A group of us went hiking in California’s newest State Park yesterday. Fort Ord Dunes State Park is an amazing place, occupying 979 acres, including almost 5 miles of beachfront on the Monterey Bay. This gem of a park is not yet fully developed, so now is the time to take advantage of the solitude and quiet. The vegetation along the coastal area adjoining the high dunes is varied and very unique, providing habitat for rare and endangered species. We were fortunate to spot the Smith’s Blue Butterfly.
There are huge dunes, windswept beaches, and pathways and roadways with amazing views. We saw and toured the old ammo storage bunkers along the dunes reminding us that over a million men trained at Fort Ord from 1917 to 1994. Read an interesting article here about this transformation.
We finished the hike on the beach collecting amazing beach glass. We were also able to call the Marine Mammal Rescue Center to report a stranded baby sea lion. They sent a volunteer to the remote area and we hope all is well for this stranded mammal.