Travelers making the drive along California's famed Highway 1 will find one of the state's most overlooked natural treasures tucked along the edge of Monterey Bay. Just 7 miles from the waterfront village of Moss Landing, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of the largest remaining tidal wetlands in California. By car, it's about two hours north of Paso Robles and just over an hour south of San Jose.