Until further notice, Drakes Beach is closed to all entry from ~0.5 miles west (e.g., to the right when facing Drakes Bay) of the Kenneth C.However, elephant seals are still hauled out on the western end of Drakes Beach, so: So, as of Friday, April 21, 2023, the beach has largely been reopened and visitors are welcome to enjoy the beach from 6 am to 12 midnight, seven days a week. Patrick Visitor Center and on the beach to the east (toward the mouth of Drakes Estero). The weaned northern elephant seal pups have largely vacated the section of Drakes Beach in the immediate vicinity of the Kenneth C. Orange k-rails separate visitors from the elephant seals, which are visible on the iceplant and beach on the left. It also gets them in sync with the coming on shore twice a year pattern and allows the seals to do this before the breeding season, in which they are too young to participate.Ĭheck out our Weekly Elephant Seal updates to learn the latest news.Ī view of the southern edge of the Drakes Beach parking lot on February 5, 2023. During this time, the juvenile seals are still growing and being onshore allows their bones and muscles to develop properly. By mid-September, juveniles will return to shore for a resting haul out. There tend to be very few elephant seals at Point Reyes in the late summer, but on most days a few elephant seals may still be seen from the Elephant Seal Overlook. The juvenile molt extends into early summer when the adult males start to haul out for their molting season.
Toward the end of the spring, the female molt has concluded and they head back to sea for a longer feeding period. In early April, juvenile seals and adult females come to shore for two to three weeks in order to molt (shed their skin). By mid-April, most of the pups have left the area to find food. Once adult females have left the colonies, adult males will also depart. You will hear the distinctive vocalizations of females and pups, as well as the powerful trumpeting of the adult males (referred to as "bulls"), which can be heard for over a mile.Īfter a month of nursing, female elephant seals will wean their pups and head back out to sea for a month or two of feeding to replenish deleted energy reserves, leaving the weaned pups ("weanlings" or "weaners") to survive on their own. Elephant Seal Overlookįrom the Elephant Seal Overlook, you can witness the fascinating behavior of these animals, including male dominance contests, birthing of pups, and the interactions of mothers and pups. The southwest Drakes Beach colony, which can be viewed from the Elephant Seal Overlook, can number over 600 animals by early February.īring binoculars to better see the elephant seals located on the beach at the base of the bluffs opposite of the Elephant Seal Overlook. Then pregnant females begin to arrive and, soon thereafter, give birth to a single pup (or, in an extremely rare case, twins). The males are the first to arrive here, in December, in an effort to stake out a claim on the beach they hope to dominate. And, since 2019, visitors are also able to view a colony on the beach adjacent to the Kenneth C. Visitors may observe a colony of elephant seals from the Elephant Seal Overlook near Chimney Rock, above beautiful Drakes Bay, or from the South Beach Overlook a short distance north of the Point Reyes Lighthouse visitors' parking lot. While some elephant seals may be present at Point Reyes on any given day of the year, the greatest number of seals haul out on beaches around the headlands from December through March for the birthing and mating season, and in the spring when adult females and juveniles haul out to molt. When are Elephant Seals Present at Point Reyes? Males, females, juveniles, and/or pups are present at Point Reyes at various times throughout the year.
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