17-Mile Drive Self-Guided Audio Tour from Monterey & Carmel

This is Monterey's most famous "attraction" and one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world. Note: The tour is over 16 miles long, with more than 35 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

This is an optional stop, for those looking to get up close and personal with a huge variety of sea creatures.

Along the way, we see beautiful waterfront properties, the scenic Lovers Point Park, and the unmistakeable Kissing Rock.

This isn’t really a rock. It’s actually a natural formation of two granite rocks that have fused together over time. Since they appear to be kissing, this spot was officially named “The Kissing Rock” in April 1970.

The drive then takes us along Asilomar Beach, known for it's tidepools, which teem with life.

We'll explore Monterey's history as we drive.

Here we'll learn the story of two well-known shipwrecks… the St. Paul and the Celia. We'll also understand why this ocean is known as “The Restless Sea”!

Point Joe is infamous as the site of numerous shipwrecks. From the outside, this stretch of beach looks like the entrance to the Monterey Bay harbor. In reality, the beach has a rocky underwater lining that unsuspecting ships often crashed upon. And Monterey’s foggy weather certainly didn’t help matters!

The next stop on our 17 Mile Drive tour is at China Rock. This was the exact site of a small fishing village from the 1800s. We'll try to spot the marks from 1800s cooking smoke caked into the rocks!

This rock is a popular hangout spot for the local fauna when they want some downtime. Set in a small cove at one of the best vantage points in the entire bay, it’s home to harbor seals, sea lions, and of course many, many birds. If you’re visiting between November and March, you might even see the far-away spouts of migrating grey whales! Make sure your camera and binoculars are handy.

This brings us to Bird Rock and Seal Rock, both always teeming with life. We'll learn how to spot the difference between seals and sea lions, and identify a couple of the most common birds of the area.

As we continue to drive along the scenic 17 Mile Drive, we'll also be able to stop at the Fanshell Beach Overlook.

As we approach the 17 Mile Drive's most famous attraction, the Lone Cypress, we'll learn all about cypress trees -- and what makes them so resilient!

Crocker put in a lot of effort into beautifying the coastal drive while preserving its natural history and terrain.

Finally we reach the Lone Cypress! The Lone Cypress stands dramatically at the edge of a cliff, shrouded in fog. Its roots are embedded in a rough outcropping on a granite hillside and it is framed by a backdrop of loud, crashing waves.

We'll hear all about the spooky tales of this stop.

Our scenic tour of Monterey's 17 Mile Drive ends at the world-famous Pebble Beach, a paradise of pristine white sand and sensational coastal cliffs.