A volcanic plug that sprouts 576ft out of the water, Morro Rock was formed 23 million years ago. It's one of more than 20 ancient volcanic rocks that form a chain from Morro Bay to Edna Valley, known as the "Nine Sisters (someone miscounted).
Chumash tribespeople are the only people legally allowed to climb this volcanic rock, now the protected nesting ground of peregrine falcons. You can laze at the small beach on the rock’s north side, but you can’t drive all the way around it. Instead, rent a kayak to paddle the giant estuary, inhabited by two-dozen threatened and endangered species, including brown pelicans, snowy plovers and sea otters.
