Elephant Seal Viewing Area
The Elephant Seal Viewing Area sits at 11 feet along the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway on Route 1, with the terrain dropping 30 feet within 600 meters of the site. Seal Point lies close by to the west-northwest at 0.3 miles, with an elevation of 55 feet, while Piedras Blancas rises to the west at 1.9 miles, only 13 feet in elevation. Inland and to the east, Oak Knoll reaches 405 feet at 0.9 miles, and San Simeon Point stands at 486 feet, 4.0 miles to the east-southeast. Farther north, Garrity Peak and Pine Top Mountain climb to 2,354 feet and 2,623 feet at distances of 4.7 and 5.7 miles. Daylight hours shift through the year, with sunrise near 05:50 and sunset near 20:25 at the June solstice, compared to a sunrise around 07:12 and sunset near 16:56 at the December solstice. The nearest towns are well inland, with Paso Robles 31.9 miles to the east, Atascadero 35.0 miles to the east-southeast, and San Luis Obispo 42.6 miles to the southeast. The site is positioned along the byway between the Elephant Seal Vista Point and the Elephant Seals Vista Point.
What you’re looking at
Named terrain around this overlook, nearest first. No view direction is recorded, so every bearing is listed.
- Seal Point55 ftwest-northwest · 0.3 mi
- Oak Knoll405 fteast · 0.9 mi
- Piedras Blancas13 ftwest · 1.9 mi
- San Simeon Point486 fteast-southeast · 4.0 mi
- Garrity Peak2,354 ftnorth-northeast · 4.7 mi
- Pine Top Mountain2,623 ftnorth · 5.7 mi
Light
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:09 | 19:17 | 18:43 |
| June solstice | 05:50 | 20:25 | 19:47 |
| September equinox | 06:54 | 19:03 | 18:30 |
| December solstice | 07:12 | 16:56 | 16:17 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- Paso Robles31.9 mi east
- Atascadero35.0 mi east-southeast
- San Luis Obispo42.6 mi southeast
Take the scenic way to Elephant Seal Viewing Area.
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How high is Elephant Seal Viewing Area?
Elephant Seal Viewing Area sits at about 11 feet (3 m).
What can you see from Elephant Seal Viewing Area?
From Elephant Seal Viewing Area: Seal Point (WNW, 0.3 mi); Oak Knoll (E, 0.9 mi); Piedras Blancas (W, 1.9 mi); San Simeon Point (ESE, 4.0 mi).
What is the nearest town to Elephant Seal Viewing Area?
Paso Robles, 32 miles E of Elephant Seal Viewing Area.
What is the next lookout after Elephant Seal Viewing Area?
Elephant Seals Vista Point is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Elephant Seal Viewing Area.
Drive to Elephant Seal Viewing Area with Byway
Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway - Route 1, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.
Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- Central Coast · 10 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Elephant Seal Viewing Area — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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