Big Sur — California Condors
Big Sur Coast · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Wildlife Watching
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round for condors (clear days best); gray whales Dec–Apr
- Open year round
- Yes
What is here
- Wildlife
- birds · whales
- Species
- California condors, gray whales, peregrine falcons, seabirds, sea otters
- Amenities
- California condors overhead · Big Sur coast overlooks · Whales offshore in season · Release-site interpretation
- Best for
- Seeing the giant California condor
- Features
- North America's largest land bird · Condor recovery success story · Dramatic Big Sur setting · Whales below the cliffs
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Condor sightings not guaranteed · Winding, cliff-edge Hwy 1 · Periodic road closures (check status) · Wind & fog on the heights
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Wildlife Watching detail
- Viewing
- shore
- Effort
- moderate
- Habitat
- mountain
- Sighting
- 3
- Viewing notes
- Soaring above the Big Sur cliffs, the giant California condor — North America's largest land bird, back from near-extinction — plus gray whales on the sea below
- Intl tip
- High above the Big Sur cliffs soars a conservation triumph — the California condor, North America's largest land bird (down to 22 birds in the 1980s, now recovered). Central California's coast is among the best places on Earth to see them ride thermals; scan from Hwy 1 pullouts with a scope and patience (sightings aren't guaranteed). Gray whales pass offshore in winter/spring, plus peregrines and sea otters. Hwy 1 is a winding cliff road with periodic closures — check status; mind wind and fog.
The guide
High above the plunging cliffs of Big Sur soars one of conservation's great comeback stories — the California condor, North Ame…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Sur — California Condors — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.25, -121.8