

Elephant Seal Overlookįrom the Elephant Seal Overlook, you can witness the fascinating behavior of these animals, including male dominance contests, birthing of pups, and the interactions of mothers and pups. The southwest Drakes Beach colony, which can be viewed from the Elephant Seal Overlook, can number over 600 animals by early February.īring binoculars to better see the elephant seals located on the beach at the base of the bluffs opposite of the Elephant Seal Overlook. Then pregnant females begin to arrive and, soon thereafter, give birth to a single pup (or, in an extremely rare case, twins).


The males are the first to arrive here, in December, in an effort to stake out a claim on the beach they hope to dominate. And, since 2019, visitors are also able to view a colony on the beach adjacent to the Kenneth C. Visitors may observe a colony of elephant seals from the Elephant Seal Overlook near Chimney Rock, above beautiful Drakes Bay, or from the South Beach Overlook a short distance north of the Point Reyes Lighthouse visitors' parking lot. While some elephant seals may be present at Point Reyes on any given day of the year, the greatest number of seals haul out on beaches around the headlands from December through March for the birthing and mating season, and in the spring when adult females and juveniles haul out to molt. When are Elephant Seals Present at Point Reyes? Males, females, juveniles, and/or pups are present at Point Reyes at various times throughout the year.
