Pacific Grove calls itself Butterfly Town, USA, and from about October through February, thousands of western monarch butterflies spend the winter in a grove of trees a few minutes from Cannery Row.
The Monarch Grove Sanctuary
The butterflies cluster high in the eucalyptus and pine trees of the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, off Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove. On cool mornings they hang in tight bunches that look like dead leaves. When the sun warms them, they open their wings and drift through the grove. Numbers vary a lot from year to year.
- Visit on a sunny, mild day, late morning to early afternoon, when they are most active.
- Bring binoculars. The clusters are often high in the branches.
- Docents are often on hand in season to answer questions. Check the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (https://www.pgmuseum.org/monarchs) for current counts and visitor tips.
Make it a morning on foot
1. Walk west from Cannery Row Inn on the Coastal Recreation Trail, past the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
2. Stop at Lovers Point for the view back across the bay.
3. Head inland to the sanctuary, then walk back through downtown Pacific Grove on Lighthouse Avenue.
More in Pacific Grove this season
- The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History has exhibits on monarchs and the wildlife of the Peninsula.
- The Holiday Parade of Lights fills Lighthouse Avenue on Thursday, December 3, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Staying at Cannery Row Inn
Cannery Row Inn puts Pacific Grove's monarchs, the Aquarium, and Cannery Row within walking distance. Rooms are non-smoking with complimentary Wi-Fi, and select rooms have fireplaces for a cozy winter evening. Book direct at canneryrowinn.com.
Photo: Monarch Butterflies Overwintering in Pacific Grove, California (31524122682) by Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain: U.S. federal government work (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) - public domain in the U.S. (17 U.S.C. 105). Resized; website renditions may be cropped and converted to WebP for display.
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