We arrived at the butterfly grove about 9:30. It was just starting to warm up. We immediately saw more monarchs than either Goleta or Pacific Grove. Then the action began! The docents arrived, the spotting scopes were set up, and the monarchs began to wake up! By 11:00 they were very active. At 11:30 there was a presentation by a docent who had been there for over 30 years! We were told the butterfly count was about 3,000—down considerably, but still enough to get a novice excited!! Great stop!!

We went December 2021 on a chilly, but sunny day after a day of rain. We got there before 10am and met up with some friends. We stayed almost 2 hours, but that’s only because we were chatting and our kids were running around. You could see everything within 10 minute. We saw a number of butterflies flying around and landing on the ground, but it wasn’t a lot. We saw one or two clusters of them in the trees too. We talked to one guy who said that the grove in Monterey had so many more. Based on the information at the site, last year there were only 200, but they’ve seen a lot more of them this year. It’s definitely something to see if you have an hour or less to kill, but just manage your expectations.

We were there in August, not butterfly season, but still enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of this area. The State park next to the grove was closed and we had to park our RV across the street which was OK. There weren't that many visitors there but locals taking their dogs for walks. Free to enter. It was a nice, easy walk from the grove to the dunes. Great views. Only saw a couple of lonely monarch butterflies while we were there. Would love to come back when the time is right.