Coleman Park Harborwalk (sea otters!), Morro Bay

San Luis Obispo, CA Print   Leave a comment

Description

Residents of Morro Bay enjoy biking or taking a stroll on the walkway that leads to Morro Rock. You can walk all the way from Coleman Park to the base of Morro Rock and Morro Strand State Beach along a pink paved path. Or you can bike on a two-lane bike path. As you walk you enjoy views of the harbor behind you, and stunning views of the rock up ahead. In spring there are poppies and wildflowers everywhere. Kids play below you at the mucky beach. At the very end, there is a small beach on the left where sometimes there are dozens of perfectly intact sand dollars sitting on the shore!! Best of all, to your left as you walk along, there are sea otters!! Some are resting on their backs in the sea grass close to shore, while others are rolling and rolling in the water. In spring there are babies, rolling and rolling and bugging their mamas! If you hear a loud clapping sound, it is a sea otter clapping its hands together! What wonderful joy to watch them. I did it for hours!
Harborwalk is a great way to avoid having to drive. After seeing Morro Bay town with its cute restaurants, bay with seals and birds, giant chess board and nearby Tidelands Park playground, you can walk along the Harborwalk to Morro Rock and wild, beautiful Morro Strand State Beach.
Across the street from Harborwalk is La Parisienne, a delightful French bakery with huge windows looking out on Morro Rock. It's wonderful to sip some warm tea and stare out the window, soaking up the view without feeling cold! Here you can get a pain au chocolate, or egg and bacon sandwich. Bring some fresh-baked bread home. Delicious! Sea otters often play in the water across the street from La Parisienne, in the morning. It's amazing to watch them!

Photo Gallery

The path, on a sunny December day.	Poppies in the parking lot at Coleman Park in early April.	Flowers, glassy water, and Morro Rock, and children playing at the beach below.
Looking back toward the harbor.	A skateboarder enjoys the bike path.	Playing at the beach!
Children playing in the water while a sea otter rests in a bed of sea grass (top right).	A sea otter rests in the sea grass close to shore.	The sea otter has a lovely view!
Closeup of an adorable sea otter resting in the sea grass.	Heron, with sea grass behind.	Wildflowers along the path.
Sea otters, and green hills in the background.	Sea otters rolling around in the water!	I love this guy! A sea otter poking his head out of the water.
I Love You in the sand, at the beach at the end of the Harborwalk, below the huge Morro Rock.	A boat comes in the harbor.	Visitors checking out the sea otters!
Nice colors...	Surfers swim across the harbor, dodging boats and sea otters, to get to their favorite spot.	Kayakers in the harbor, and cute green hills.
Flowers and little waves.	Families enjoy the beach at the far end of the Harborwalk.	Looking up at Morro Rock from the beach at the far end of Harborwalk.
Sand dollar!	Sand dollars on the shore!	I Love You, in the sand.
Looking toward the harbor restaurants.	Bounty of sand dollars!	The bike path which runs alongside the walking path.
Amazing views!	Purple flowers along the walking path.	Poppies hang over the sidewalk by the bike path.
Vegetation along the shore.	The walkway.	The rockface you come to at the end- Morro Rock, a volcanic rock.
Shady spot as you start the walk.	Sea otters hanging out in the water.	Flowers along the path.
Blissful September day at Coleman Park.	The water was a lovely color on this September day.

Directions

There is a parking lot where you can begin your walk at 101 Coleman Dr, Morro Bay CA 93442. Or you can just walk from Embarcadero after you've spent time in Morro Bay town. To park near the sea otters, take the road (Coleman Dr) to the end (Morro Rock), and there is parking on your left, across from the restrooms.

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Overall Visitor Rating:

Ellie Crowe 04/15/2016 15:27	What beautiful photos! Thank you for sending a bit of the Californian coast in Springtime our way! I love the otters and the spring flowers.
gale 06/06/2010 14:44	My second home... Sigh...