World famous Carmel Beach with its white sugar sand and cypress lined border is steps from many of our rentals. Please inquire which properties are either on Scenic or are in close proximity of the crashing waves.
Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It is one of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it is one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur.
The entrance to Sycamore Canyon Road, a single-lane, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) long access road, can be difficult to find. The road and the beach are within the Los Padres National Forest. The road is named for the Western Sycamores that grow along the road and near the beach.Because it is so narrow, pedestrians and recreational vehicles are not permitted on the road. The Forest Service has a superior easement on the road.There are only five spots along the road where two vehicles can pass each other. Visitor traffic along the road is seven to ten times that of local traffic.
The parking lot accommodates 65 vehicles and is usually full on summer and holiday weekends. When available, parking is $15 per vehicle.
Monastery Beach, also known as San Jose Creek Beach, is part of the Carmel River State Beach park and is popular with scuba divers. Swimming, wading or walking near the sanctuary can be extremely dangerous at this beach.
Dogs are allowed on leash at this location.
Please be aware of:
Families with small children
Visitors with their own pets on leash
Late winter/early spring Western snowy plover seasonal resting areas
On Carmel Bay, the mile-long beach features a bird sanctuary in a lagoon (just before the Carmel River empties into the sea) featuring a wide variety of waterfowl and song birds, and provides for scenic panoramic views of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a federal marine protected area.
Monastery Beach, also known as San Jose Creek Beach, is part of the park and is popular with scuba divers. Swimming, wading or walking near the sanctuary can be extremely dangerous at this beach.
Dogs are allowed on leash at this location.
Please be aware of:
Families with small children
Visitors with their own pets on leash
Late winter/early spring Western snowy plover seasonal resting areas
China Cove has a tiny pocket beach with emerald green water in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel, California. It's a frequently photographed spot because of the stark white sand and green water.
At low tide you can find a small cave and a rock arch in the south wall. Bird Island, a top birdwatching spot, is just offshore and is best viewed from Pelican Point (aka Bird Island Lookout) via a short trail just south of China Cove. Gibson Beach is south of the point.
State beaches are areas with frontage on the ocean, or bays designed to provide swimming, boating, fishing, and other beach-oriented recreational activities. This beach is a favorite place for surfers and tidepool watchers. Fishing is popular, too. The cities of Monterey and Seaside share the park, which has three separate beaches approximately a mile apart.
The underwater area of the park is a part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and attracts hundreds of scuba divers. Visitors also enjoy kayaking, kite-flying and volleyball. The flat beach is an excellent place for walking or jogging.
There is NO campground at this State Beach.
Dogs are allowed on leash at:
Monterey State Beach, South of the Monterey Tides Hotel.
Dogs are NOT allowed at:
Monterey State Beach, North of the Monterey Tides Hotel.
Please be aware of:
Families with small children
Visitors with their own pets on leash
Early spring Western snowy plover seasonal resting areas
Spanish Bay Beach is a public beach at the south end of Asilomar State Beach. Spanish Bay is just inside the limits of the private community of Pebble Beach, California. The bay has a wide white sand beach backed by sand dunes and a golf course.
A wooden boardwalk meanders through the dunes making it easy to walk north and south. Walking south takes you to Moss Beach (similar to Spanish Bay Beach) and walking north takes you to the rugged shoreline of Asilomar State Beach and continues that way for another mile.
