No matter what time of year, each season at Bolsa Chica offers its own unique sights and sounds. In the winter you can see numerous waterfowl feeding, while during the summer months Bolsa Chica provides a safe haven for five nesting colonies of terns, including the Elegant Tern, which counts Bolsa Chica as one of only four places in the world where it nests. Endangered species such as the Beldings Savannah Sparrows, Peregrine Falcons, Brown Pelicans, Light-Footed Clapper Rails, Silver Legless Lizards, Wandering Skipper Butterflies and Black Skimmers can be found at Bolsa Chica. The best place to see wildlife at Bolsa Chica is on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway between Golden West Street and Warner Avenue directly across from the entrance to Bolsa State Beach. Here, a popular walkbridge traverses Inner Bolsa Bay, where visitors can observe saltwater marine life, including stingrays, sea slugs, horn snails, crabs, fish, small sharks, and California sea hare.
Parking is free, as is the use of the trail.
Fishing is allowed, but bicycles and dogs are not permitted on the trails. Free tours are offered the first Saturday of each month beginning at 9 am. Before hiking the Inner Bolsa Bay, you may want to stop at the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center at Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. The exhibit room contains many interesting and educational displays and provides free trail guides, souvenir items, and a bird checklist of 336 birds that can be seen at the wetlands and in near by Central Park. The Interpretive Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm.