Pebble Beach

the wandering chick

...Pebble Beach

the 17-mile drive

Pebble Beach is unique in that it is a golf course (several, actually), a gated community and a scenic drive all rolled into one.

The main golf course is the well-known Pebble Beach Golf Links, but there are seven courses in all, including Poppy Hills and Spyglass hill, both of which have public restaurants. A couple of lodges, The Inn at Spanish Bay and The Lodge at Pebble Beach, both have public facilities.

The homes, many of them mansions, tend to remain in the background, often hidden by gates or greenery. But the ones that CAN be seen, in my opinion, add to the beauty of the drive. They're stunning, sprawling homes.

There are five entry points for starting the 17-mile loop, and a fee is incurred. Once in the loop, there are 21 named pullovers for enjoying the scenery. The loop travels along the coast as well as inland through forest.

The most famous stop along the route is The Lone Cypress, a single tree known to be 250 years old. It has become the symbol for Pebble Beach.

The Fanshell Overlook has gorgeous views. Its beach (below) is closed in the spring to protect the harbor seals through pupping season after being born there.

Restless Sea vista offers views of the Pacific as well as Spyglass Hill golf course.

Cypress Point is one of the more popular overview along the route.

From Point Joe you can view the ocean as well as fairways of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course and the homes (below) that line them.

Point Joe

The Spyglass Hill Golf Course

Another photo of the Cypress Point vista point

Above and Right and Below: The Cypress Point overlook

Looking out over Fanshell vista

The overlook called Restless Sea where ocean scenes are particulary stunning.

The Lone Cypress is probably the most well-known landmark of the 17-mile drive. The 250-year-old icon is also the symbol of Pebble Beach.

The Crocker (Cypress) Grove is a 13-acre nature preserve that harbors several species of native pine and cypress.

The red line in the road marks the route of the 17-mile drive.

My favorite stop on the route was this one called Ghost Tree. My favorite photo subject being trees, I had a ball viewing all the different angles. If there is one that is THE Ghost Tree, it might this one. The name comes from the grayish white coloring of the trees caused by the bleaching from the wind.

The sign does not necessarily name the tree next to it as THE ghost tree. Each of the 21 stops along the route has a sign signifying the name of the stop.

Seal Rock and the nearby Bird Rock are home to an endless number of harbor seals and shorebirds.

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