The Monterey Bay Coastal Trail extends along a large part of Monterey Bay and around the Monterey peninsula. Portions of the trail are very scenic.

The Mayor of Monterey likes to say: "Look around, take a walk or a bike ride on the recreation trail", inferring that Monterey had created a magical place on its section of the trail.

Truth be told, the recreation trail in much of Monterey is great for hiking or biking from place to place. It's a great alternative transportation route. There are three short segments with memorable views.

If you really want to look at the ocean and enjoy the vistas, then there are other portions of the recreation trail, such as Pacific Grove's portion or the 17 Mile Drive, that are far more scenic.

This is a camera eye tour of the trail, beginning at the Monterey - Seaside border. I stopped approximately every two tenths of a mile (about 1000 feet) as measured by my bike odometer, and took pictures looking ahead and looking back the way I had come. At several places, like Window on the Bay and San Carlos Beach Park, I took a 360 degree series. These "virtual reality scenes" are large files and will take some time to load. But once loaded you get a much wider view of the area.

The tour now includes all of Maonterey, Pacific Grove and part of the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach.

To take a tour, either click on a section of the trail that interests you in the map below OR clicking the "Go South" button above will start you at the northern end of Monterey while the "Go North" button will start you at the south end of the 17 Mile Drive segment.

Enjoy!