The scenic 17-mile Drive Monterey California lives up to its name!

California Sea Otter Game Refuge

Though Steve and I have been to the Monterey Peninsula a couple of times, we had never taken the 17-mile drive. So we decided that we needed to see for ourselves what the hype was about. It took us about 35-45 minutes to get to Carmel-by-the-Sea from our campground at Casa de Fruta in Hollister.

A guitarist playing outdoors wearing a mask. A sad sign of the times.

Couldn’t you picture living in that beach hideaway?

Our gorgeous view while enjoying out Lox and Bagels in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Our first priority was getting something to eat. With a strict take out only order that was no easy task. There were restaurants that had tables and chairs outside, but you were not permitted to use them. So after checking out several menus online we decided on a local bagel shop and took out delicious lox, bagel and cream cheese sandwiches to eat in the car. Then we drove to a gorgeous spot overlooking the beach and ocean.

Scenic 17-mile Drive Monterey California

The coast at Carmel California was so beautiful. It really blew us away!

Having filled our bellies we headed to the beginning of the scenic drive, where you pay the $10.75 toll to enjoy the beauty of this route that opened in 1881. The actual route has changed over the years, but it is still exactly 17-miles long. And if ups are staying at a hotel or dining at a restaurant along the route, there is no toll.

Brief history

Carmel Beach, Carmel California

Horse drawn carriages explored the 17-mile drive before there were automobiles. The route began at the famous Hotel Del Monte, now the site of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. It was 1881 when early excursions through Del Monte Forest marked the beginning of visitors to this legendary location.

Stunning rocks at Carmel Beach

The beauty is astounding!

In 1919 Pebble Beach Golf Links and The Lodge at Pebble Beach opened to the public. Ten years later the first national golf tournament at Pebble Beach was held – the U.S. Amateur Championship. The tournament returned in 1947, 1961, 1999 and 2018.

Carmel California
Have ever seen ocean water so turquoise?

In 1972 the first U.S. Open Championship was held at Pebble Beach and returned in 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019. It will be played there again in 2027.

The place is called SeaSpace and I thought it was so very cool!

1987 marked the year that the Inn and Links at Spanish Bay opened. Casa Palmero opened in 1999. The Spa at Pebble Beach opened in 2000 and in 2014 they opened the Pebble Beach Golf Academy and Practice Facility. And Fairway One at The Lodge opened in 2017.

The U.S. Open Championship Trophy at Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Centennial Celebration was highlighted by having the 2019 U.S. Open return to Pebble Beach.

17 stops of note along the 17-mile scenic drive

Shepherd’s Knoll

Our last stop along the Scenic 17-mile Drive Monterey California was Ford Grove
Photo Credit: Website

The first stop on 17-Mile Drive branches off from the Highway-1 Gate and winds through the Del Monte Forest all the way up to a vista at Shepherd’s Knoll. This unique elevated view looking down on the Monterey Bay is named after railroad man Abraham D. Shepard, who also built the upper scenic route on 17-Mile Drive in the forest.

It is fun to note that there are no sheep there! A typo on an early map turned this stop from Shepard’s Knoll to Shepherd’s Knoll!

Huckleberry Hill

Huckleberry Hill, in Pebble Beach was so lush and green.

And filled with lots of resident deer

We never tire of seeing animals in their natural habitat.

The treetop level view at Huckleberry Hill unveils Santa Cruz in the distance. The huckleberry-filled hills have been set aside as permanently preserved forest. These hills were rumored to have been frequented by writers Robert Louis Stevenson and John Steinbeck.

Spanish Bay Beach

Spanish Bay Beach at Pebble Beach

The next stop we came to took us right to the water. Spanish Explorers camped out here in 1769. They were trying to find the Monterey Bay, based on a description made in 1602. It actually took the explorers an entire year to find the Monterey Bay, but this beautiful beach was named after their early visit.

The Restless Sea

The Restless Sea was filled with waves crashing against the rocks.

We looped around Spanish Bay and arrived at Point Joe and a bouncy section of the sea. The Restless Sea earns its name as one of the most turbulent sections of coastline in Pebble Beach. Waves are constantly converging and crashing into each other, likely the result of a cluster of submerged rocks.

Point Joe

Pacific Coast Highway Bridge at Carmel Sea Otter Game Refuge

Early mariners mistakenly took Point Joe as the entrance to Monterey Bay which made it the site of many shipwrecks. In the early 1900s, a man named Joe lived in a driftwood hut there, selling souvenirs to tourists and tending goats. It has been debated whether Joe was named for the Point, or the Point was named for Joe.

China Rock

This was the site of a small Chinese fishing village way back in the late 1800s. You can still see hundred year old cooking smoke that has caked onto the rocks from the early settlement.

Bird Rock

This wildlife hub was buzzing with birds, harbor seals and belching sea lions. Bird Rock was actually covered in 4 to 5 feet of pelican and cormorant guano until 1930, when it was harvested as a fertilizer. Sea lions took advantage of the cleaned-off perch, and have been sun-bathing there ever since.

Seal Rock

The tucked away beach at the mouth of Seal Rock Creek was a great spot for us to stretch our legs and explore. It is also a wonderful place to picnic, explore tide pools, or hike on the boardwalk.

Fanshell Beach

The spectacular stretch of uninterrupted coastline continues at Fanshell Beach. This is one of the primary pupping habitats for Harbor Seals on the Central Coast. Sections of the coastline are closed from April to June to protect the young seal families. We were there in late January so we were lucky to be able to see the seals!

Cypress Point Lookout

Cypress Point Lookout offers a spectacular spot to catch sunsets, thanks to its southwest view. But sadly we were there too early in the afternoon to be able to enjoy sunset. The coastline just southeast of there is known as Sunset Point, an exclusive neighborhood populated with mansions built during the Roaring Twenties.

Crocker Grove

Cypress Trees at Crocker Grove are the largest and oldest Monterey Cypress Trees in Existence.

Still more deer!!!

This gives you an idea of just how huge these Monterey Cypress Trees are

Crocker Grove is home to the largest and oldest Monterey Cypress trees in existence. It is named after Charles Crocker, the railroad baron who was responsible for building the luxurious Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, as well as the original 17-Mile Drive in 1881.

The Lone Cypress

My “Lone Cypress”
One of my favorite photos I have ever taken!

For more than 250 years, the world-famous Lone Cypress has braved the elements atop its rocky pedestal overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Known as Midway Point on the original 17-Mile Drive, this iconic tree has been the logo for Pebble Beach Resorts since its founding in 1919.

Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point

Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point

Another Ghost Tree appears to be hanging over the Pacific

Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point is a unique stop full of spooky sun-bleached Cypress trees. It is also a legendary Big Wave surf spot. The swells here are huge, approaching 50 feet in the right winter conditions!

Pebble Beach Visitors Center

In the lobby of the new Pebble Beach Visitors Center

Pebble Beach hosts 2 million guests from around the world each year. As of 2018 visitors can learn the rich history of this unique place at the Pebble Beach Visitor Center. From its early days as a simple stopping point on a scenic carriage ride, to its emergence as the Golf Capital of the World, the fascinating story of Pebble Beach is brought to life at the visitors center.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Welcome to The Links at Pebble Beach

Even if you don’t have time to play, you can mill around the first hole and watch golfers nervously tee off their bucket-list rounds. Or you could head down to the lawn behind the 18th green to catch a glimpse of them finishing up their unforgettable day.

There isn’t a public course in the United States that can match the Major championship pedigree of Pebble Beach. It hosted its sixth U.S. Open in 2019, to go along with five U.S. Amateurs, two U.S. Women’s Amateurs, and the 1977 PGA Championship. Pebble Beach Golf Links has also been selected to host the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and 2027 U.S. Open.

Pebble Beach Equestrian Center

The Pebble Beach Equestrian Center opened just five years after Pebble Beach Golf Links, in 1924. It even hosted the U.S. team trials ahead of the 1960 Olympics. If you want to take in the sights and sounds of 17-Mile Drive in a different way? You can choose from a variety of guided trail rides that are available daily.

Ford Meadow

Our final stop on 17-Mile Drive is a relatively new one. This meadow on your way to the Highway-1 Gate honors Robert F. Ford (1907-1979), a generous donor to the Del Monte Conservancy. Ford said he who knew he was “home” when he passed here. The meadow was dedicated to his memory on Aug. 26, 1981.