Geologically unique and contains a rich and diverse plant and animal life both on shore and in the water

How to Get There

From Carmel-by-the-Sea: Head east on Ocean Ave toward Dolores St. Turn right onto CA-1 S. Slight right at Coast Rd.

Overview

Point Lobos and the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is the "crown jewel" of California's 280 state parks. Australian-born landscape artist Francis McComas described the point as the "greatest meeting of land and water in the world." Adjoining Point Lobos is "one of the richest marine habitats in California." The ocean habitat is protected by two marine protected areas, the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve and Point Lobos State Marine Conservation Area. The sea near Point Lobos is considered one of the best locations for scuba diving on the Monterey Peninsula and along the California coast.

Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ; Image Size Adjusted

History

Point Lobos is just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and at the north end of the Big Sur coast of the Pacific Ocean. Point Lobos features a number of hiking trails, many alongside the ocean, and a smaller number of beaches. The historic Whalers Cabin, built by Chinese fishermen and later used by Japanese and Portuguese fishermen, is now a museum.

Geography and natural features

The Point Lobos area is geologically unique and contains a rich and diverse plant and animal life both on shore and in the water. Point Lobos is considered the "crown jewel" of the California state park system. The geological history of Point Lobos describes the rocks that create the headlands and inlets that make Point Lobos famous.

Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons ; Image Size Adjusted

The Carmel submarine canyon lies just north of Point Lobos. Like Monterey Canyon to the north the canyon provides cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface during upwelling events. These nutrient-rich waters fuel the high primary productivity seen in Carmel and Monterey Bays, which in turn support the high diversity of life observed in the water and on land at Point Lobos.

Point Lobos is one of only two places where the Monterey Cypress are native. The waters around Point Lobos contain extensive kelp forests.

It is possible for visitors to watch whales off shore during certain portions of the year as they migrate along the coast. Gray, humpback, and blue whales are regular visitors to the area.

Recreation

The reserve has several miles of trails. Visitors can view the coastal scenery, explore the coast, and picnic. California's marine protected areas encourage recreational and educational uses of the ocean. The quality of the underwater environment in the adjacent marine protected areas draws a large number of scuba divers. Whaler's Cover is often used by divers to begin their dives. Other activities include kayaking, snorkeling, and diving.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Point Lobos", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0