Trail Closure

At Kirby Park, the accessible trail remains closed due to storm damage.

FAQ Hero

Photo by Keith Ellenbogen

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If your question isn’t answered here, email us:

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve, located at 1700 Elkhorn Road, is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Reserve is closed Monday and Tuesday. When the Reserve is closed, you cannot drive in, walk in, or access the trails, restrooms, or visitor center.

The road to Kirby Park has been repaired.

Kirby Park is open from sunrise to sunset.

We have provided this information as a courtesy to you. The information provided here may not be the most current. You are responsible for knowing where these areas are and what species are permitted. Please also be aware of the many people who use this area for kayaking, birding, and other recreational uses. Safety and caution are of the utmost importance.

Fishing is not permitted at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Along with those restrictions, a large part of the slough waterway is a State Marine Reserve, making it closed to all fishing and protecting all marine life and plants.

Fishing is also not allowed at Kirby Park.

Click here for a map of the slough showing the protected areas.

For more complete, up-to-date information, visit CDFW’s Fishing & Hunting Regulations page.


We do not rent kayaks at the Reserve. There are kayak companies in Moss Landing, Santa Cruz, and Monterey that rent kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and other boats for use in Elkhorn Slough. A quick internet search will get you started.

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve does not host boat tours out of Moss Landing. There are a couple boat tour operators, kayak, and other recreation rental outfitters in Moss Landing that you can contact directly.

Dogs are not allowed at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. We also ask that you do not plan on leaving your pet in your vehicle while you are visiting, because our parking area does not have any shade.

Dog friendly areas: When open, the trail at Kirby Park does permit you to walk your dog on a leash. Unfortunately, the Kirby Park trail is closed at this time due to storm damage.

While not allowed at the Reserve, hunting is allowed in certain parts of the Elkhorn Slough during the waterfowl season.

Please educate yourself about all the rules and regulations before attempting to hunt at the slough. Visit: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations or contact the Monterey Office of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (831) 649-2870.

We have provided this information as a courtesy to you. You are responsible for knowing where these areas are, when hunt days and times are, which species are permitted, and when the season is open. There is no hunting on private lands and no hunting at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Please also be aware of the many people who use this area for kayaking, birding, and other recreational uses. Safety and caution are of the utmost importance.

The Visitor Center at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve is fully handicap-accessible. They have accessible restrooms as well as an accessible Research and Education Lab. There is a short paved trail to an accessible overlook area with a scope, but the rest of the trails are composed of uneven terrain not suitable for most wheelchairs, those with limited mobility, and strollers.

Moss Landing State Beach also has a paved road adjacent to Elkhorn Slough for easy birding and otter viewing.

Wildlife and birds are abundant year-round in Elkhorn Slough. But since you asked:

Spring and fall bring more abundant birds as they migrate.

Spring also brings green hills, wildflowers, and baby animals such as sea otters, harbor seals, and nesting birds.

Summer is a great time to visit and escape the heat of the Bay Area.

Fall is a wonderful time of year as well, with abundant birds, sea otters, harbor seals, and perhaps more baby otters. We also love the weather in the fall—typically, the fog of summer lifts and we enjoy a week or two of beautiful weather before winter rains arrive.

Winter is marked by breathtaking sunsets, but it’s harder to plan ahead for clear weather.

We love kayaking in Elkhorn Slough year-round, but conditions vary based on weather, bird migrations, and even time of day. Always check current conditions for wind and tides.

You’ll find a restroom at the put-in site at North Harbor, near the kayak shops in Moss Landing, but not along the waterway.

There is no longer a restroom at Kirby Park. The closest restrooms to Kirby Park are at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, located a short drive south on Elkhorn Road. Restrooms at the Reserve are available only during open hours, Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm.

There are no spots to land a boat or use the restroom along the Elkhorn Slough waterway. Plan ahead!

Currently, beyond the put-in site at Moss Landing North Harbor, there are no places to haul out your boat along the slough waterway. The land along the waterway of Elkhorn Slough is owned and managed by many different organizations and private owners that do not permit people to land on their property. Beyond private property restrictions, there are sensitive marsh and mudflat habitats that can be damaged by trampling and sensitive wildlife that are easily disturbed.

We do not permit kayaking within Reserve boundaries. Check out our kayaking page to see areas where boating is permitted at Elkhorn Slough. You can launch kayaks or other small boats at Moss Landing’s North Harbor, located on Highway 1, or at Kirby Park, located north of the Reserve on Elkhorn Road.

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation are supported by an incredible team of volunteers. Visit our volunteer page to learn how to volunteer for events (gardening, clean-ups, and more) or become a regular volunteer with our Education, Stewardship, or Research programs.

The Elkhorn Slough Reserve Research program typically hosts one or two unpaid internships at a time. These are very competitive positions, all of which are filled by college students who work independently in areas of their research expertise.

For more information, please email Research Coordinator Kerstin Wasson.

Elkhorn Slough is part of several jurisdictions, including the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. For the most part, flying a drone in Elkhorn Slough is not permitted.

For more information about where drones are permitted, download FAA's B4UFLY app. For more information about best practices when flying around wildlife, visit oceansunmanned.org.

All the drone footage and photography you see on this website is taken by researchers with special permissions and permits for collecting data.

FAQ CTA

Photo by Amy Medina

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