Point Lobos hiking guide: best trails, wildlife, scuba diving, photography tips, hours, fees & parking for Carmel’s crown jewel state reserve.
Just around the point from Carmel, Pacific Grove keeps a gentler register — a two-night late-summer itinerary built on the shoreline Recreation Trail, Lovers Point coves, Asilomar’s dune-edged beach, and a town that never learned to hurry.
For the first time in nearly three years, the full Big Sur run is open. Ninety-five miles, one full day: the classic coast drive from Carmel to Cambria, finally whole again.
The 20 best things to do in Carmel-by-the-Sea — beaches, galleries, wine tasting, hikes, and insider tips from a local. Updated for 2026.
The complete local’s guide to 17-Mile Drive: entrance fees, best stops, insider tips, and what most tourists miss on Pebble Beach’s legendary coastal route.