One of our favorite places in the world and a place I'm certainly glad is in our proverbial…read more"backyard." Ok, so it's like 3-4 hours away, but wow, really pretty here. The natural landscape is just phenomenal. God's fingerprints all over this place.
Pros:
- not a bad drive down here from the touristy parts of Monterey and Seaside where we usually reside for the weekend
- a bit windy, but a truly lovely and incredibly scenic twisty, turn-y road that keeps me on my toes
- once you're here it's just breathtaking.
- trail walk/stroll is pretty easy, nothing real rigorous as long as you're still in decent health.
- more challenging "hikes" available for those who are looking for more, I've not stepped up to that (huffing and puffing doesn't sound fun), so I'm not sure where those trails are, but easy to find online.
- so much fauna and flora to look at.
- the coast here is just so rugged and ridiculously jawpdropping.
- kids love this place too. There's a ranger station/little nature stop/house of sorts, not quite a "museum", but it's got the history, the nature, the strange facts you'd not otherwise know about unless you stopped by.
- very kind and dedicated volunteers that will tell you all you want to know about Point Lobos - the nature, the creatures of sky, sea, and land, the past, present and future, whatever you want.
- Plus they often have binoculars they will let you use to look out at the coast for seals and sealions and otters and more galore, oh my!
Cons:
- parking is the suck here. It's not too expensive to get in, but most people seem to park along the main road/highway that leads to Point Lobos which is kind of dangerous and a good trek to get to the State Reserve, so you've got your exercise before you even start exploring. That could be a plus?
All in all, a magnificent and marvelous natural state reserve, well preserved, more than maintained, must see to appreciate.