Have you visited the El Moro Elfin Forest in Los Osos on California's Central Coast? It's a magical place, often enshrouded in mist, with tiny 100-year-old pygmy oak trees and lovely coastal scrub plants. A boardwalk loops for less than a mile within the 90 acres belonging to San Luis Obispo County Parks and California State Parks.
The incredible views are of the Morro Bay Estuary and the charming community of Los Osos. There are benches to sit and take them in and interpretive panels along the way.
A local group of volunteers lovingly keeps the forest free of invasive weeds, leads interesting tours along the wooden boardwalk, and generally keeps the experience amazing. Want to join them? Check them out here: https://www.elfin-forest.org/ They are Friends of El Moro Elfin Forest (FEMEF).
After playing in Montana de Oro in the morning, we headed to the Elfin Forest for our picnic lunch. We searched for and found Rose's Grove, where a wooden deck and some benches make a great, shady picnic spot. The day was sunny and warm; the weather was perfect.
It was so nice that I forgot to take pics of Joy discovering it! When I started grabbing pics of the blooming spring flowers, I remembered to snap a couple of shots of the kids as we were leaving. But you're definitely here for the flowers!
Like Sticky Monkeyflower:
And Buck Brush:
Access is easy from any of the numbered streets abutting the boardwalk loop. You'll park and walk along the sandy dirt trail to the boardwalk, which has labels to say which street you came from (so you'll return to the right one!). There were tons of fence lizards with bright blue hues and some other small creatures rustling in the underbrush. Of course we heard cheerful bird song and saw some flitting about.
Poison oak is in there, so please stay on the boardwalk and avoid touching the leaves ("leaves of three, let it be; unless it's hairy, then it's a berry").
Are you looking for adventures nearby? Check out this list!
Do you want to know what flowers you are seeing? Check out this book: Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo, California.(I may get a small commission from Amazon, at no cost to you, if you purchase from this link.)
This website is a side-hustle for paying for future family adventures; if you want to check out our stones and crystals, please do!
