Point Lobos State Reserve

 

It’s hard to believe there could be a more scenic place along the California coast than Point Lobos State Reserve. We spent hours taking a leisurely five mile hike and hundreds of photos.

The park is home to interesting looking trees.

Some artistically decorated with orange lichen and moss.

And the Monterey Cypress, which the park was originally acquired to protect.

We visited the Whalers Cabin, built by Chinese fisherman in the 1850s and now a museum.

Saw lots of wildlife. The usual moochers.

Very tame deer.

Many birds.

Including nesting cormorants.

If you forget to bring binoculars you can borrow a pair from one of the docents in exchange for your car keys. We spent a lot of time looking for whales through ours but didn’t see any.

We did see plenty of harbor seals.

And California sea lions. It was quite amusing watching them try to get on the rocks from the surf. They are a noisy bunch!

There are a few places where you can get close to the water.

We were fascinated by the effects of wind, water and erosion in this area.

And the mesmerizing crashing waves.

This has been my favorite place on the California coast so far. We were there on a weekday and it was not very crowded. If you drive in and park it costs $10 per vehicle ($9 for seniors), plus $2 for a very well worth it map and brochure. There is limited parking and on weekends we heard they cut off the number of vehicles allowed in. You can also park for free along Hwy 1 with a suggested $1 per person walk-in donation, but be prepared for a much longer walk if you do that.