Seventeen-Mile Drive is the Peninsula’s signature coastal loop, a private road through Pebble Beach that strings together the most photographed stretch of shoreline in California. It costs a per-car fee at the gate, refunded if you dine at the resorts, and it is worth doing at least once even for locals.
The highlights come in order: the coastal lookouts, the seal and bird rocks loud with wildlife, the Lone Cypress clinging to its rock, and the golf links that host the famous tournaments. Give it a couple of hours if you want to stop and walk, more if you are stopping for lunch.
The move is to go early or late for the light and the smaller crowds, and to come in from the Pacific Grove gate for the best first impression. Cyclists ride it too, and the road is open to bikes for free, which is the locals’ way to see it.
Bring a jacket, since it is cooler and windier on the exposed coast than in town, and do not rush it. See what else is on around the Peninsula on our events calendar, and our beaches guide covers the shore beyond the gate. For gate hours and fees, Pebble Beach has the current information.
