Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
California
Robert Louis Stevenson supposedly used this cypress-and-granite headland as a model for Treasure Island — sea otters raft in the kelp beds of Whalers Cove and harbor seals haul out on rock shelves just offshore, three miles south of Carmel, in what's often called the crown jewel of the whole state park system.
Why Roamward picked it
The corridor's most-praised reserve and currently absent from Roamward entirely — an obvious anchor at the literal start of the Big Sur drive, three miles south of Carmel. Strong wildlife-viewing hook (otters, seals, cormorant colonies) distinct from the elephant-seal rookery further south.
Sources
Hours, admission, and access change — confirm with the official source before you plan the detour.
On the drive · A stop on Los Angeles → Monterey
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