Watsonville, California

At Asilomar State Beach, adventure is accessible in many forms. I had the opportunity to rent a bike from Adventures by the Sea. Rentals start at $25, and while you are not permitted to ride along the boardwalk that leads you to the beach, you may walk your bike through the exquisite sand dunes A...

Asilomar State Beach covers 107 acres of land. It is home to a delicate ecosystem that has been sustained through the years after it was almost destroyed. The intricate dunes at Asilomar are what have survived after the over-grazing back in the early 1900's that damaged about 480 acres of dunes. ...

Spanish Bay is a beach with a view point at the southern tip.  You can see waves crashing into rocks and the many different shades of blue.  This is a great spot for anyone exploring 17 Mile Drive, as it is scenic and perfect for picnics.  There is a golf course nearby that offers some of the mos...

Panther Beach's white sand, clear water, and interesting rock formations make it one of the most stunning beaches along this stretch of CA1. But this is a hidden gem for a reason - there are no signs along CA1 for Panther Beach. You need to keep you eyes peeled for cars parked along the side of t...

Shark Fin Cove is a large rock formation in an inlet off Highway 1 in Northern California. It is located 1 mile south of Davenport and 10 miles north of Santa Cruz. There is a sizable parking lot located on the side of Highway 1 to park in. Walk down the path left of the parking lot and cross the...

Being 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...

It’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...

Known 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...

Carmel 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...

This 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...

Point 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...

The trailhead is at the Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area which is directly off Highway 1. There is a large paved parking lot with a good amount of trees so finding a shady parking spot isn't that difficult (if that's important to you). The parking lot is located on the beach cliffs ...

Hop on Road 130 heading out of San Jose and follow the winding two lane road up, up, up to to the top of Mt. Hamilton and the Lick Observatory. There are lots of deer, wild turkey, and pigs in the area. If you are lucky you will get to see a herd of deer grazing in a meadow. But be careful that y...

Garrapata 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...

When 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...

Take a spectacularly scenic drive or bike ride out to this quaint coastal berry farm. Look out onto the shimmering ocean while you pick the ripest and sweetest berries yourself. Head inside their shop to enjoy pre-made jams, pies, chocolate covered strawberries, and so much more. While you're ins...