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    Bird Rock

    4.3 (24 reviews)

    Bird Rock Photos

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    Reviews With Photos

    Maria C.

    I mean it's not that much to do or see here. But if you are into life and just appreciating the small things and nature itself, check out this tour! I was with a group along with my husbae and this was a featured stop on the tour. Gorgeous!! I have owned a few pet birds in recent years, so I love birds, big and small and this rock was perfect to just watch them do their thing. It may have been other animals nearby, but I mainly saw birds. On this particular day, some months ago, they were a bit chatty. I think they were talking about me and how I was freezing looking at them. So yeah... if you get cold easily or just want to be safe than sorry, bring a jacket or blanket. Because I promise a few miles away it was not cold at all. The temperature will change quickly. But oh what a joy and a great picture opp. Have fun and enjoy life :)

    Bird rock trip to Monterey 2020
    Matthew H.

    This trip was in the late 2020 in the fall and its the prime time to visit Monterey, due to the weather mostly sunny no fog, and tourism season has drastically gone down. As many visitors always wanted to do the 17 mile drive trip, we decided to take an late evening photo trip to catch the beautiful Monterey sunset and we did just that! Bird rock is essentially a few large rocks of the seaside, where many birds call home aka bird rock. Parking: There is very limited parking all along this area, mostly little dirt turn offs, and when there is no fog, expect a good turn out of people to be camping in your cars enjoying this great view! Parking is very competitive lol. Overall: A fantastic place to enjoy natures wonders, with fantastic view of the sunset and the beautiful birds flying back home before the sunsets.

    Sandeep R.

    One of my most favorite points of the 17 mile drive and probably the only one that presents a view of the wonderful wildlife comprising of seals, sea-lions as well as birds. I'd recommend keeping aside 30 minutes for this place and also bringing along a binocular to be able to view the sea-lions as they're at some distance and might not be totally visible to the naked eye.

    Stuti V.

    Nice beautiful spot. Bring binoculars if you want to see anything. You can see birds and sea lions here. One of my fav stop of 17 mile drive. Views are amazing and perfect to get some nice clicks . Parking is also easy. It's amazing to see how so many birds want to be together in 1 small island. Nature at its best. It does gets cold though so would suggest to keep a jacket .

    Literally hundreds of birds and sea lion on this rock.
    Michelle R.

    Bring binoculars. There's a ton of sea lions to see. It's pretty amazing. Its a great spot to get a full vantage of the sea, the golf course, and the wild life. I didn't think I'd like this stop, but I did!! There are lots of eager critters trying to grab some food - chipmunks, I think. They are NOT shy! I'm afraid of these things - I had a bad experience with one and it scarred me for life (we won't get into that).

    Sunil R.

    I love this area. This is a beautiful spot to watch birds and (loud) sea lions! It does get foggy and cold, so make sure to bring a jacket.

    Michael W.

    Bird Rock may not be the best view in 17 mile drive. But it is one of the best stop for relaxation if you don't want to pay and enjoy the coffee shop or restaurants in one of the hotel resorts location. The parking lot is very big and clean in front of the ocean with thousands of birds on the big rock or flying around. Very impressive! Bird Rock parking lot is one of the very few parking lot have restrooms. The restrooms are located in the end, close to the exit of the parking lot. The restrooms are clean! Many parking spaces available included large parking spaces for RV and tourist buses. You can plans to stay here for a little longer than the other location!

    Birds and other marine creatures
    Michelle R.

    Smelly stupid tourists! and the birds smell, too! There's a sign that says DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS and the tourists from the tour bus think its fun to feed the squirrels, make the squirrels beg for food, and take pictures of them. One day I hope one of the rodents will bite them. The stupid tourists also climb on the rocks, stand on the fence, and run in traffic. I'm waiting for an accident to happen, and for the Pebble Beach community to get sued for stupidity that the tourists do. There's tons of birds, otters, and squirrels. It reminds me of the movie "The Birds"... too bad none of them attack the dumb tourists.

    Shiho F.

    Bird Rock is a pretty well known spot in Pebble Beach. Once there you can see different species of birds, some seals and sea lions. There is a huge rock a few hundred meters out towards the Pacific where most of the sea lions hangout on and this place offers a row of stand alone binoculars (not sure if there is an actual word for these but will find out - see photos). Decent spot to stop at although we went yesterday and there were a lot of people on a cold rainy Sunday including a huge tour bus. We weren't there to check out the scenery as I've lived here most of my life but we stopped here before heading to Seal Rock (next door) for a casual wedding.

    Seals following us along the beach during our morning walk.
    Jessica M.

    One of my favorite spots to see birds and seals at Pebble Beach. I love the area. It's very active with wildlife and such a great quick stop for my family. Come early and walk along the nearby beaches. You'll see the seals sunning and they also follow you while they play in the ocean while you walk the beach. Please remember to stay away from the seals and don't try to touch them. We had several people try this during our most recent visit. They are wild animals. If you have questions or concerns call the marine rescue.

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    Ask the Community - Bird Rock

    Review Highlights - Bird Rock

    If you're checking out the entire 17 mile drive, this is a great spot to stop and get out at!

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    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    4.9(1.1k reviews)
    3.4 mi

    This is one of the most gorgeous state parks in California!! I've been wanting to visit for years…read moreand we finally made it here this past weekend. We were staying in Monterey, so it was about a 25 min drive to get there, we arrived before 11am. We parked before the park entrance along Highway 1 where there were NO signs saying "No parking at any time" THIS IS IMPORTANT because as we were walking towards the entrance, there was a parking enforcement officer giving tickets to all the other cars parked where the signs were clearly posted closer to the entrance. So make sure you pay attention! There is parking inside the park too for only $10. Once inside there were park rangers helping you with questions and guiding you on deciding which trails to go on, which was very nice and convenient! We took a picture of the map and choose to do the Cypress Grove, and the Sea Lion Point Trails. We only had about 3 hrs to hang out at the park, so those two were perfect easy hikes and roughly about 2.5 miles if you do both loops. We got spectacular views everywhere, you could hear the Sea Lions and see so many beautiful birds flying around. Wish we would've brought binoculars, so bring some with you if you remember. We can't wait to come back another time and do a full day of hiking because there are so many other trails! The park and restrooms were clean and well kept too, it's definitely a must visit once in your lifetime at least!!

    Absolutely stunning scenery! Easily one of the best hiking trails I've experienced! I've visited…read moretwice now, and both times have been fantastic. The coastal trails are well marked and offer breathtaking lookout points throughout the hike. Today was a little foggy but we were still able to enjoy the beauty. It's definitely worth arriving early to secure parking. The main lot was full when we got there, but we were able to find a spot along Highway 1. While it was a bit crowded, the variety of trails helps spread people out, so it never felt too overwhelming. We hiked about 3.5 miles and made it to the cove where seals birth their pups, Bird Island, hidden beach coves with beautiful blue water and tide pools. There were also docents and volunteers we spotted along the way. Next time I'd like to go further down the trail and explore more of the park.

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    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

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    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    China Cove - Beautiful water

    China Cove

    5.0(10 reviews)
    5.9 mi

    Magnificent views and short hikes…read more I had a very pleasant short hike along some of the trails. Outstanding views of the sea and cliffs where the water carved out scenic scenes. Keep an eye out for seat otters in the water and seals on the sand in secluded coves. Parking can be a bit challenging on more popular days. I suggest driving to the end where China Cove is and keep an eye out for parking spots along the way. Be ready to backtrack to those open spots.

    Absolutely breathtaking views. This gorgeous cove is hidden away deep in Point Lobos State Natural…read moreReserve. The parking lots fills up fast so you may have to park outside the park. We got there fairly late in the day, so we were able to go into the entrance with our car ($10 fee per car, it's free to park on the street outside). We were able to park all the way down in the last parking lot, then walked on the Bird Island Trail to get to China Cove - it's barely 5 minutes into the trail. The seals are so fun to watch down there and the view is like a postcard! I also highly recommend continuing to walk along Bird Island Trail to see Pelican Point and more gorgeous beach views. It's a fairly easy trail with a stunning view throughout. This is a must see!! Last entrance to the park is 6:30 pm and everyone has to be out by 7 pm. This wasn't confirmed anywhere online so we called them to get correct info on their current hours.

    Photos
    China Cove - Hiking - August 3rd, 2023

    Hiking - August 3rd, 2023

    China Cove - August 3rd, 2023

    August 3rd, 2023

    China Cove - Only seals on this beach. There are other beaches for humans.

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    Only seals on this beach. There are other beaches for humans.

    Spanish Bay

    Spanish Bay

    4.3(9 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    Known for its white sand, beautiful waters, and an abundance of beach stones that people often like…read moreto stack here, Spanish Bay is a serene, albeit a bit windy and cold beach that backs up into the Pebble Beach golf course. The bay derived its name from Spanish Explorers camped out here in 1769 who were attempting to find Monterey Bay. You can access Spanish Bay beach through several access points, one of which is Sunset Drive in Pacific Grove. This allows you to avoid needing to pay a toll to go through the 17-mile drive. We however arrived during our tour of the 17-mile drive, stop #3. The parking lot is spacious and has ample spaces available for parking. As mentioned, it is windy here so it's recommended that you layer up. Due to its colder climate, we didn't see anyone here with beach towels enjoying the sand. Surfers apparently love the waters here due to the powerful waves, but it is not recommended for swimming due to the cold temperatures and strong rip currents.

    Though this is #3 of #17 stops on the 17 Mile Drive, it's where most people instinctually stop for…read morea visit. This beautiful beach is named for the Gaspar de Portola and his Spanish explorer crew, who were not happy campers, temporarily lodging here in 1769 as they took a year to find Monterey Bay because the men would not ask for directions. Though the sand is white and soft, my wife stepped on glass. Stupid campers. Though this is "the beach", it's chilly even on the hottest day (runs up to 15 degrees cooler than Monterey), and the water is perfect for polar bears. The fun is in stacking the big rocks, though nature purists believe that is assault.

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    Spanish Bay
    Spanish Bay
    Spanish Bay

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    Bird Rock - beaches - Updated May 2026

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