Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and Point Lobos State Marine Conservation Area is referred to as Point Lobos. It is south of Carmel by the Sea. The park contains hiking trails and many small beaches.
Point Lobos is diverse in animal and plant life in both water and land. It is considered one of California’s park jewels. The Monterey Canyon and Carmel Submarine Canyon provides cold, nutrient rich water in upswelling from the sea; this supports the diversity of the area. The diversity of life in the water makes it a popular diving spot. The birds, mammals and fish rely on the kelp forest.
Alexander Allen bought land in 1933 to protect it from development.
The Whalers Cabin which is now the Whaling Museum was built for housing Japanese and Chinese fisherman. The Carmel Whaling Company did shore whaling here from 1862 to 1884. The Japanese Whaling Company operated from 1898 to 1900.
We took a cab to the park and back to our inn. We had to wait 40 minutes outside the park as it got dark for our taxi. We know to call a little earlier next time. These trails made me realize getting outside wasn’t so bad.
We really enjoyed our time on California’s coast. This is a really wild, rugged area.
Jebus Mews & Andrea 
Beautiful images..I had no idea the whaling practices have been going on for ages!
Love this area of CA. I’ve been told the water is rough but the Monterey Peninsula has good diving. The water is really cold.
I wonder when whaling officially stopped in the US. Here’s a thing on wiki about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_United_States
I was wondering how you got out there without a car. One unfortunate thing about CA is that it’s very car-centric: a number of towns don’t have public transportation beyond a single taxi service (if that), and many of the highways that connect them are unfriendly to pedestrians and cyclists. (Unless you like riding on a gravel shoulder while being passed by speeding 18-wheeler and box trucks. 😦 )
The CA department of state parks promotes accessibility, so even in rugged areas you’ll find a path that’s easy to walk or even use a wheelchair on. As I get older and have more issues with my knees and back, I really appreciate those paved, gently graded trails!
Cab. We knew we couldn’t walk back. It wasn’t far but it looked unsafe for walkers with the cars. Seemed more like a highway, I think. Think I found a guide for the next time we are there. Not sure when it will be but I’d love to go back.
I know this sounds funny but I am impressed by CA highways – they are so wide. Our are so narrow compared to yours.
I’m going to post about Baltimore next. This first one is about the city and the second will be the aquarium. Compared to the CA aquariums, Baltimore is the closest one for a “wow”factor but Monterrey and Cal Academy beat it. Baltimore and Philly are great family trips. Close by and not too expensive and have plenty of kid friendly museums and things. There’s an aquarium in Camden, NJ across from Philly. We have never been there. You don’t want around Camden I’ve been told it’s one of the more dangerous places in the US.
Drivers and the auto industry have a lot of political heft here, so it’s important to the state to keep the roads wide and in good condition. That said, I was terrified the first time I rode a taxi from JFK to Astoria. The freeway lanes seemed so narrow, the drivers were a lot more aggressive, and it felt like the cars and trucks were packed in a lot closer to each other. CA drivers are aggressive too, but there’s a lot more room on the roads to brake and dodge other cars. Personally, though, I would be happy to live in an area where I never had to drive again or had so little traffic, riding a bike would be safe.
I’m looking forward to the posts on Baltimore! It’s too bad, but most people on the left coast only know the city from the TV series “The Wire.” I know it from John Waters and Barry Levinson, who based their films on their childhood in Baltimore, though I realize it’s changed a lot since the 1950s-60s settings of the movies.
I had a friend who became an Episcopal priest; his first assignment was a church in Camden. He was hopeful about doing something for his parishioners, but after three years he and his wife wanted out. They wanted to have kids, but they did not want to raise them in Camden. They said the public schools were in such terrible shape, families who could afford it sent their kids to parochial school. Their house had also been broken into several times, once while they were home sleeping. My friend didn’t want to buy a gun, but they didn’t want to turn their house into a fortress either. It was hard, because they were so idealistic and progressive. They wanted to help, but the city was so poor, it was too much for just one couple.
Ah, Point Lobos – such a beautiful place!
Love that area of CA! Thanks!
Beautiful pictures! A deer just cut in front of you, I assume he was close. That is awesome.
Yes! I’m so happy when I see deer. I’ve seen 9 to date. That’s how much I’m in the city. Other people are like, “Where we are from, they are pests. Wow, you are a real city slicker.”
That’s a beautiful spot. I think I was there about 40 years ago – must be about time for a return visit.
Lovely photos. I really like those trees with all the twisted trunks. They’re so interesting to look at.
Thank You! Wish we had more time to explore the park. We keep saying we should go back and get sidetracked by other trips.
Looks like a beautiful place to visit.