“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
~ Gandhi
Who has stood on a beach that stretches all the way to the horizon and not felt a primal longing to walk, perhaps all day, to see how far it goes, to explore that region where sea meets shore? Satisfy that yearning on this 37-mile, four-day hike on the edge of Monterey Bay. The protected waters of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary teem with ocean and bird life. You’ll hike pristine beaches and have miles all to yourself. Enjoy unique inns and great dining.
Start this walkabout at Capitol Village with its joyful beachside inns, restaurants, and taverns. Then set out for an 8.7-mile stroll along a series of state beaches – New Brighton, Seacliff, and Manresa. The sand is firm and flat, ideal for hiking. Thousands of birds feast in the Pacific and along its shore. Marbled godwits, curlews, and willets with long skinny beaks roam the shore on tall spindly legs, probing the bubbling sand behind receding waves for small mollusks and crustaceans. Groups of comical, tiny sanderlings scurry to the water’s edge to pick up a morsel before racing inland to avoid the next surge. Hundreds of pelicans put on a show, diving for lunch while gulls swoop in for scraps. You may spot sea
lions, pods of porpoises, and migrating whales.
Hike 12.1 miles of quiet shoreline on Day 2, arrive in Moss Landing, and be delighted by the whimsical antics of the sea otters who relax and play in the harbor. Stay at Captain’s Inn where you can watch birdlife in the marshes from your bedroom. Spend an extra day and rent a kayak or take a pontoon boat to explore Elkhorn Slough, one of the best places for wildlife viewing on the West Coast.
Day 3 (7.3 miles) and Day 4 (9.0 miles) continue along the beach to Monterey. Enjoy the inns, restaurants, and bars of Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row after a hike that few have ever done, hiking from inn-to-inn on glorious Monterey Bay.
The Monterey Bay Walkabout is one of the hikes found in “Walkabout Northern California: Hiking Inn to Inn”. It can also be purchased as an individual guide.
$6.99
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike."
~ John Muir
