Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

Located in the city of Salinas, Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge has a long, wide, and remote beach situated at the point where the Salinas River meets the North Pacific Ocean. Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge protects dunes and acts as a natural habitat for many birds and animals. Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is a perfect spot for birdwatching, wildlife watching, and beachcombing. 

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge offers a couple of amenities including dunes, wetlands, and a large shipwreck that can be seen from the north side of the beach.

There are many fun activities at Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge including fishing, birdwatching, wildlife watching, hiking, beachcombing, and beach walking. If you are looking for additional activities, waterfowl hunting is allowed near the northern end of the beach during mid-October and mid-January.

Getting to Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge requires a little bit of work – the beach’s small free day-use parking lot is situated at 200 Neponset Road. After parking, you will need to walk three quarters of a mile west on a double-track trail from the lot to the beach.

If you are looking for attractions near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge, you can drive 35 minutes to the Bigfoot Discovery Museum that is devoted to an American folklore ape-like creature Bigfoot – and features tchotchkes from the 1970s Bigfoot boom and the 1980s resurrection with Harry and the Hendersons memorabilia. Spread across 1,006 acres, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park features a 1,200 years old tree named the Colonial Tree, a 60 feet tall waterfall named Pfeiffer Falls, a campground, and beautiful redwood groves. The Old Fisherman’s Wharf is a fun tourist attraction site that offers souvenir shops, art galleries, whale watching tours, boating tours, fishing trips, and you can also watch sea lions sleeping on the buoys and moored boats in the bay. Another great attraction near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, a home to thousands of monarch butterflies that visitors can see starting from late October to February.

If you get hungry, there are many restaurants within a 15-minute drive of Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge. The Italian restaurant Little Napoli features pizza, pasta, Pesce, pane, carne, and rice dishes. If you like Asian food, Tommy’s Wok offers sushi, noodles, unagi, soba, udon, and onigiri. Another good restaurant near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge is Yafa that serves Mediterranean food including Fettuccine Alfredo, pasta, chicken, and beef dishes along with special items for vegans.

If you are looking for a hotel near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge, you can drive 25 minutes. If you are looking for a luxurious hotel, the 5-Star pet-friendly hotel Stonepine Estate features a pool, spa, restaurant, fitness center, tennis courts, whirlpool tubs, a 4-hole golf course, and hiking, biking, and horseback riding tours. Spread across 500 acres, Carmel Valley Ranch is a 4-Star pet-friendly hotel with a spa, gym, restaurant, grill house, café, golf course, two pools, and nine tennis courts. The 3-Star Carmel Valley Lodge welcomes pets and offers a pool, sauna, and hiking tours. If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel near Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge, the 2-Star pet-friendly hotel Blue Sky Lodge has a nice library and ping pong table.