Follow the trail description from Whalers Cove, bypassing the 0.2-mile Carmelo Meadow Trail description.
TRIP SUMMARY: This hike begins amid colorful coastal wildflowers in Carmelo Meadow and leads to Whalers Cove, the former site of a prosperous whaling station. A short stroll up the road leads to the Whalers Cabin Museum and Whaling Station Museum, each of which display historical artifacts, diagrams, and photographs. The Granite Point Trail leads through dense Monterey pines to Coal Chute Point, which overlooks the surging surf and thick floating kelp mats. Keep a close watch for harbor seals and sea otters amid the kelp.
Trails at Point Lobos lead to jagged, rocky headlands, turquoise waters, and wind-sculpted pine forests.
Trip Description
The Carmelo Meadow Trail leads from the entrance road north to Whalers Cove or south toward Gibson Beach and Bird Island. Head north through Carmelo Meadow. In spring, grasses and herbacious plants give way to a spectrum of wildflowers. At 0.2 mile the Carmelo Meadow Trail ends at Whalers Cove and a junction with the Granite Point Trail. Turn left onto the Granite Point Trail and stroll 0.1 mile to the Whaling Station Museum and Whalers Cabin Museum (0.3 mile, 30').
WHALE TALES
In the 1850s, Chinese fishermen sailed to California in 30-foot junks in order to harvest abalone along these rocky shores. Their settlement at Whalers Cove consisted of about a dozen structures, one of which now houses the Whalers Cabin Museum. Artifacts and memorabilia span several time periods in the cultural history of the cove.
Portuguese whalers arrived at Point Lobos in 1862 and established the Carmel Bay Whaling Company, one of 16 whaling stations on the California coast. The men hunted gray whales, which still roam these waters from mid-December through May during their migration from Baja to Alaska. The station closed in 1879, but the Whaling Station Museum offers a historical perspective of the industry alongside equipment, photographs, and drawings that depict the lives of whalers and their families. Docents are often on hand to answer questions.
After killing a whale, the whalers towed it into the cove and sliced its blubber into strips. They then cut the blubber into smaller pieces and melted it down in large iron cauldrons called try pots. The reduced blubber was used primarily as lamp oil. Two try pots are on display next to the museum alongside an enormous finback whale skeleton.
Just past the museums, the trail leads to a small parking lot where an abalone cannery and a granite quarry once operated. At the height of abalone harvesting, the cannery supplied 75% of the abalone sold in California, while granite from the quarry was used to build the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. From here return to the junction with the Carmelo Meadow Trail.
Past this junction the Granite Point Trail leads through dense stands of Monterey pine and climbs toward Coal Chute Point, the first spur on your left (0.4 mile, 30'). At this site in the mid-1870s, coal was dumped from ore carts down a coal chute to the cove below, where deep water enabled coastal steamships close access to shore. The 200-foot spur loops back to Granite Point Trail.
The trail continues through dense, fragrant coastal scrub, descends to the edge of a former pasture, then reaches a junction with the spur toward Granite Point. Turn left and climb 0.1 mile to the point (1.6 miles, 30'), where spectacular views abound. Carmel Bay lies to the north, boasting wave-washed beaches and rocky promontories. Abundant life teems in the kelp forests, which rise and fall with the tides. Herons and egrets often “surf” atop these floating mats. The spur loops around to join the Moss Cove Trail.
This trail follows the road once used to transport coal from the hills above Point Lobos to Coal Chute Point. It also leads to the newest addition to the reserve, a pasture that once supported grazing cattle. Today small mammals such as mice, voles, and rabbits scurry in the underbrush, while hawks, kestrels, and kites soar overhead, taking advantage of the open hunting grounds. The trail emerges at the south end of Monastery Beach (2.2 miles, 20'). Return the way you came.
Trip 3
CYPRESS GROVE TRAIL
LENGTH AND TYPE: 0.8-mile loop
RATING: Easy
TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, good for kids
HIGHLIGHTS: Stroll past gnarled Monterey cypress trees in one of only two remaining native groves of this species.
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD: From the entrance station of the park, drive 0.8 mile to the Sea Lion Point parking area. The trailhead is on the north side of the lot, just past the restrooms and information kiosk. Water is available at the trailhead.
TREES THAT INSPIRED A RESERVE
Monterey cypress trees bear distinct twisted branches, shallow exposed roots, and dense flattened canopies. Their contorted appearance attests to the harsh environment of salt spray, rocky granite soil, and gale-force winds the trees must endure. Protection of the celebrated cypress prompted the acquisition of Point Lobos as a state reserve in 1933.
The Monterey cypress trees along North and South Point stand as a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. A.M. Allan, former owners of Point Lobos. In 1888 several land claimants banded together to develop a portion of the headland as residential lots. Fortunately, A.M. Allan, in conjunction with the Save-the-Redwoods League, had the foresight to buy back the residential lots, limit access, and seek public support to make Point Lobos part of the new state park system.
TRIP SUMMARY: This short, easy trail leads to overlooks of nearshore islands and rocky coves, where sea otters, harbor seals, and sea lions frolic amid multicolored kelp beds.
The Monterey cypress clings its bare roots to the sheer granite cliffs of Point Lobos.
Trip Description
From the information kiosk, the trail leads north and soon forks. The North Shore Trail heads off to the right, while the Cypress Grove Trail veers left 0.1 mile, then splits again into a loop trail through the Allan Memorial Grove. Taking the loop in either direction will lead you back to this junction.
Along the northwest fork, the trail offers views into Headland Cove, where with any luck you’ll see all three species of resident marine mammals: California sea lions, sea otters, and harbor seals. If thick summer fog obscures your view, listen for the boisterous barking of sea lions from nearshore rocks.
Strolling past Headland Cove, you soon enter the grove, one of only two naturally growing stands of Monterey cypress in the world (the other grove is at Cypress Point on the north end of Carmel Bay). In the colder, wetter climate of the Pleistocene epoch some 15,000 years ago, these wind-sculpted trees extended over a much wider range. As the climate slowly turned hotter and drier, the cypress trees withdrew to the cool, fog-shrouded coast. Closely inspect the branches and buttressed trunks to spot a deep orange velvety encrustation. This plush substance is lichen that coexists with the tree, using its branches merely as a roost rather than obtaining nourishment at the tree’s expense.
The trail soon veers right, offering dramatic views of secluded coves and granite pinnacles stretching north to Cypress Point. At North Point a spur climbs 50 feet to a rocky ledge. Clinging to crevices along the granite walls are such coastal plants as Dudleya, or bluff lettuce, featuring succulent silver leaves arranged in a spiral. In summer and fall especially, be sure to bring binoculars, as humpback and gray whales pass within sight of shore along their migratory
