Morro Bay

photo copyright Kevin Cole

photo copyright Kevin Cole

Morro Bay is located in San Luis Obispo County on the Pacific Coast about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Morro Bay National Estuary is one of the largest and most important wetland systems on the central coast, sustaining diverse habitats that support sensitive and endangered species.

Interesting Facts:

  • Farms in the Bay? Morro Bay is home to several oyster farms. These farms grow oysters underwater the same way that a farmer would grow vegetables in soil.
  • The bay supports more than two-dozen endangered species.
  • As much as 80% of the fish we eat spend part of their lives in an estuary, like Morro Bay, earning estuaries the nickname “Nurseries of the Sea.”
  • The bay’s most prominent feature is Morro Rock, which stands over 580 feet tall. And did you know? Morro Rock is actually a volcanic plug or lava magma that hardened in the vent of a once active volcano!
  • From the top of Black Hill in the Morro Bay State Park (at over 650 feet), you can see the entire Morro Bay estuary, as well as much of the watershed.
  • For more information please visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=594