Piedra Blanca Coast
Map SatelliteIncluded in this area is the Pleistocene marine terrace west of Highway 1 between a point approximately 1 kilometer north of Point Sierra and 1 kilometer south of San Simeon. Along most of the coastline there are rocks or a fringing reef, with exposed and semi-protected sandy, gravel or cobble beaches, backed by bluffs.
Offshore several of the rocks are used for hauling ground by the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina, and the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus, or for breeding grounds by various sea birds, including the cormorants, Phalacrocorax penicillatus and Phalacrocorax pelagicus, as well as various gulls, Larus spp., and pigeon guillemots, Cepphus columba. The sea otter, Enhydra lutris, is seen here.
Above the bluffs, which are seldom more than 15 meters (50 feet) high, several plant communities are found, chaparral, northern coastal sage scrub, and some grasslands. In the scrub Eriophyllum staechadifolium, Dudleya longifolia (?), Senecio blochmaniae, Stachys bullata, and Artemisia spp. are common.
Several creeks empty into the ocean in the area, forming fresh and salt water marshes at their mouths. These creeks are spawning areas for the steelhead, Salmo gairdnerii gairdnerii, and the Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus.
At Piedras Blancas Point there are excellent tide-pools and the vegetation is that of the coastal strand, with Lessingia filaginifolia var. filaginifolia at its southern distributional limit. Here and at Point Sierra are small sand dunes, generally stabilized, though at the latter Point some are active.
Along Piedras Blancas Point the Franciscan formation is well exposed in the cliffs, with ophiolites, pillow lavas and melange units visible.
Integrity: The area is fenced and is grazed, but not overly so. The small village of San Simeon lies within the area.
Use: Private except Piedras Blancas (United States Coast Guard) and State Park at San Simeon and the ocean area. Educational, research, observational.
Ref: Hsu, K. Jinghwa, 1969. Preliminary Report and Geologic Guide to Franciscan Melanges of the motto Bay-San Simeon Area, California. Calif. Div. of Mines and Geology Spec. Pub. No. 35, 46 pp.
Matthews, A. D. A Preliminary Study of the Coastal Flora of San Simeon from Picu Creek to San Simeon. Unpub. Report, California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.
January 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
