Exploring Point Lobos

Exploring and allowing yourself some time to walk freely, trusting that you can have this time for yourself, is a wonderful form of self-care. While surrounding yourself with views, inhaling the fresh ocean breeze.

Logistics:

  • DOG ARE NOT PERMITTED:

    • As a natural reserve it’s part of the preservation of maintaining the park

  • The park has STRICT hours 8 am - 6/7 pm

  • Directions: Point Lobos Natural Reserve

    • 62 CA-1, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923

    • Direct off Highway 1 a few miles after Carmel, just type it into your GPS app, get in your car, and go!!!!!!

  • You can pay a day fee ($10) and park within the park. Whalers Cover is the first right, with few spots to park. You can also continue driving towards the park's southern boundary.

  • I RECOMMEND PARKING OUTSIDE the park FOR FREE within a half mile before arriving, which is just after Monastery Beach. You can park along Highway One just before the park entrance or after the park entrance, both southbound and northbound. Then just walk into the park, which is best to allow for more parking for those who enter the park for the accessibility perks.

    • Be sure to lock your car and not leave valuables out in sight.

Distance/duration:

  • 6.7 miles with about 740 ft of elevation gain throughout the loop.

  • 2 hours to 3.5, relatively flat since sections of trails are made accessible (:

  • Map link

What to bring:

     Just yourself! Water bottle should suffice. Relatively mellow hike with beautiful views. A small snack you can carry in your pocket if you’d like. If you’re running, go right at opening and during the week. There are a handful of stairs in some deeper areas of the trail away from the fire road.

The hike is a loop around the park with other trails that cut right down the middle, dividing the northern boundary from the southern boundary. The MAIN dividing trail is called LACE LICHEN TRAIL on the left when you enter the park just after the kiosk. I recommend going down the CARMELO MEADOW TRAIL towards the Northern boundary to explore an out-and-back portion of the park to Whalers Cove/continue right on to GRANITE POINT TRAIL. From then on, you can continue to loop around the southern boundary to see the rest of the park. You can loop back to the kiosk the long or short way through the Lace Lichen Trail.

NatureEvelyn Muroscalifornia, pointlobos, pointlobosreserve, stateparks, montereyca, hikingcalifornia