Read on if you like birding, Elkhorn Slough hikes and easy hikes in Santa Cruz County.
by Garrett McAuliffe
1.5 miles; 1 hour; easy
Birds dig this muck for the wallow and hunt. Light caws, warbling, shrills and hoots pad the air and lend a lilting backdrop to spend time lost in thought or conversation, or with an eye to the avian display.
From the visitor center, follow the paved path down towards the water. The second trail marker on the left begins Five Fingers Loop. Past a band of coast live oak, the trail opens onto rolling meadow. Smokestacks and power lines silhouette the sky, but it’s easy to settle in here among the small rustlings and chatter of marsh life.
A half mile in, a signpost on the left points the way to Parson’s Slough Overlook, a short peninsula between two of the five fingers, with an expansive view over the tides. This spot gained some fame 30 years ago when 116 species of birds were sighted in a single day, a record for North America at the time. You may not best that, but buffleheads and curlews are common. Binoculars draw out the majesty and detail, and can be borrowed from the visitor center ($4).
Once you’ve gotten your bird fix for the day, return to the main loop and turn left. Another spur leads down to a viewing blind nearer the shore, but look out for poison oak reaching in from the railing. The remaining half mile of the loop dips and climbs along the hills before turning past eucalyptus and back to the parking lot. Elkhorn Slough reveals its rhythms slowly as you spend more time here, and its loops are worth a return throughout the year.
Read about Elkhorn Slough's South Marsh Loop Trail
Back to Elkhorn Slough.
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