Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, located just over 2 hours by car from San Francisco, is one of California’s most beautiful destinations.
The spectacular coastal park is often called the “crown jewel of the California State Park System,” drawing a range of visitors, including photographers, hikers, and SCUBA enthusiasts.
Here’s why you should make the drive…
About Point Lobos
Point Lobos is located just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the charming small town known for its fairytale cottages. The park was famously visited by legendary photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, as well as landscape painter Francis McComas, who once called Point Lobos “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.”
The Indigenous Rumsen people inhabited the Point Lobos area for more than 2,500 years until European settlement arrived in the late 18th century. In the mid-1800s, fishermen and whalers from China, Japan, and Portugal set up at today’s Whalers Cove, building a cabin which still stands today as a museum. The State of California acquired Point Lobos in 1933, preserving its beauty for generations of Californians.
These days, visitors can explore rugged coves, striking sandstone and granite formations, sea caves, coastal meadows, and Monterey cypress forests. Most visitors take the Point Lobos Loop Trail, a 6.3-mile, 2-3 hour walk that takes you past all the most scenic points.
Point Lobos is also a popular destination for SCUBA diving and snorkeling in Whalers Cove and Bluefish Cove.
Visiting Point Lobos from SF
Depending on traffic, it takes about 2-3 hours to reach Point Lobos from San Francisco by car. Many travelers opt for the slower, but more scenic, Highway 1 route, which passes through more must-see spots like Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, and Carmel.
While there is $10 on-site parking available within Point Lobos, it fills up quickly. Be prepared to park on the shoulder along Highway 1 and walk.
The park is open from 8am to 7pm with last entry at 6:30pm.
🌐 Learn more: California State Parks
