Sometimes Saturdays are adventure days and we don't know what awaits us. A couple of weekends ago, we began our adventure at the SLO Saturday morning farmer's market, which is a fantastic one to visit. We bought delicious fruit to snack on while we continued our adventure north.Â
We stopped and checked out random things for sale at pullouts along the drive and ended up all the way at the entrance to Piedras Blancas Light Station. You need to make reservations for the tour and to gain entry there (a future adventure). We turned around and began driving south in the light rain. The kids did not want to see the elephant seals so we continued 3 miles south to a parking area for Arroyo Laguna Beach (not labeled a such - we discovered the name afterwards).
The beach sits between two creek mouths: Oak Knoll Creek and Adobe Creek. It was guaranteed to have good rock hounding. Surprisingly, it also had excellent tide pools and was nearly empty of people. We had timed our stop for an hour before low tide, but got there early because of the lack of interest in the elephant seals. It didn't matter, since the kids loved the beach. I loved the light rain for making all the best jaspers pop with color.
The creek mouths were not connected to the ocean and were a bit mucky. But the driftwood was perfect for fort building as we waited for the tide to go out.
The tide pools were both north and south of the parking area. There were many snails, kelps, small gobies, and anemones.
The kids loved the tide pools most. We will definitely return to this hidden gem.
Are you looking for adventures nearby? Check out this list!