Loved the hike especially during the fall! It was so beautiful being up there. Our dog loved every…read moremoment of it. Parking was really easy to find. If there aren't any in the lot, there is overflow right before you enter. There were a ton of hiking routes to try. We just kept walking until our dog got tired (which was after hiking for 2.5 hours) Towards the end of the hike there was a rattle snake that another hiker warned us about that forced us to turn around to find another route down since it was blocking across the trail. Otherwise, it was great! Tons of off leash dogs on trails and families of varying ages so very kid friendly as well.

I love Garland ranch. There are several different walking trails. They have a visitor center and…read morebathrooms. Make sure you have on good hiking shoes and bring sunblock and water on warm days. Bring your dog or come solo, the beauty of nature is always so peaceful here. Our kiddos definitely enjoyed getting out to enjoy the area, we will return!

Fantastic views and breathtaking overlooking bay almost over the clouds from peak. Good parking and…read morecamping options.

Smelled like shit from the campsite bathroom could smell 50 feet away, so many bugs, DO NOT GOread more

-Great for a light walk -kid friendly…read more-easy trail - 3/4mi trail -benches along the trail - lots of shade - just down the street from food, shops, gas (basically is in town, don't have to go out of your way to find it) * we just parked on side of road in front of entrance

A very nice place to walk with good views and mostly peaceful surroundings. The two downsides are…read moreits lack of safe walking access to the main entrance, being located right on the edge of a busy road, and the fact that the noise from the cars tends to permeate the otherwise wonderful atmosphere unless you get deeper into the preserve. Other than those two things, it's a wonderful place to walk, particularly in the evenings.

I visited the Fort Ord Dunes State Park in Marina, CA [Beach Range Road] on Tuesday, 9/30/25,…read morearound 2 PM. I decided to come here for a nice, chill beach day. What I enjoyed most about the beach was the tranquility, peacefulness, and calmness. The entire view of the area was gorgeous. I was able to soak up the ocean air and breeze. To top it off, the beach was not crowded at all. Overall, I spent about four hours there. On-site, parking was complimentary. There were portable restrooms available at everyone's convenience. There were signs to help navigate the walking trail or even heading towards the beach. I highly recommend visiting this place. I'd return in the future.

This is a fairly new state park. It is a small section of coastline in the town of Marina, just a…read morecouple of small towns north of Monterey. It used to be owned by Fort Ord which was a US Army base from World War 2 to about 1994. They used this coastline which was mostly sand dunes to train soldiers mostly in rifle and artillery fare. There are a few remnants of structures from the past but most are gone. There are plaques now to tell you what used to be where. I found it to be a good educational read. Some of the trails are going under renovation so I had to improvise my hike here. The trails seem like they come close to the highway and a few entry points going to the beach. The beach I went to was very empty due to the rough coast. It is usually pretty windy, and the water very cold, rough and with rip tides. Not really a beach to lay a blanket and/or play in the water. It was very peaceful tho in that strong nature sense. Parking is free, low crowd density, good for shorter non-strenuous hikes, I think I can find a purpose for this place.

Clean access. Plenty of large, mature trees and green grass. Very safe lot of parking.read more

Checked into the wrong thing earlier. I made the Grumpy White Man hike with me today. It was his…read morefirst real hike. Of course he was complaining. He was composing for the first 45 mins. Because he wasn't eating. He needs to become a good blogger. At the end of it, he was happy. It was nice out there, but wished they labeled their trails a little better. I feel like San Jose does a better job of labeling trails. Grumpy White man found an old wind mill, and got distracted for 10 mins. He was doing a photo shoot.

Otters, sea lions, whales with a beach and bench to watch the ocean. Well worth your time…read more Port a potties only. Uneven sandy trails but amazing views. Not wheel chair accessible. But sea otters! Sea lions! Whales!

Elkhorn Slough is a great place to visit on kayak - or even by foot if you enter the path across…read morethe road from the Elkhorn Yacht Club to view wildlife from two big viewing platforms. I went on for two kayak trips over the weekend -- Friday mid-day was choppy and windy, ebb tide with a LOT more animals and birds. Sunday early morning started out flat water at flood and got a bit windier as the ebb started. Fewer animals than Friday but more tourists, and also, jellyfish that blew in with the flood. Keep well clear of the animals - the guidelines I learned this weekend are: - keep 100 ft away (5-8 kayak lengths) - if a seal or otter is looking AT you - you are too close! - if a seal or otter takes evasive action, you are too close Just go out, keep your voices down (they carry well over the water and scare animals and birds) and enjoy watching nature!

Absolutely lovely location.Be careful of High Tides. Cold,cold water right now, so bundle up while…read morestrolling. Will definitely experience it again!! Possibly Summer camping again!!

This is my favorite beach from Santa Cruz to Carmel. It's just a jump off the freeway. Not a whole…read morelot of parking but that's ok by me. It has lots of room and perfect to clear ur mind & get in a lil earthing. It's a nice beach. Clean too

saw LOTS of wildlife (sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals & so many different birds even a…read morekingfisher!) the guides were so knowledgeable & funny & even offered hot beverages & a local brand of cookies which was amazing. hour & a half long tour but honestly flew by it was so much fun :) perfect for any age!!

Both our captain and naturalist seemed to truly love what they were doing and that really comes…read moreacross in the experience. It was clear that they worked with other groups to help track animals and when we stopped to take pictures of tagged otters and mating it made me feel like we were part of the scientific team. I learned more about otters than I had ever imagined. They are very endangered. I learned lore about seals that I ever imagined. Truly amazing trip. Worth every penny. Don't forget to tip your guide and captain.

My first time visiting the reserve was about 8 years ago when I took John's son (who I call my…read morestepson) to check out the train. There is a track that runs through the reserve and he was obsessed with trains back then. We all came back again as a family and we explored Hummingbird Island and Oak Marsh Loop. We checked out the visitor center and had a great time. So many shore birds to see! Then skip many years and John and I decided to return today without the now 16 year old. We realized there were a couple of trails we had never explored and half of the park we had never seen. Tips for *your* visit: *The reserve opens at 9 and most of the trails are not shaded. So, come prepared with hat, sunscreen and perhaps plan on a cloudy day or even better--winter time. *It is free to visit! *There are tours you can sign up for at the visitor center. All free! *Be sure to bring your binoculars! *If you are into nature journaling or even looking for an activity for your kids, they have nature journaling signs along the trails. So bring some supplies if you're interested. *They have nice restrooms at the visitor center and picnic tables if you want to bring a picnic. *Bring a bird guide if you want to identify all of the birds you spot. If you have fun at Elkhorn Slough Reserve or before you come here, check out the boat tour of Elkhorn Slough through Monterey Eco Tours in Moss Landing. I've done it twice and it was an incredible experience.

Great place to hike, visit a museum and see their native plant garden. This organization does great…read morework.

This was such a magical, lovely stay!! We stayed in the luxury tent for about four nights. It was…read morequiet, clean, peaceful, and beautiful. We did not see a single staff member during our stay, but that isn't a complaint by any means. Driving into Monterey or Carmel was only 20 minutes, and it was nice to get away from the Labor Day crowds when we were done for the day. The beds were comfy, there were plenty of blankets, and the bathrooms were always clean. Our ONLY complaint was that we booked this trip around five months ago, and they gave us a luxury tent without an attached parking spot and we had to walk past someone else's camp to leave our campsite. Next time we would request to not stay in 48a, but we didn't know this when booking it. We will be back to stay here again though.

We had a nice stay at Saddle Mountain RV. We reserved site #24, Premium lot. The lot was perfect…read morefor a party of 2 and 1 dog. I love the big tree for shade, turf grass and a beautiful vine, floral plant lining for privacy. The campground is well-kept clean. People were respectful when it was quiet-time between 9:00pm - 7:00am.