Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Beach Activities

Visitors to Rancho Guadalupe Beach find it an interesting place to hike, view wildlife, surf fish, take photographs, and surfing. Dangerous rip-tides make it unsafe for swimming.

Caution: Check with rangers or lifeguards that conditions are safe for your planned activities.

Hiking to Mussel Rock

The hike to Mussel Rock along the beach is about 3 miles. For the easiest walking stick to the hard packed sand near the water, but always keep an eye on the ocean. As you approach 450-foot Mussel Rock look for routes up through the dunes. More rugged trails continue south toward Paradise Beach.

Surf Fishing

Surf fishermen along Guadalupe Beach do well hooking surf perch.

Surfing

Surfers at Guadalupe Beach enjoy a nice shore break. Consistent waves can reach up to 5 or 6 feet, especially in spring. The best surfing is when the offshore winds are blowing. Many surfers are wary of sharks around the Santa Maria River mouth.

To the north is the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, protected as a nesting place for the endangered Snowy Plover during part of the year. The wildlife refuge has 1.8 miles of ocean front. More than a hundred species of rare plants and animals are found in the refuge.

The entire dunes complex spreads for 18 miles along the coast. The northern parts are included in the Oceano State Vehicular Recreation Area.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, a non-profit organization founded in 1999, promotes "the conservation and restoration of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes ecosystem through education, research, and the support of cooperative stewardship."

The Dunes Center is located in Guadalupe. The organization offers educational programs, docent led walks in the dunes, guest speakers, and information for visitors to the dunes. For school-age children the Center offers classroom lessons and field trips.

During the year the Center sponsors a number of events and offers free public hikes. Among the events offered in the past were
Art Exhibit Opening
Talk on the Status of the Western Snowy Plover
Black Lake Ecological Area Hike
Guadalupe Walk and Talk

Check their Events Calendar for current offerings.

Docent Led Group Walks

For a fee, the Center provides naturalist-led 2 or 3-hour walks at the Oso Flaco Lake boardwalk. They can accommodate groups numbering up to 60.

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
1065 Guadalupe Street, Guadalupe, CA
(805) 343-2455   Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Birding

Bird watchers will find an abundance of birds along the coast, especially around Oso Flaco Lake and in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Snowy Plovers receive a lot of attention and have shown steady increases in their numbers. Another endangered bird is the least tern seen along the beach and around coastal rivers and lakes.

At Oso Flaco Lake birders will walk over a mile-long boardwalk and footbridge through riparian areas, over the lake, and through dune scrub habitat. Keep eyes open for pelicans, osprey, kingfishers, hawks, sparrows, and dozens of other species.