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BIG SUR COAST POINT LOBOS Kayak, Canoe and Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Guide
Monterey County California
Point Lobos just south of Carmel has wonderfully dramatic scenery. Sea otters, seals, and sea lions abound in the water here along with dramatic rocky cliffs and reefs. There is a very protected launch spot at Whalers Cove and a more exposed (often treacherous) launch spot by Monastery Beach. Scroll down the page and keep reading for detailed paddling and launch information.
TIDE PREDICTIONS AND MARINE FORECAST for BIG SUR
State Park phone number website links and other information.
Point Lobos is reached by highway 1. It is about 5 miles south of Carmel and about 25 north of Big Sur.
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Whalers Cove which is in the State Reserve is an excellent safe place to launch -- even when there is much sea or swell (reservations may be required, see information below). There is a boat ramp here which is very protected. A canoe could launch here very easily. If it is too rough or windy outside of the cove one could just stay inside for a short paddle around the scenic cove. Venturing outside the cove on a relatively calm day, you can paddle either east past moss bay toward Monastery Beach, or better yet, paddle west out toward or around the tip of Point Lobos. Paddling west about .5 mile you pass Bluefish Cove. About .5 mile further is Cypress Cove. As you approach North Point near the tip of Point Lobos, be aware of the wind direction and seas. As you round North Point and the Pinnacle, you'll see Sea Lion Rocks ahead (.5 mile from Cypress Cove). If the seas/surf are good size, you might want to stop here because you may need to paddle out about .25 to .5 mile to round the many rocks, if the seas/surf are smaller, you may be able to go between some of the large sea stacks. From Sea Lion Rock it is about .75 mile to the rocks by Bird Island. Rounding the rocks by Bird Island adds another .5 mile. You're almost sure to see many sea otters, seals, and sea lions on this scenic paddle.
Monastery Beach just north of Point Lobos often has a nasty shore pound and is usually too treacherous to launch from. However, occasionally when there is little or no surf, one can launch easily from here--especially by the extreme southwest end of the beach right next to Point Lobos where the surf is smaller and you can park just off of highway 1 right next to the beach. We have launched from here and paddled all the way around Point Lobos. There were about 50 playful sealions in the water when we paddled here--they would come up on one side of the kayak and pop their
heads out of the water and look at us--then all together, they would all go under the water and come up on the other side--they kept doing this repeatedly as we stopped paddling and enjoyed the show. From the south end of Monastery Beach it's about .75 mile to Whalers Cove--from there, you can follow the trip as I outlined from the Whalers Cove launch.
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There are many scenic short hikes to do at the Point Lobos State Reserve. For a different view or to scout the point, you can hike all the way around Point Lobos (which includes most of the park's short hikes) About 6.0 miles from the entry station if you include all the loops out onto the many rocky headlands -- this can be shortened by skipping some of the loops.
Reservations may be required for use of Whalers Cove with a kayak--though the published regulations covering kayaks aren't clear. I have launched from Whalers Cove with no reservation. There is now a fee for launching your kayak - it used to be free. There is a fee for entering the Point Lobos State Reserve (Unless you have a state park pass. ) there is also a fee for making diving reservations for Whalers Cove. No fees for Monastery Beach.
Where to kayak in Big Sur California. The Point Lobos area is considered the beginning of the Big Sur Coast.
Point Lobos Web Site Links and phone number:
Click this link for state park phone number website links and other information.
(c) Copyright 2011 and 2013 by Mister Dave KayakDave.blogspot.com
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