Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trails at Point Lobos lead to jagged, rocky headlands, turquoise waters, and wind-sculpted
pine forests.
Trip Description
The
Carmelo Meadow Trail
leads from the entrance road north to Whalers Cove or
south toward Gibson Beach and Bird Island. Head north through
Carmelo Meadow.
In spring, grasses and herbacious plants give way to a spectrum of wildflowers. At
0.2 mile the Carmelo Meadow Trail ends at
Whalers Cove
and a junction with the
Granite Point Trail. Turn left onto the
Granite Point Trail
and stroll 0.1 mile to the
Whaling Station Museum
and
Whalers Cabin Museum
(0.3 mile, 30').
WHALE TALES
In the 1850s, Chinese fishermen sailed to California in 30-foot junks in order to har-
vest abalone along these rocky shores. Their settlement at Whalers Cove consisted of
about a dozen structures, one of which now houses the Whalers Cabin Museum. Ar-
tifacts and memorabilia span several time periods in the cultural history of the cove.
Portuguese whalers arrived at Point Lobos in 1862 and established the Carmel
Bay Whaling Company, one of 16 whaling stations on the California coast. The men
hunted gray whales, which still roam these waters from mid-December through May
during their migration from Baja to Alaska. The station closed in 1879, but the Whal-
