Guide to Visiting the Pismo Beach Butterfly Grove

Thinking of stopping at the Pismo Beach butterfly grove to see thousands of Monarch butterflies clustered in the trees? This only happens a few months of the year in winter as the butterflies migrate south along the California coast.

Here’s your guide to how and when to see thousands of Monarch butterflies during their winter migration in California at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove.

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Why Butterflies Visit the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove

The Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove has historically hosted some of the largest numbers of western monarchs who are migrating south from the freezing northern winters. Monarch butterflies aren’t able to survive cold winters, so they seek out warmer climates like Pismo Beach.

The butterflies seem to like it at Pismo Beach as there were thousands of them fluttering about when we visited in early February.

In fact, Pismo Beach consistently hosts the most butterflies each season out of all the butterfly groves in California that are open to the public. (There is one grove in Santa Barbara that hosts more, but it is not open to the public.)

What do the butterflies like about Pismo Beach’s grove of eucalyptus and Monterey cypress trees?

The Pismo Beach butterfly grove has flowers that the butterflies feed on through winter.
The Pismo Beach butterfly grove has forests to protect the butterflies from storms.
Pismo Beach has milder and warmer climates during winter.

Quick Facts about Visiting the Pismo Beach Butterfly Grove

Months to See Butterflies: November to February
Cost: Free
Hours Open: Sunrise to Sunset

Author posing with a painted sign of a monarch butterfly at the Pismo State Beach butterfly grove — Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove

When to See the Monarch Butterflies at Pismo Beach

November through February are the best months to visit Pismo State Beach to see the Monarch butterflies. This is when they make their home on the California coast for the winter.

Interesting Facts about the Butterflies at Pismo Beach

The type of monarch butterfly that lives in Pismo Beach is called the western monarch. They are different from eastern monarch butterflies because of their migration patterns and location.

Western monarch butterflies live west of the Rocky Mountains and migrate up and down the West Coast, between southern Canada and San Diego.
Eastern monarch butterflies live east of the Rocky Mountains and migrate south each winter to Mexico.

The lifespan of the western monarch butterflies at Pismo Beach is six months, which is five months longer than common Monarch butterflies. Why do they live longer? The butterflies at Pismo Beach have a unique fat-storing system that increases their lifespan.

A monarch butterfly can fly up to 2,700 miles, and the western monarchs that overwinter at Pismo Beach tend to fly about 1,000 miles during their migration.

Clusters of monarch butterflies high up in the trees at the Pismo State Beach butterfly grove — Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove

Tips for Visiting the Pismo Beach Butterfly Grove

Bring binoculars. The butterflies are not close to the ground — they are very high up in the trees, and so it’s hard to see them without binoculars or a zoom lens. Definitely bring one or both if you want to get a better view of the butterflies.

Take a quick walk around. It isn’t a large grove — I’d estimate that it would only take 5-10 minutes to walk around the grove and back to the parking lot. You can make a quick stop off the highway to see the butterflies and be back in your car in no time.

Visit the Monarch Mercantile Trailer. Pick up a few butterfly souvenirs and support the Central Coast State Parks Association while you’re at it at the Monarch Mercantile Trailer, which is generally open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Other Monarch Butterfly Groves in California

There are other spots along the California coast where the Monarch butterflies reside during winter.

Here are the top 5 butterfly groves in California with the most butterflies, based on data from 2023.

Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County (16,038 monarchs counted)
Morro Bay Golf Course Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County (10,029 monarchs counted)
Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz County (10,000 monarchs counted)
Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary in Monterey County (6,547 monarchs counted)
Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz County (6,500 monarchs counted)

Although there are several butterfly groves in California, not all of them will have many butterflies to see. So try to visit one of the top 5 butterfly groves for the best chance of seeing butterflies.

We visited Goleta Monarch Grove in February, on the same trip, and although it was a nice walk among eucalyptus trees, we didn’t spot any butterflies. We might have been too late in the season for this area.