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Looking for something fun to do while traveling in the Monterey and Carmel area? Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a worthy place to visit for families, couples or anyone. It’s located on the Central California shore between the Big Sur Coast and Monterey Bay. This state park has eight different beaches in small coves around Point Lobos. Some are good for tide pool exploration, others are better for watching seals, sea lions, and birds, but all of them have something to see and photograph. Whale watching is popular here December through May. Trails run throughout the park for hiking between the different coves.

Point Lobos was once a whaling and abalone harvesting area so there is a lot of history here from those past industries. Scuba diving is popular in these coves and the nearby reefs. This is a map of the coves that have beaches. Point Lobos has a few other rocky coves that are inaccessible or don’t have beaches to visit. Plan to spend most of the day here when you visit. There is so much to see and do throughout the park. Dress appropriately for this cool damp spot and bring food and drinks for the day.

Point Lobos SNR – Whalers Cove

If you are looking for a sandy beach to lay out on, you won’t find one at Point Lobos Reserve. However, just outside the park on the Carmel side you’ll find Monastery Beach with lots of sand to spread out on and free parking along the highway.