Welcome to the Los Osos Elfin Forest

Adjacent to the Morro Bay estuary, El Moro Elfin Forest in Los Osos is a 90-acre natural area belonging to San Luis Obispo County Parks and California State Parks. Its plant communities include coastal brackish marsh, riparian woodland fringe, pygmy oak woodland, maritime chaparral, and coastal dune scrub. The Elfin Forest supports more than 200 species of plants, as well as 110 kinds of birds, 22 species of mammals, and 13 species of reptiles and amphibians. It is home to rare plants, butterflies, snails, and birds. Chumash middens occur throughout the Elfin Forest.

A four-fifths of a mile boardwalk loop constructed in 1999 provides wheelchair access and protects the Forest's sensitive habitat. The Los Osos/Morro Bay Chapter of Small Wilderness Area Preservation (SWAP), after being the prime mover in securing the lands, "adopted" the Forest in 1994.

In 2020, the Chapter changed its name to Friends of El Moro Elfin Forest (FEMEF).

Our mission: to preserve and maintain the El Moro Elfin Forest Natural Area; to inform and educate about the natural history of the Elfin Forest and the Morro Bay Estuary; and to promote and support scientific research in the Forest.

Walks in the Elfin Forest

Become a Friend of El Moro Elfin Forest

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Newsletter Read the current copy of Oakleaves.