Wonders of the Central Coast: 17-Mile Drive

Early settlers to the Monterey Peninsula understood the value of a good view. And it wasn’t long before a special roadway was built to take it all in.

“17-Mile Drive actually opened in 1881 and came along with the Hotel Del Monte,” explained historian, Neal Hotelling. “It was really a scenic route from the hotel, around the coastline and back to the hotel originally, which was a 17-mile loop.”

He took me on a tour of the drive on a recent sunny afternoon.

“17-Mile Drive is one of those really special places where you’ve got multiple environments, so you can go from sea level to eight hundred feet,” Hotelling said.

We stopped at places like Bird Rock, which Hotelling says is one of the most popular turnouts.

“It’s kind of strange we call it Bird Rock, but all the activity out there is California sea lions,” he said.

And those sea lions stay almost year-round, all but guaranteeing a look!

“In addition to Bird Rock, you’ve got Spanish Bay, you’ve got Cypress Point, the lookout there, the Lone Cypress, a little farther down where the cypress tree has been growing out of the rock for a couple hundred years,” Hotelling continued. “And it takes you by some beautiful homes, many of them built back in the 1920s, when this place was really flourishing before the depression.”

If you want to know more about the history, guides do bring tours through the area, but there are also resources for the unguided.

“We’ve got plenty of interpretive signage that will help you identify what you’re looking at as well,” said Hotelling.

Our last stop was the iconic Lone Cypress, an unmistakable landmark of the Monterey Peninsula. As we arrived, we could hear the “oohs” and “aahs” of a gathered crowd as a pod of whales breached and spouted in the nearby kelp bed of Carmel Bay.

We found visitors taking pictures and admiring the scenery at every stop.

“It’s pretty cool so far. My husband really likes seeing the golf courses, so he’s really enjoying that. And I’m enjoying the spectacular views,” explained Traci Nelson, visiting from Bonny Lake, Wash.

“This is definitely one of the Wonders of the Central Coast and it’s a natural wonder that’s been amplified by man coming along and making it accessible, so you don’t have to be on horseback or trailblazing to be able to enjoy this view.,” said Hotelling. “You can come out and enjoy the 17-Mile Drive as people have been doing for over a hundred years.”

So take a trip through the pines and the cypress and enjoy the beautiful views on this Wonder of the Central Coast.