Point Lobos is a headland between the Carmel Highlands and the start of the Big Sur coast. The landscape artist Francis McComas called it the greatest meeting of land and water in the world. The reserve protects one of only two native stands of Monterey cypress, and the offshore waters are guarded by a state marine reserve and a marine conservation area, with kelp forests and the head of the Carmel Submarine Canyon nearby.
People have used it for thousands of years: the Rumsen Ohlone had a village here, Chinese and then Japanese and Portuguese fishermen worked the cove, and a cannery, a quarry and a dairy came later. The state bought it in 1933, three years after the owner, A.M. Allan, died, and then removed almost all the buildings except the Whalers Cabin.
More than a million people visit each year, but there are only 150 parking spaces, so most park along Highway 1 and walk in. The state has planned to require reservations at peak times, so check before you go.