Garrapata Beach
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Description
Added by Abe Blair
Garrapata Beach has easy beach and view access off of Highway 1 near Big Sur, California. This is a great spot for whale watching and wildflowers with amazing photography opportunities at sunset.
A wonderful roadside beach and state park. Easy parking on both sides of Hwy. 1 with short access trails. There are almost 2 miles of coastline trails heading north and south from the parking area. The north end of the beach is great for swimming and surfing when the sea is calm and the south has some large rocks that make for great photography and wave watching. In the winter, there are great viewpoints for whale watching also!!
You can also catch amazing sunset and sunrise photography and beach combing. Spring brings great blooms of calla lillys and ice plant along with many other smaller flowers.
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Garrapata Beach Reviews
This is a sacred stretch of the coast, and a locals’ beach. Respect tbe highway traffic; speed limit is 55, its not a tourism parking lot, its not a olace to slow down and halfway pull off the road, & it is NOT A CROSSWALK. A woman waa killed here this year, crossing the highway when a local driver had the right of way. Locals have palpable rage toward tourists along rhe coast—its our daily commute, and we see the most selfish, dangerous, selfie-obsessed outrageously StUpId behavior, up and down the hwy, EVERYDAY. Pull the heck over in a turnout if there is a driver who is stuck behind you and wants to frive faster than you do.
4.0
Garrapata Beach is so pretty! It's so much fun to just watch the waves and relax to the sounds of nature here.
5.0
This is a great place to visit when going to Big Sur or Carmel. Hwy 1 is beautiful and this is just one of many stops you gotta see. The water color is amazing!
5.0
Whether it's the beach or the park, stop by. In the summer, the park will be especially beautiful with all of the wildflowers in bloom
5.0
One of the most beautiful spots in Monterey. It can get very crowded. The water here is beautiful.
5.0
An easy stop along the PCH. Be sure to catch this at low tide to reveal lots of cool tide pools and rock formations.
4.0
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
Nearby
Calla Lily Valley
Secluded Beach Near Soberanes Point
Soberanes Point
Bixby Bridge
Bird Island Trail
Point Lobos South Shore Trail
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