Stop #11 of the 17-Mile Drive, Crocker Grove is home to one of the largest and oldest Monterey…read moreCypress Trees in existence. And one of only two native Monterey Cypress forests in the entire world. There's not much of anything to do here. The grove itself is fenced off to protect the trees and the area itself feels rather quiet and eerie. There are designated parking spots here so pull up, take a few pics, and then head off.

I Grove All Night…read more The oldest--and largest--grove of Monterey Cyprus trees that just happens to be stop number eleven along the Pebble Beach 17-mile Drive. Unfortunately, there's really not much to do here, but stop, snap a few pics, and be on your merry way, as the area is fenced off from visitors. If you want to hike an actual grove of Cyprus trees, then go visit the second largest grove just a few miles south at Point Lobos.

A beautiful drive from Monterey thru downtown Carmel. Carmel Beach is hidden away from the world…read moreunless you look for it. There's paved parking with handicap accessible spots. I imagine as it gets warmer it will be harder to find a parking spot. The sand was white unlike the beige sand on the East Coast. The water was shades of aqua and blue. Picturesque views of the rocky ridges with local trees can be seen in the distance. Seagulls flying overhead trying to catch thermals from the sun or is the wind is strong enough soar the ridge. It was a perfect day not crowded with people. You had families, couples and people walking with their dogs along the beach. We found ourselves sitting relaxed listening to the waves and catching some Alpha rays.

The mustard is blooming at Carmel Meadows Beach…read more... http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/bb3rYoGvioJ38F4nl-riVg/l March 11, 2009 @ 12:40 PM

Pfeiffer Beach looks and feels magical and is one of our absolute favorite places to come every…read moreyear. It's where the forest meets the sea and the views are breathtaking Between the huge rock formations, purple sand, and the famous keyhole where you can see the ocean through the rock, it's such a beautiful place. There are also tide pools to explore and we've seen tons of starfish, sea urchins, and other little sea creatures. The everyone loves it :) The beach feels so different from your normal California beach it doesn't feel real.. it's so beautiful. It's definitely one of those places pictures don't do justice AT ALL !! If you're passing through Big Sur this is a MUST stop.. Trust me, you won't regret it Just be prepared for the drive down to the beach. The road is VERY narrow, almost one lane in some areas, and you'll have to move to the side to let other cars pass. There are some tight turns too, so just go slow and pay attention, especially with cars coming the opposite direction. It's a little adventure getting down there but completely worth it! Note: restrooms are not the best .. take wipes/toilet paper, sanitizer

The most famous beach with purple sand, Pfeiffer Beach is located in BIg Sur, requiring a 2 mile…read moredrive down a one-lane road to reach. It also costs $15 to park here. Our family thought it was worth it. Pfeiffer Beach was our eighth and longest stop during our southbound journey on the Cabrillo highway through Big Sur. Access is through Sycamore Canyon Road (one lane) which is extremely easy to miss from the highway. It is a one lane road but has many areas where one can turn off to let oncoming cars pass, though I can imagine when it gets busy how much more difficult it would become. We had left Carmel early in the morning, so it was about 07:48 when we reached the bottom. As we drove down, my wife noticed a lone, empty chair about halfway down. Later we realized that that is where a ranger would sit to tell cars to go back up, once the limited parking lot near the beach got full. The car entrance had yet to be manned, so we paid per vehicle fee via cash in an envelope deposited in a fee drop box. The tear off stub is then displayed on your dash. Later when we were leaving, there were employees manning the area, accepting payment, with credit cards being accepted. The parking is administered by a private company so our America the Beautiful National Park pass did not work here. We were the 2nd car in the lot. There are angled handicap spots, motorcycle parking, and bathrooms (outhouse style) in the parking area. There is definitely more beach space than there are parking spots, so if you are able to get to the beach, one can easily find a secluded spot. Though as the no refund sign warned, there is high winds and blowing sand on the beach so not the best place for a warm, sunny beach day. There are streaks of purple sand along the beach (learned that the purple is caused by garnet powder that washes down from surrounding areas). It made the white sand look like it had dirt spots. I did have time to walk to both ends of the beach, and discovered that at the north end, there are pockets of sand further away from the ocean where the garnet sand is a lot more prevalent. The beach is named after the pioneer, Michael Pfeiffer. Many other places in the area (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park) are named after his descendants. The beach is for day use only, and is open from sunrise to sunset. What's interesting about this is how many reviews are on Yelp for this beach, even though there was no cell service when we went. It clearly shows a lot of Yelpers are coming to this beach, and taking the effort to write about it once they get back to an area that has internet. But there are no reviews for any of the vista points in the surrounding areas. Maybe they aren't being approved by Yelp to be searchable?

Nice park with an ocean view. We snagged a picnic table and played boardgames here - perfect…read morelocation.

Esplanade Park is a neighborhood park on Ocean View Blvd. and Esplanade Street. The location is…read moreperfect but bay views are mostly occluded by numerous cypress trees spread over the one acre space. There are no restrooms facilities and no barbecue or grill pits but there are numerous ocean facing benches and a couple of picnic benches in the park. Ground cover is a combination of wood chips and low growing natural plants that resemble weeds. There is not much personality to this space but it's hard to figure it could be anything more than it is. Interestingly, across the street from the park at Esplanade Street and Surf Avenue is an off the grid park named Vista Park. This little park is no more than 25 feet wide by 80 feet deep with two dedicated benches, a very nice native vegetation garden and an impressive street facing granite wall. Someone maintains it but it's not represented on the City of Pacific Grove website. In fact it's not mentioned anywhere in any search engine....except now it is on Yelp.

I just moved to Monterey and went over to Quarry Park on a whim today, just to check it out. I was…read morehoping to find a place where I and my dog might be able to go trail running. Quarry Park is pretty small, for a preserve area. It's easy to drive right by the main entrance. I was trying to find an actual parking area on Google Earth, but there really isn't one; you just park on the street near the entrance. The park itself is basically a box canyon (perhaps a long-disused quarry?) in the middle of Monterey. There's a single main, wide, unpaved trail that leads from the entrance to the end of the canyon; it's not long, *maybe* a quarter-mile. Signs at the front of the park say dogs are allowed on-leash, but while I was there, 2 dogs were there with their owners, off-leash, trotting along and enjoying themselves as should be officially sanctioned in so many more places. In addition to the main walking trail (which is flat), there's also a small dirt path that splits off at one point and climbs up to the canyon rim, where you can hike around a bit where pretty much no one goes. There's a second entrance up at the rim near the end of the canyon, on Google Maps it's right near 458 Dry Creek Road. If the street near the main entrance were too full to park; it looks like you could park on Dry Creek Rd and go in here. I wouldn't recommend it if you're not prepared for a couple of short, but relatively steep, narrow, loose portions of trail. If you want a longer hike, you can take the Veteran's Park Trail out of Quarry Park up to Veteran's. It runs through a narrow gap between two residential developments up to Veteran's Memorial Park and from there you can get into the trails in the Huckleberry Hill preserve.

This is a beautiful place ideally located next to the beach. Several volleyball courts located here…read moreand lots of grass to lay on. Great place for frisbee play. Lots of kayakers launch from here and a geat place to start riding on the bike trail, which I did most of he time here. Lots of families enjoying having bbq's here and picnic lunches. Can get cold at times so binge your sweater.

Window on the Bay project of Monterey has continued to expand this beautiful recreation area…read more Overlooking the Del Monte Beach and Monterey Bay there are BBQs to rent and picnic tables. Volleyball courts are available. This includes a portion of the coastal bike/ walking trail. A nice place to enjoy some sunshine!

A wide, sandy stretch with dunes, a boardwalk, and a nice view of the Pacific. It feels a lot less…read morerocky than the other stops, and it's a good place for a short walk or to just watch the waves. The area is named after the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá, whose expedition camped nearby in 1769. The Inn at Spanish Bay is close by, and a bagpiper plays at sunset every evening, which is a fun tradition if you're around. The beach is great for photos, but the water is cold and the surf can be rough. There's a free parking area close to the beach, and it's easy to find a spot unless it's a busy weekend.

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.

This is a beautiful area that is full of marine life and birds. The path that you walk on has area…read morethat you can sit and enjoy the ocean views as well as the many different species of birds. There are rock formations out in the ocean area as well as close to the walking pathway where you can take some great pictures of birds in the air and on The rocks.

Lovers Point State Marine Reserve is one of the smaller (MPA)s "Marine Protected Areas" surrounding…read morethe Monterey Peninsula. It is only .30 square miles and lies just beyond Lovers Point Park. These protected areas were established in 2007 by the California Department of Fish & Game. (SMR) protects all marine life within its boundaries . These protected areas include all marine life in tide-pools, sandy beaches and kelp beds where sea otters congregate for protection. These protected areas do encourage recreational and educational use of the ocean. Activities such as swimming, snorkeling, diving, are allowed unless otherwise restricted ! Scientific studies are constantly being done in the marine reserves area's to determine the effectiveness of its programs. Scientific findings in these areas do show larger and more abundant marine life ! Yippi !