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The Unwondering Project

Top 10 Butterfly Groves in America

Ten places we think are worth the trip, hand-picked, not an exhaustive list, just a place to start.

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Butterfly Groves
Indie Bookstores Ghost Towns Meteorite Impact Craters Bioluminescent Kayaking Dark Sky Places Shipwreck Dive Trails Zipline Adventures Sundials Marine Life Fire Lookout Towers Hot Air Balloon Rides Underground Mine Tours Walk-Behind Waterfalls Butterfly Groves Wildlife Watching Show Caves & Caverns Old Growth Forests Observatories & Planetariums Lighthouses Historic Carousels Art Museums Historic Mills Science & Discovery Museums Historic Libraries History & Culture Museums Historic Landmarks Children’s Museums Botanical Gardens & Arboretums General Museums National Champion Trees Native American Heritage Sites
★ Featured Selection
Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary

Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary

Pacific Grove, CA

Nicknamed "Butterfly Town, USA", paved paths and docent-led tours through a grove where clusters have topped 10,000

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★ Featured Selection
Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

Pismo Beach, CA

One of North America's largest monarch colonies, a single season once counted 230,000 butterflies in its eucalyptus grove

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★ Featured Selection
Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges State Beach

Santa Cruz, CA

California's only official State Monarch Preserve, reached by boardwalk, with counts as high as 120,000

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★ Featured Selection
Lighthouse Field State Beach

Lighthouse Field State Beach

Santa Cruz, CA

Monterey cypress and eucalyptus grove that once hosted 70,000 monarchs in one winter

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★ Featured Selection
Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa

Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa

Goleta, CA

Free eucalyptus grove across 137 acres of open mesa, drawing tens of thousands of overwintering monarchs

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★ Featured Selection
Ardenwood Historic Farm

Ardenwood Historic Farm

Fremont, CA

Working 19th-century farm where thousands of monarchs roost alongside the livestock and heirloom crops

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Camino Real Park

Ventura, CA

City park grove clustering in eucalyptus trees a short walk from downtown Ventura

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★ Featured Selection
Berkeley Aquatic Park

Berkeley Aquatic Park

Berkeley, CA

Urban overwintering site where over 1,000 monarchs have clustered on a single tree steps from city traffic

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Albany Hill Park

Albany, CA

Monarchs cluster by the hundreds or thousands atop a steep hill with Bay sunset views

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★ Featured Selection
Morro Bay State Park

Morro Bay State Park

Morro Bay, CA

Five separate roosting sites in one park, including a golf course grove with clusters topping 4,000 butterflies

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See The Full List All 29 Butterfly Groves in America