, California", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0