Granite Point Trail

From Whalers Cabin to Granite Point and back; through meadow and woods to panoramic view. 1.3 miles, 60 minutes. This trail is fully accessible to the Pit, and beyond: to a point from which Moss Cove is visible.

The Granite Point Trail begins near the Whalers Cabin, and follows the bluff above Whalers Cove, with Carmelo Meadow to the right. This is a wonderful trail not only for viewing the varied wildlife of the cove, but for enjoying the multitude of wildflowers in spring and summer. Beyond the junction with the Carmelo Meadow Trail (which links with the entrance station), your path meanders through pine woods to an overlook of the Pit, a lovely small cove. To the left begins a loop trail to Coal Chute Point, a clifftop with expansive views. Back at the Pit overlook, you now can continue  to your right through pine forest and coastal scrub. Soon the path takes you down a flight of steps to an old road-bed. Here you have three very good choices. To the left, through a narrow ravine, is the Pit, with its rocky beach, a good spot from which to see wildlife up close.  Cormorants may be perching or nesting on the cliffs; gulls wheeling overhead; harbor seals hauled out sunning; maybe an otter dozing amidst the kelp. To the right the trail skirts the bluffs above Moss Cove, with its tidepools and its rolling surf, and goes out to Ixchenta Point, a spot where human history goes back thousands of years. Inland is Hudson Meadow, with its wildflowers, and its raptors. Or you can go straight ahead, up the trail  to Granite Point.   At the high point of the loop trail, there is a windswept rocky outcrop amid a garden of low-growing wildflowers. You will see Carmel Bay with its sandy beaches, the red-tiled roof of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, and Pebble Beach, famous for its homes and its golf course. And, closer to hand,  the ever-swirling surf, often leaping high after crashing into the cliffs and offshore rocks.