Oso Flaco Lake Trail

Dunes

Nipomo Dune Lobe

Directions from Hwy 101 Exit west on Teft St. Turn left on Orchard Road, following the green signs to Hwy 1.
Turn right on Division St which will descend to the Santa Maria floodplain.
You may miss Oso Flaco Lake Road (take a right). If you run into Hwy 1 (you missed it!), take a right and go north, turning west on Oso Flaco Lake Road.
It's a few miles (and I 'flew' over the railroad tracks!)
Parking fee is $4 per vehicle.

Linger awhile on the boardwalk across the lake. It seemed quiet but we spotted the turtles on the bank, an American bittern in the sedge reeds, a bunch of racoons and even an otter swimming along the shore.

Hike Notes
The boardwalk to the beach is uphill and a hike.
At the beach the dunes will be roped off from March to August?
to protect the Least Tern and Snowy Plover.
Walk south to the little Oso Flaco Creek estuary and follow the creek upstream a bit.

See below for notes on Guadalupe Beach


Ox Tongue 2nd Ox Tongue Pic	Oso Flaco Lake Detail of Boardwalk	Hemlock with purple stalk vs Queen Anne's Lace?


American Coots	Ruddy Duck	Racoon


American Bittern 'freezing' with beak upright	A Sand Verbena	Brass Buttons by the creek


Oso Flaco Creek estuary Oso Flaco Creek Santa Maria River estuary	Least Tern Nest and Eggs	Snowy Plover Snow Plover and Nest

Guadalupe

Just south of Oso Flaco is the Dunes Center in Guadalupe.
It's housed in a pre-packaged home sent there by Sears around 1910.
Go right(west) at the nice little cemetery to get to Guadalupe Beach.