Carmel Valley, California
Looking for the best chillin in Carmel Valley? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Carmel Valley. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.
Top Chillin Spots in and near Carmel Valley
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Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Hike to the Top of Inspiration Point
5.01.3 mi / 850 ft gainThis magnificent trail was recently converted into part of the Monterey Regional Parks System. Walk through pastures of cows, through coast oaks, up a steep incline with vast views of Carmel Valley, Carmel and the Pacific Ocean up to the top where a picnic table awaits you at Inspiration Point. T...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Soberanes Point
1.82 mi / 295 ft gainGarrapata State Park is located along California's Highway 1, roughly 5 miles south of Carmel, California. The park is entirely free with multiple pull-outs and serves as one of the first grand views travelers encounter while heading south from the Monterey Peninsula to southern California. Garra...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Hike along the Carmel River Beach Trail
1 mi / 100 ft gainKnown as "Ribera Beach" by locals, this stretch of land nestled between Carmel River State Beach and Monastery Beach is not to be missed! The trails are easy to get to and can be accessed by 4 locations. The first entrance is on Highway 1 at the Bay School (between Ribera Road and Monastery Beach...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Surf Carmel River State Beach
5.0Carmel State beach is located in Monterey county. It's your typical beach break with both lefts and rights. One thing that is super unique about Carmel is that the water is some of the clearest in all of California. Depending on the sandbars, this can be a really fun wave! It's also a great p...Read more -
Monterey, California
Sail on Monterey Bay
Few places along the California coast are perfectly suited for a day of sailing. While San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Long Beach, San Francisco, and Catalina Island offer sailing adventures, none of them offer wide open Pacific waters without dangerous commercial traffic to navigate. The...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Secluded Beach Near Soberanes Point
5.00.2 mi / 40 ft gainWhen we stumbled upon this beach we were thrilled to have such great views with no crowds. There is plenty of room to lay out in the sun, you can swim in the ocean to cool off, and the beach is surrounded by beautiful landscape. If you decide to swim be very careful as the waves and currents ca...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Calla Lily Valley
4.50.31 mi / 46 ft gainParking for Calla Lily Valley is available along the dirt pullout at Gate 19 for Garrapata State Park, near mile-marker 63. Signs are small and difficult to see. Follow the path between the guide wires and take the right fork, heading north to the bluff overlooking the beach. Continue north and f...Read more -
Carmel, California
Point Lobos Natural Preserve Loop
4.77.14 mi / 640 ft gainPoint Lobos contains headlands, coves and rolling meadows, and its offshore area forms one of the richest underwater habitats in the world, popular with divers. Wildlife includes seals, sea lions, sea otters, migrating gray whales (from December to May), and thousands of seabirds, who also make t...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Catch a Sunset at Carmel Beach
4.7It’s a dream of mine to live in Carmel-by-the-Sea. You might recognize Carmel because Clint Eastwood was the mayor from 1986 to 1988. An idiosyncrasy you may not know about Carmel is the fact that there are no street addresses on any house in Carmel. Everyone gets their mail at the post office...Read more -
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Garrapata Beach
4.6A wonderful roadside beach and state park. Easy parking on both sides of Hwy. 1 with short access trails. There are almost 2 miles of coastline trails heading north and south from the parking area. The north end of the beach is great for swimming and surfing when the sea is calm and the south ...Read more -
Marina, California
Explore Fort Ord Dunes State Park
5.0One of the best parts of Monterey is the beaches – but their popularity is also their weakness, so if you want seclusion head to the lesser-known Fort Ord Dunes for solitude and beautiful views of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Coast. Historically, this location was chosen as the location for Fort ...Read more -
Pacific Grove, California
Relax at Lover's Point Beach
4.8Getting there: Drive to the bottom of Ocean View Boulevard in Pacific Grove, California. You will reach a small parking lot. Unfortunately, the parking here is limited. On the bright side, this means the crowds never get too big! The ocean has open swells for surfers, diverse marine-life for snor...Read more -
Pacific Grove, California
Explore Lovers Point
5.0LOVERS POINT PARK AND BEACH:According to local legend, this park was originally called "Lovers of Jesus Point," back in the era when Pacific Grove was a Methodist retreat camp. Since the late 1800s, the beach at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove has been a popular spot for boating and swimming, and o...Read more -
Del Monte Forest, California
Explore Highway 1 from Carmel to Big Sur
4.6Being from the Central Coast, every time I visit the area I like to do the same trip - Simply because it is amazing. The trip starts along 17 mile drive located in Carmel. From the road, you see the Central Coast icon, the Lone Cypress. Being one of the most photographed trees in North America, i...Read more -
Pacific Grove, California
Visit the Monarch Grove Butterfly Sanctuary
1 miThousands of monarchs can be found here October through February. It's a small park with a path through the center. Park near the Monarch Grove hotel at the sign that says "Caution: Butterflies present", and cross the street to walk down the short path (pink houses will be on your right) and to t...Read more -
Pacific Grove, California
Play Volleyball at Asilomar Conference Grounds
Asilomar translates to “refuge by the sea,” a phrase that accurately depicts the Asilomar Conference Grounds. The area started as a YWCA women’s empowerment camp in 1913 and has since transitioned into a well-preserved state beach. It is located in the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. If you find y...Read more