• Back to the Pismo Beach page

Monarch butterflies summer in the Sierra Nevada, Florida, Canada and the Great Lakes Region in North America, and migrate to California and Mexico in search of warmth between late October and early March. On the Central Coast, Monarchs winter in Pismo Beach, Pacific Grove and Morro Bay. The monarch grove at Pismo Beach, a short drive from your hotel, is one of the largest in the world, hosting an average of 100,000 butterflies.

Overwintering Monarchs form dense clusters, each covering the one below with its wing in layers like the shingles on a roof. This provides shelter from the rain and warmth for the group. The weight of the cluster help keeps it from whipping in the wind and dislodging the butterflies. It is best to view the Monarchs on a warm day. They sleep in clusters, high up on the trees, when the temperature drops below 65º F.

The grove is located on Highway 1 at the south boundary of the city of Pismo Beach. From the SeaVenture, head south on Hwy 1 for eight-tenths of a mile, past downtown Pismo Beach. The Monarch site will be on your right. Parking is available by meandering through the North Beach campground and following signs, and also past the campground, on either side of Hwy 1 at the main access point to the Monarch site. The beach is only a short walk away.  

The Natural History Museum in Morro Bay (805-772-2694, info@morrobaymuseum.org) is an excellent resource on Monarchs. Check out the following websites for additional information:

www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/AboutSpring.html

www.monarchbutterfly.org/grove_directions.htm

www.riverdeep.net/current/2000/09/092900_migrations.jhtml