Point Lobos
State Reserve

A walk around the Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey and Carmel provides lots of photo opportunities, especially of the Harbor Seal Birthing Area.

Point Lobos State Reserve

All Photos (c) Donna Dailey and Mike Gerrard

We asked someone in Monterey for some hiking ideas while we were there. 'Point Lobos State Reserve,' he said. 'I always send people there and they always love it.' So, on our way out of Monterey on our last Pacific Coast Highway drive, we slowed down a few miles south of Carmel, and pulled in.

Parking Tip
There's a fee to park at the Reserve but the lady at the window suggested we save the money and park on the roadside as they prefer people to arrive on foot. She even loaned us a map!

Our Walk in Point Lobos State Reserve

We took the Carmelo Meadows Trail, which led us just a short way through woodland to reach the seashore. And there right below us on the sand, the incoming tide just starting to lick around them, were a mother harbor seal and her pup.

Watch the YouTube video we produced from watching the harbor seals and their pups at Point Lobos.

When to Visit Point Lobos State Reserve

To see the harbor seal mothers with their pups, visit Point Lobos between about mid-April and the end of May

Whaler's Cabin

We walked a while and then on our left was the Whaler’s Cabin, now a tiny but fascinating museum. The cabin was built in 1851 by Chinese fishermen and is now on the Register of Historic Places. The Chinese fishermen and their families sailed directly here to Point Lobos all the way from China in junks. It became the first Chinese fishing settlement in California, and they lived here for almost 30 years.

Best Guide to Carmel and Monterey

Harbor Seal Birthing Area

Just across from the museum was a little sheltered beach with a small crowd of people gathered above it, and a docent who had a telescope on a tripod trained on the beach. The reason was that harbor seals come ashore here to have their pups. Down below us were a dozen or more of them, many with pups, a few without, not yet having given birth.

Seal and pup at Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey

Lucky Timing

It was a total delight for us, and just lucky timing, as we'd no idea we would stumble upon this wonderful scene. The seals are only here for about 6 weeks, from roughly mid-April onwards. The docent told us that they used to say that April 15th was the official start of the birth season but because of the climate changes they’re now starting a little sooner.

Teaching a Seal to Swim

Seals at Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey

He told us he'd seen some of the pups being born, but you had to be quick as it was all over in about half a minute. They’re usually born about 5-6am, and the mother then tears the sack and takes the pup out to sea to teach it to swim and to breathe out of the water and not under the water. The mothers swim underneath the pups to bob them into the water and out again once or twice, so they learn not to breathe underwater.

They stay out a few hours and then come back onto the beach again, where they are perfectly safe. We saw some coming ashore and the docent pointed out one of the day-old pups. Who knew that a baby seal can't swim and has to have lessons from mom?

A sign said 'QUIET PLEASE! Harbor seal birthing area'. The seals themselves were ignoring the notice, the pups constantly calling.

Taking the North Shore Trail

Signpost for the North Shore Trail at Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey

We eventually tore ourselves away from the birthing area and walked through the small car park to find the start of the North Shore Trail, which the kindly docent had directed us to. Here it’s misty and the surf is crashing against the beaches, the rocks, and the cliffs. We walk through the misty woods, as if in a fairy tale, and we find another harbor seal birthing area, but this time it is only the two of us looking down on a dozen or so seals with their pups.

Point Lobos Photos

Further on a brown lizard runs across the path in front of us, we spend some time watching a hawk in the sky, and try to take photos of a large orange butterfly that dazzles us on this dull day. After a while a side trail led out to a large rocky outcrop where dozens of cormorants sat, looking rather miserable in the mist and the cold wind.

We eventually emerge at another small parking area, and take the short but lovely Cypress Grove Trail, which loops back to the car park. From here it's only a short walk back to our car, taking an inland trail. We continue our Pacific Coast Highway journey feeling elated and fortunate that we were in the right place at the right time. It had been yet another PCH magic moment.

Point Lobos State Reserve Location

Map showing location of Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel and Monterey

Map (c) Google Maps

More Information

Visit the website of the Point Lobos Foundation

Other Carmel pages

Best Restaurants in Carmel
Pacific Coast Highway Travel picks the best restaurants in Carmel with the top eating places for fish, vegetarian, Mexican, the casual diner, and fine dining.
Visiting Hearst Castle
This Visiting Hearst Castle page gives all the practicalities including location, types of tour, length of tours, how long to allow, and much more information.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals Beach
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals Beach is near Hearst Castle, San Simeon and Cambria and is one of the best things to do when driving the Pacific Coast Highway.
Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay is a small California coastal town on the borders of Marin County and Sonoma County, and the filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's the Birds.
Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove is a small city on the California coast, next to Monterey and close to Carmel, with attractions including its historic Victorian houses.
Scenic Spots on the Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to the most scenic spots on the Pacific Coast Highway in California with Big Sur, Bixby Bridge and Pfeiffer Beach.
The Jellies Experience jellyfish exhibition at Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Jellies Experience jellyfish exhibition is the latest arrival at Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the top sights along the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach is a small beach town on California's Central Coast, a resort famous for surfing and clams.
John Steinbeck California Guide
This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.
San Clemente California
San Clemente in California is a small city on the Pacific Coast Highway midway between San Diego and Los Angeles, noted for its beaches and surfing.
Dana Point
Dana Point in California is the official start or end of the Pacific Coast Highway, and its attractions include whale watching, and Doheny State Beach.
Where Else to Eat in Monterey
Pacific Coast Highway Travel recommends where (else) to eat in Monterey based on personal favorites and help from a Monterey restaurant review website.
Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Pacific Coast Highway in California
Carmel on the Monterey coast is known for artists and celebrity residents, but there's also a mission, beaches, historic houses, and abundant wildlife.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
Salmon Spawning along the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast Highway Travel explains where to watch salmon spawning along the Pacific coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Northern Elephant Seals
Pacific Coast Highway Travel tells you what you need to know about California’s Northern Elephant Seals, and where to go to see them in their natural habitat.
Cannery Row in Monterey
To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.
San Simeon
San Simeon is a tiny town of a few hundred people close to Hearst Castle on the California coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Monterey Inn
For a Monterey Inn just off the Pacific Coast Highway in California, the Mariposa Inn and Suites is hard to beat, providing good accommodation close to PCH.
Best Time to Visit Carmel
Pacific Coast Highway Travel picks the best time to visit Carmel, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices, to help plan a visit.
La Jolla Aquarium
The La Jolla Aquarium, officially known as the Birch Aquarium at Scripps overlooks the Pacific Ocean, with sea creatures from seahorses to sharks.
Crescent City
Crescent City is on the Pacific Coast Highway in northern California and noted for its crescent-shaped beach, Ocean World sea park, and nearby redwoods and state parks.
Oceanside
Oceanside is a typical southern California beach town with a surf culture and with the Pacific Coast Highway running right through it.
Best Things to Do in Carmel
The best things to do in Carmel include visiting Carmel Mission, enjoying the beaches, Point Lobos State Reserve, 17-Mile Drive, and Tor House.
Where to Eat in Carmel
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to where to eat in Carmel with Italian, French, Mexican and American places, from inexpensive to Michelin-star fine dining.