Point Lobos
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, south of Carmel · near Carmel · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 500 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round; gray whales Dec-May, clearest water late summer/fall
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- $10/car day-use. Open 8am-7pm. No reservation but parking is capped (~150 cars) and FILLS FAST - arrive before 9:30am or after 3pm. NO dogs anywhere (service animals only).
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Often called the crown jewel of the state park system · Sea otters, sea lions & harbor seals · Rare Monterey cypress at Allan Memorial Grove · Dramatic granite coves (China Cove, Bird Island)
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The crown jewel of California's state parks - granite coves, rare Monterey cypress, sea otters and whales, all on easy trails. Parking is capped and fills fast: arrive before 9:30am or after 3pm. NO dogs allowed anywhere. Gray whales Dec-May.
The guide
Point Lobos is, by wide agreement, the crown jewel of the California state park system - a compact peninsula of granite coves, …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Point Lobos — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.5216, -121.9537