Beach Street Inn Adirondacks

New Staging Area at Ano Nuevo State Park Features Interpretive Exhibits, Park Information

A new staging area at Año Nuevo State Park will welcome visitors in time for seasonal guided elephant seal tours during the winter breeding season. This new interpretive staging area is the gateway to the Natural Preserve, providing guests with interactive opportunities to explore the park’s natural and cultural wonders.

The former staging area was demolished, and construction of the new staging area  began in July 2024. This renovated space features improved interpretative structure, a new restroom, two new benches, and other infrastructure updates. The upgrades will offer a better year-round experience for park visitors, effectively establishing an identifiable entrance to the natural preserve and a facility for volunteers and staff to facilitate interpretation. 

Ano Nuevo is one of the largest breeding grounds in the world for northern elephant seals, which come ashore to give birth and mate from early December through March. Pregnant females come ashore to pup from late December to early February, and mothers nurse their pups for about a month before mating and returning to the sea. Pups remain behind through March, basking in the sun and learning to swim in the intertidal zones.  

Año Nuevo State Park offers docent-guided walks between December 15 and March 31, which feature elephant seals in their natural habitat. To view the elephant seals during this season, visitors must be on a guided walk, which requires a four mile moderate hike over varied terrain, including sand dunes. The walks last about two and a half hours.  

The new staging area was made possible through a collaboration with California State Parks, Coastside State Parks Association, and Friends of California State Parks.