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Hike Point Lobos State Park in Monterey, California Where Land Meets Sea for Spectacular Views

Story, photos by Cassie Hepler

Park by the road. That’s the best advice I can give you and best of all, it’s free. Also, get there early or it won’t matter anyway as the park will be packed.

Point Lobos State Park in Monterey, California is a scenic coastal area featuring a variety of sea animals and wildlife, hiking, diving and a whaling museum. Point Lobos has been named “the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world” and “the crown jewel of the state park system.” It has diving unmatched on the California coast (check out the Point Lobos State Reserve website for maps and dive site videos), great hiking, perfect picnic spots, vistas, wildlife just begging for painting or photography and an old whaler’s cabin. In the winter, migrating gray whales are visible from the shore. The ocean at Point Lobos is home to sea lions, harbor seals, elephant seals, sea otters, and is a year-round stopping point for orcas. Visitors can even whale watch without leaving dry land because gray whales migrate past this area from December to April and can easily be seen from the coast.

There are even more animals on land at Point Lobos than there are in the ocean. Though many of them, such as the gray foxes, raccoons, coyotes, striped skunks, opossums, and mountain lions, are primarily nocturnal, you may still see them during the day. You may also catch sight of weasels, deer, badgers, bobcats and rabbits. While Pacific Grove is known for its Monarch butterfly sanctuary, not many people realize that Point Lobos also provides an important wintering-over spot for these flying jewels.

Point Lobos is also a bird lovers paradise. Smaller birds include the chestnut-backed chickadee, pygmy nuthatch, Anna’s hummingbird, spotted towhee, dark-eyed junco, scrub jays, wrentits, white-crowned sparrow and California quail. Turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, and the American kestrel can also be spotted. Seabirds regularly seen at Point Lobos include the brown pelican, rock pigeon, black oystercatcher, Brandt’s cormorant, western gull, killdeer, great and snowy egrets, and great blue and black-crowned night herons.

Download Discover Point Lobos for iPad free from the App Store or pick up a paper map while there, it’s virtually impossible to get lost though and helpful strangers will lead you the right way.

Walk from the road through the gated area (park closes at dark) and jump onto the South bound trail which will lead you down then up and around the whole park.
A well deserved reward for such a sweaty hike is this Gibson beach view with its pebble sand.

China Cove at Point Lobos State Park.

Bird rock at Point Lobos State Park.
Nosing around with this painter who was teaching a class, there were people everywhere with art kits along the trails because it is truly breathtaking at Point Lobos State Park.

Heading back to Gibson Beach at Point Lobos State Park.
Go down the tiny stairs if you dare to put your toes in the pebble sand at Gibson Beach at Point Lobos State Park.
A view from on Gibson Beach at Point Lobos State Park.
Back on the trail at Point Lobos State Park.
Literally the trail is cliff side at points at Point Lobos State Park.
Views for days!
Many pebble beaches at Point Lobos State Park.
Where land meets sea at Point Lobos State Park.

A popular little cove at Point Lobos State Park.
Making zen rock formations at Point Lobos State Park.
Every stopping point is amazing at Point Lobos State Park.
Park rangers complained about people climbing the rocks with heavy waves at Point Lobos State Park.
Stay on the path and head north at Point Lobos State Park.

Even though this looks flat, it is rocky hiking at points at Point Lobos State Park.

At this point I was halfway though and it took about 2-2 1/2 hours and that was at a pretty brisk pace. I still have to do that northern part which the park ranger said was his favorite place so it looks like a day hike with picnic would be the best plan. Until next time, Point Lobos State Park!