Monterey

MONTEREYSTARTER

The Old Capital

≈ 2,500 steps1.2 mi · about 2 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.

Three stops across Old Monterey on foot, from the chapel of the Spanish presidio to the hall where California wrote its first constitution and on to the customs house at the foot of the wharf. Flat sidewalk, about two hours, and nothing to pay at any of them.

MONTEREYSTARTER

Wharf to Lovers Point

≈ 5,500 steps2.6 mi · about 2.5 hoursStarter · 3 stops · 500 credStart where you live.

Three stops along the waterfront Recreation Trail, from the old wharf past the canneries to the granite point at the edge of Pacific Grove. Flat the whole way, two to three hours, all free. Sea lions sometimes take over San Carlos Beach on the way and the city ropes it off; if it is closed, watch them from the path.

MONTEREYSTANDARD

From the Arch to the Sand

≈ 6,500 steps3.2 mi · about 3.5 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Four stops on foot through Carmel-by-the-Sea, from the war memorial on Ocean Avenue down to the mission where Junípero Serra is buried, out to the poet's stone tower on Carmel Point, and back along Scenic Road to the foot of Ocean Avenue for sunset. Half a day on foot, free outdoors at every stop.

MONTEREYSTANDARD

Lighthouse and the Monarch Grove

≈ 7,000 steps3.4 mi · about 4 hoursStandard · 4 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Four stops across Pacific Grove on foot, from the whale on the museum lawn to the butterfly grove, the oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast and the dunes at Asilomar. Time it to finish at sunset on a west-facing beach. An afternoon on foot, free at every stop.

MONTEREYSTANDARD

Point Joe to the Ghost Tree

4.6 mi by carabout 3 hoursStandard · 5 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Five stops by car on 17-Mile Drive, the private toll road through Pebble Beach, from the reef that wrecked ships to the bleached cypress at Pescadero Point. Pebble Beach lists the gate fee at $12.25 per car, refunded with a $35 meal at its restaurants; local guides say cyclists ride in free. Gates open sunrise to sunset. About three hours.

MONTEREYSTANDARD

Whalers, Cypress and Sea Lions

≈ 5,500 steps2.5 mi · about 4 hoursStandard · 5 stops · 600 credOne trip earns it.

Five stops on foot through Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, from the whalers' cabin and their lookout hill to an old cypress on the cliff, the sea lion rocks and the cormorant island. Half a day on the trails. The reserve charges $10 per car, the lots inside fill early, the Highway 1 shoulder is ticketed, and no one enters after 6:30 p.m.