Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge has a long remote sandy beach at the mouth of the Salinas River north of Monterey, CA. The refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It protects dunes and natural habitat while providing the general public hiking trails to explore and access to the beach just south of the Salinas River.

A little over half-mile north of the beach access there is a large beached barge in the surf. It’s one of the shipwrecks in California that you can see from shore. Near the barge the waves are exposing old metal munitions from past military training exercises. Warnings are posted but say they pose no threat. The park is working to remove them all over time.

To get to Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge drive north to the end of Del Monte Boulevard from the city of Marina or take the Del Monte Blvd exit off Highway 1 and head west (the road becomes Neponset Road).

There is a small “day-use only” parking lot at the edge of a farm with a double-track trail that is your 3/4-mile walk to the beach. It takes you past the wetlands, then through the dunes on the way to the beach. The dunes are off limits to humans to protect bird habitat. Another trail at the parking lot leads to the river’s edge and forms a loop back to the beach trail. Note that waterfowl hunting is allowed on the River Trail approximately mid-October to mid-January.

Address

200 Neponset Rd
Salinas, CA 93908

Park Name

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

Owner

National Refuge

Pet Details

No dogs allowed on the trails or the beach

Fees

Free parking

Activities

Hiking, Birdwatching, Beachcombing, Wildlife Watching, Fishing, Hunting, Beach Walking

Amenities

River, Wetlands, Dunes, Shipwreck

Links

Aerial Image of Barge Shipwreck
Surfing Info & Web Cams
Water Temps
Tide Chart