Things to do nearMoss Landing Harbor District

Moss Landing Harbor District sits at the mouth of Elkhorn Slough, California's largest tidal wetland outside San Francisco Bay, and that geography shapes everything about the place. The harbor has served commercial fishermen for well over a century, and today it remains one of the most active working ports on the Central Coast, home to a sizeable fleet of crab, squid, and groundfish vessels.

Wildlife is the harbor's defining draw. Sea otters haul out on the docks and nurse pups in the calm water beside moored boats, while harbor seals lounge on the breakwater. The adjoining slough draws hundreds of bird species, and the waters just offshore sit above the Monterey Bay submarine canyon, one of the deepest on the Pacific Coast and a magnet for humpback whales, blue whales, and dolphins. Guided kayaking trips through the slough are a quieter way to get close to otters and egrets.

The harbor strip also supports a handful of seafood markets and casual eateries where the fish on your plate may have been unloaded that same morning. Antique shops and galleries line the nearby highway, giving the village an eclectic character that rewards a slow afternoon stroll.

For anyone drawn to the California coast by its marine life and maritime heritage, Moss Landing Harbor District offers an authenticity that polished resort towns rarely match.