Address: Pacific Grove Gate, 17 Mile Dr, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 (from Monterey). Entrance to point of interest #1 is at: Highway 1 Gate, 17 Mile Dr, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Parking: Free parking available at each of the 21 landmarks; entrance fee is $10 to drive the private road
Hours: Dawn to 30 mins before dusk. Road often closed during golf tournaments, Fanshell Overlook and Cypress Point closed Apr-Jun to protect Harbor Seal pups.
Type: Walk
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: An hour before sunset
Description: This has been called "one of the most scenic drives in the world," and although it's a private toll road, it's worth at least one visit if you've never seen it before. There are several entry points, and when you arrive you'll see a booth, pay $10, and you'll be given a map. The map has 21 points of interest on it with short descriptions. We started our drive from Monterey, at the Pacific Grove Gate, closest to landmark #4. We missed landmarks #1-3, but these didn't seem interesting enough for us to drive back several miles to view them. You can choose to drive by points that don't sound interesting, or stop and park. Most of the points of interest have walking trails, and many of them are connected, so if you're up for it, you and your dog can walk along a few points of interest, then get back in the car and drive to a new stopping point. The entire drive is picturesque, with stunning views of the coastline and you'll even see the famous Pebble Beach. We especially enjoyed the views from Spanish Bay, the mass of birds at Bird Rock, the loud seals in the distance at Seal Rock, the beach at Fansell Overlook, and the cypress trees. We timed it almost perfectly, so that we arrived at Fanshell Overlook beach at sunset. This was the prettiest beach I've ever seen, and Bailey enjoyed romping in the water. We spent a couple hours exploring, but you could easily spend half a day here. The points of interest are not well lit, so I recommend timing your visit to finish before sundown. You will have some stunning photo opportunities at sunset.
Some of the stops have trash cans, but there are garbage cans and restrooms with flushing toilets at stop #10 (Bird Rock) and stop #19 (The Lodge at Pebble Beach).
Parking: Free parking available at each of the 21 landmarks; entrance fee is $10 to drive the private road
Hours: Dawn to 30 mins before dusk. Road often closed during golf tournaments, Fanshell Overlook and Cypress Point closed Apr-Jun to protect Harbor Seal pups.
Type: Walk
Regulations: Dogs allowed on-leash
Best time to visit: An hour before sunset
Description: This has been called "one of the most scenic drives in the world," and although it's a private toll road, it's worth at least one visit if you've never seen it before. There are several entry points, and when you arrive you'll see a booth, pay $10, and you'll be given a map. The map has 21 points of interest on it with short descriptions. We started our drive from Monterey, at the Pacific Grove Gate, closest to landmark #4. We missed landmarks #1-3, but these didn't seem interesting enough for us to drive back several miles to view them. You can choose to drive by points that don't sound interesting, or stop and park. Most of the points of interest have walking trails, and many of them are connected, so if you're up for it, you and your dog can walk along a few points of interest, then get back in the car and drive to a new stopping point. The entire drive is picturesque, with stunning views of the coastline and you'll even see the famous Pebble Beach. We especially enjoyed the views from Spanish Bay, the mass of birds at Bird Rock, the loud seals in the distance at Seal Rock, the beach at Fansell Overlook, and the cypress trees. We timed it almost perfectly, so that we arrived at Fanshell Overlook beach at sunset. This was the prettiest beach I've ever seen, and Bailey enjoyed romping in the water. We spent a couple hours exploring, but you could easily spend half a day here. The points of interest are not well lit, so I recommend timing your visit to finish before sundown. You will have some stunning photo opportunities at sunset.
Some of the stops have trash cans, but there are garbage cans and restrooms with flushing toilets at stop #10 (Bird Rock) and stop #19 (The Lodge at Pebble Beach).
