Nice exploration of Big Sur coastline in Garrapata.

Location: Garrapata State Park

» Official Trail Map: Decent map showing all the trails. Mileage information is missing.

Walk towards the Pacific Ocean and explore the trails and the rocky landscape nearby. The trail returns to Highway 1. Walk along the highway to return to the starting point.

Location: along Highway 1, about 6.8 miles south of the shopping complex at Rio Rd and Highway 1 in Carmel, CA . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: Garrapata State Park has 19 entrances along Highway 1. Signs for the park are not prominent, so it is easy to miss these entrances when driving on Highway 1. Study the trail map and Google Maps carefully to locate these entrances, especially Entrance #8 which has a shaded roadside parking amid cypresses. Entrance #8 is shown in an inset map in the Official Trail Map.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: May 2011)

Capacity: About 10 to 12 cars.

Latitude: 36.454489     Longitude: -121.924016