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Morro Rock

1,906 Reviews

#3 of 20 things to do in Morro Bay

Nature & Parks, Geologic Formations

Morro Bay, CA 93442

Review Highlights

“Watching the big surf and surfers”

Me and my wife took a nice Sunday drive to Morro Bay to see the big waves and to watch the local... read more

Reviewed 1 week ago

giff64

Paso Robles, California

via mobile

“One never gets tired of it....”

If you are lucky to get a clear day, Morro Rock in Morro Bay is even more impressive. Morro Rock... read more

Reviewed 1 week ago

2TravelersMn

Read all 1,906 reviews

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Traveler Overview

4.5 1,906 reviews

Excellent61%
Very good29%
Average8%
Poor1%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“sea otters”(201 reviews)

“volcanic plug”(48 reviews)

“north side”(33 reviews)

About

Home to flocks of Peregrine falcons, egrets and blue herons, the 50-acre Morro Rock is the last in a chain of extinct volcanoes.

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Morro Bay, CA 93442

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Questions & Answers

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See all 7 questions

tmathews1968

Is Morro Rock before or after San Luis Obispo. I will be coming Big Sur for an overnight at the Madonna inn. Next day driving to Santa Barbara. Just don’t want to miss it.

September 14, 2018|

AnswerShow all 11 answers

From Big Sur, it will be before San Luis Obispo. You can't miss it driving down Highway 1.

tmathews1968

Is Morro Rock before or after San Luis Obispo. I will be coming Big Sur for an overnight at the Madonna inn. Next day driving to Santa Barbara. Just don’t want to miss it.

September 14, 2018|

AnswerShow all 7 answers

Morro Bay is before San Luis Obispo, about 13 miles before

bobbybrandsma

Are you allowed to climb Morris rock by stsiyd

September 11, 2018|

AnswerShow all 2 answers

No climbing is allowed. You can pretty much walk right up to it. You can also enjoy some very nice tide pools at its base.

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Travel Forum Posts

SGF

USA

Need help planning our drive...San Luis Obispo to Monterey (2 Replies)

We are originally starting out in San Diego but driving the main hwy 101 to Santa Barbara for a lunch break and to walk around a little then heading to our first overnight in San Luis Obispo. The first day we plan to take the main hwy and not the slower coastal one as we were told most of the better scenery is further up after SLO. Where we need some help is in planning our second day. We are thinking of leaving SLO by around 7:30am and driving to Monterey but we want to stop off at some...More

March 25, 2011|

Response fromKibbles16|

Hi SGF You should be able to do most everything on your list and still have some time for the Monterey/Carmel area, especially since you'll be leaving SLO early in the day. Yes, you can see Morro Rock as you drive through Morro Bay. Stopping isn't necessary. I would probably skip Cambria altogether in favor of time in Carmel & Monterey, which has more to offer. The drive through the Cambria area is lovely with tall pines trees along both sides of the highway for a stretch before...More

John F

London, United Kingdom

Tour of California cycle race, Big Sur traffic problems? (3 Replies)

Hi We are driving from San Diego to San Francisco in May and have just noticed that part of our journey coincides with the Amgen Tour of California bike race. It should not affect our trip much in San Diego and LA but one of the stages starts on 18 May from Morro Rock, through the Pacific Coast Highway to the Monterey area. We had planned to leave Cambria that morning, taking our time to stop off at the sights before reaching Pacific Grove to stay overnight. Does anybody know how much...More

February 23, 2016|

Response frombelomiser|

duplicate post Please delete OP by using the link in the post called Report ... and then delete my post

Samantha H

Best Beach for Swimming and Morro Rock Views (8 Replies)

I will be in the Morro Bay area mid-August and am looking for the best beach in the area for hopefully some swimming/laying out (and/or hiking as a back-up, if there are really no swimming beaches in the area), as well as great views of Morro Rock so I can snap a few pictures. I know there are several beaches/parks in the area, so any help would be appreciated!

June 10, 2017|

Response fromTomMalley|

There are always kids splashing around on the beach just north of the rock, but it's not really "swimming", there's a lot of seaweed and gunk as you get out to swimming depth. Avila Beach about 15-20 mins south of Morro Bay is a little better. The water is cold though, until you get about 1.5 hours south in Santa Barbara where it warms up slightly and you'll see more swimmers.

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6313

Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

Watching the big surf and surfers

Me and my wife took a nice Sunday drive to Morro Bay to see the big waves and to watch the local surfers do their thing. It was amazing how many people come for all over to test out the waters locally. Morro Rock is...More

Date of experience: January 2019

Thank giff64

497425

One never gets tired of it....

If you are lucky to get a clear day, Morro Rock in Morro Bay is even more impressive. Morro Rock is one of nine small volcanic peaks, or morros, in the area. A short walk leads you to a breakwater, with the harbor on one...More

Date of experience: March 2018

Thank 2TravelersMn

Colorado70

Colorado

21743

An iconic place to visit and take a picture in front of the Morro Rock

It's there, you are there, go. Don't make a special trip, but do check it out if you are in the area

Thank Colorado70

TMenon

Chennai

162474

A scenic, soothing, unhurried place

About 576 feet tall, Morro Rock on its namesake bay, was formed about 23 million years ago from the plugs of extinct volcanoes. The Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named the rock “El Morro” (Spanish for crown shaped hill) in 1542. Morro Rock is one...More

Date of experience: May 2018

Thank TMenon

Ventiki

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

This quaint town has everything one needs to restore.....

The Surf, the air, the water, the food, the camping, the awesome hotels. Bike riding, walking through the bird sanctuary. Paddle boarding the bay.

Thank Ventiki

Deliasata

St. Augustine, Florida

4513

Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Absolutely beautiful crisp day with gorgeous blue skies in this wonderful place

Morro Bay beauty on a January day In the new year 2019. Blue skies and 60 degrees! worth it to travel here and the whole central coast

Thank Deliasata

ntsumfwj

First time

Not sure if you could climb it but the beach next to it was pretty clean. We parked in the bigger parking lot next to the rock. We were there about 5pm and it wasn’t too crowded. We had a lot of fun especially collecting...More

Thank ntsumfwj

Patriesh

San Francisco, California

7142

Reviewed 3 weeks ago via mobile

It’s and isn’t a must

From a distant Morro Rock is beautiful, big, and intimidating! You can easily walk over from the boulevard. On one side you have surfers and on the other otters. However you aren’t allowed to climb it, or walk around it. So it’s just a big,...More

Date of experience: December 2018

Thank Patriesh

ROSEAUSTIN

Austin, Texas

235156

Beautiful

Beautiful views from the beach. The rock is a volcanic plug from an ancient volcano. Great views all around.

1 Thank ROSEAUSTIN

FlyAtNight

Whitby, Canada

1037394

What a view!!

We we're fortunate enough to check into our hotel just as the sun was setting. I was able to get a quick photo of Morro Rock in the late afternoon light. It appeared even more stunning in the early morning light. I will definitely come...More

2 Thank FlyAtNight

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