17 Mile Drive Tour: A Guide to Pebble Beach’s Historical Highlights

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17 Mile Drive Tour: A Guide to Pebble Beach’s Historical Highlights

(40 reviews)
Monterey Peninsula, California audio tour: 17 Mile Drive Tour: A Guide to Pebble Beach’s Historical Highlights
This is a 22.2mi driving tour
It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.
Monterey Peninsula, California
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$14.99
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About the Tour

This 17 Mile Drive tour is a collaboration by Lynn Momboisse and Carmel Cares founder Dale Byrne. It takes in dramatic coastal cliffs, snow-white beaches, and the unique Monterey pine and cypress forests on a scenic cruise along the 17-Mile Drive. You’ll pass through the Del Monte Forest, the Pebble Beach habitat area, and venture off of the main road to explore some of the rewarding sights found along this stretch of Monterey’s peninsula. On this driving tour, I’ll share this pristine area’s fascinating history and local lore.

I’ll point out the various spots where you can pull over and stretch your legs, exploring further on foot, including the boardwalk above the beach at Spanish Bay and the Restless Sea at Point Joe. I’ll show you all eight world-class golf courses found in Pebble Beach, including Pebble Beach Golf Links, Poppy Hills Golf Course, and Spyglass Hill Golf Course, which has connections to prolific writer Robert Louis Stevenson. You’ll have an opportunity to visit the iconic Lone Cypress viewpoint and see one of the most photographed trees in the US, and watch in amazement as 600-pound sea lions hoist themselves to the top of Bird Rock for some sun.

On this drive from Monterey along the 17-Mile Drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea, you’ll have the chance to:

  • Browse the shops at Pebble Beach Lodge and the Inn at Spanish Bay
  • Learn the history of the Crosby Clambake and its connection to the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro Am golf tournament
  • Take in some of the oldest Cypress trees in existence at Crocker Grove
  • View some of Pebble Beach’s architecturally significant homes, including Olivida Penas, one of the first houses built in Del Monte Forest, Casita de Lemos, which is locally called the Gingerbread House, the scalloped roofline of Fan Shell House, and Crocker-Fagan mansion
  • Hear the backstories behind the Pebble Beach viewpoints we visit on this drive
  • Listen to the story of the Pebble Beach Road Race
  • Pass by the Casa Palermo Inn and Spa on the way to Stillwater Cove

This two-hour tour covers approximately 23 miles of road. This is your adventure so you’re free to stop at as many of the viewpoints as you like along the way. If you take your time and get out at each of the stops, it can take you over 3 hours to complete. Of course, this will depend upon your interests which could include hiking, shopping, or dining. By the end of this driving tour, you’ll know the area like a local.

Please note: The current Pebble Beach entry fee is $11.25 per car. This fee is not included in the cost of this tour. There’s more information provided under the Precautions section of the tour’s cover page.

Categories
Modern History Local Legends Scenic Routes Parks And Gardens Food And Drink

Tour Producer

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Lynn Momboisse

25 tours

Hi! My name is Lynn. I am a native of California and have resided in Northern California for most of my life. I have a love for discovering the hidden treasures in my own back yard. For many years I lived in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea where I co-authored the book Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. During my time in Carmel-by-the Sea, I served on the Carmel Heritage Society, and Historic Resources Board. My love of history and passion for discovering the beauty of the Golden State has led me to create a fun little blog titled "Adventures of a Home Town Tourist" where I recount many of my walking tours and hiking adventures throughout the world. I currently live in the majestic Sierra Foothills and have written several walking and driving tours of the Lake Tahoe area as well as the California Gold Country. I am so excited to continue to share my travel adventures through the power of VoiceMap. I can't wait for you to join me. Happy Adventures!

Preview Location

Location 45

Restless Sea Stop 4 / Point Joe Stop 5

Park here and stop for a moment at the Restless Sea pull out. If parking is full at this or any of our stops along the way, carefully find a place in the parking area where you can stop and listen to the entire text before exiting the area as the text is timed to pulling into... Read More
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Major Landmarks

  • Del Monte Shopping Center

  • Highway 1 Gate

  • Shepherd's Knoll

  • Huckleberry Hill

  • Poppy Hills Golf Course

  • The Inn at Spanish Bay

  • Spanish Bay Vista Point

  • Point Joe Vista Point

  • MPCC Dunes Course Hole 14

  • China Rock Vista Point

  • Bird Rock Vista Point

  • Seal Rock Beach

  • Spyglass Hill Golf Course

  • Fanshell Beach

  • The Crocker Cypress Grove

  • Sunset Point Overlook

  • Del Monte Forest

  • Lone Cypress

  • Pescadero Point

  • Pebble Beach Golf Links

  • The Lodge at Pebble Beach

  • Pebble Beach Visitor Center

  • Stillwater Cove

  • The Hay

  • Pebble Beach Golf Academy

  • Casa Palmero at Pebble Beach

  • Carmel Gate - 17 Mile Drive

  • Carmel-by-the-Sea

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.
  1. Start location
    800 Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
  2. Total distance
    36km
  3. Final location
    N San Antonio Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921, USA
  4. Distance back to start location
    4km

Directions to Starting Point

Starting point: Parking Lot at Whole Foods Market located in the Del Monte Shopping Center, 800 Del Monte Center, Monterey, California

From the north:

Take Highway 1 CA-1 south, exit at 399B. Continue onto Munras Avenue. At the second stop signal turn right into Del Monte Center. Stay to your right. Whole Foods Market will be the first shop on your right. Turn right into their parking lot.

From the south:

Take Highway 1 CA-1 north, exit at 399B/ Munras Avenue, Monterey. Continue onto Munras Avenue. At the second stop signal turn right into Del Monte Center. Stay to your right. Whole Foods Market will be the first shop on your right. Turn right into their parking lot.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

We will be stopping at 15 of the 17 viewpoints on the Pebble Beach Map you receive at the Pebble Beach guard gate. As a general note if you stop for more than a few minutes to explore the area of any of these viewpoints, temporarily end your tour by pressing the End Tour button in the upper right corner of your phone screen. When you are ready to continue, press the Resume button. You will be prompted with three stops. Select the stop closest to where you are located (should be the one at the top) and fast-forward through the audio to right before the end of the stop to hear the next direction. Here is a list of our stops:

Huckleberry Hill (viewpoint) Stop 2 Pebble Beach Map
Poppy Hills Golf Course
Inn at Spanish Bay - Restaurants: STICKS, Roy's, Peppoli / Entertainment: Bagpipes at sunset
Spanish Bay Beach (viewpoint) Stop 3 Pebble Beach Map
Restless Sea (viewpoint) Stop 4 Pebble Beach Map
Point Joe (viewpoint) Stop 5 Pebble Beach Map
China Rock (viewpoint) Stop 6 Pebble Beach Map
Bird Rock (viewpoint) Stop 7 Pebble Beach Map
Seal Rock / Gingerbread House (viewpoint) Stop 8 Pebble Beach Map
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
Fanshell Beach (viewpoint) Stop 9 Pebble Beach Map
Cypress Point Lookout (viewpoint) Stop 10 Pebble Beach Map
Crocker Grove Monterey cypress preserve - Stop 11 Pebble Beach Map
The Lone Cypress (viewpoint) Stop 12 Pebble Beach Map
Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point & Crocker Mansion (viewpoint) Stop 13 Pebble Beach Map
Pebble Beach Visitor Center - Stop 14 Pebble Beach Map
Pebble Beach Golf Links - Stop 15 Pebble Beach Map - Restaurants: Stillwater Bar & Grill, The Tap Room, The Bench, Gallery Café, The Terrace Lounge
Pebble Beach Equestrian Center Stop 16 Pebble Beach Map
Pebble Beach Golf Academy
Coastal Access at Pebble Beach Golf Links (viewpoint)

Best time of day

During daytime hours. The ocean will be beautiful and blue on clear days in the morning. You will also be more likely to avoid crowds and filled parking lots at viewpoints and golf courses if you begin your tour early in the morning.

Cautionary Note on Pebble Beach Detours

During the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro-Am the first week of February and the Pebble Beach Concours d'elegance the 3rd week in August, detours may be set up that will interfere with this tour. These detours are set up at the discretion of Pebble Beach Safety and are unavoidable. We suggest not taking this tour during these two extremely popular events. If you do find yourself taking this driving tour during the AT&T or Concours and you find yourself on a detour that takes you off the tour you can use a mapping program to go to the closest stop, end the tour, hit resume, and pick the closest spot to continue the tour.

Precautions

The current Pebble Beach gate entry fee is $11.25 per car. This fee is not included in the cost of this tour. The gate fee can be reimbursed with a purchase of $35 or more only at Pebble Beach Resorts restaurants, excluding the Pebble Beach Market. These restaurants will be at the Inn at Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach Lodge. The fee is waived if you are staying at The Lodge or have an appointment at Casa Palmero Spa.

Always drive with caution and the driver should keep their eyes on the road, not an easy thing to do when there are such spectacular views! The speed limit in Pebble Beach is between 15 and 35 miles per hour and the tour will work best if you stay well under those limits. There are a number of blind curves on the roads. Use extreme caution when driving. This is especially true when you turn back onto the road from turnout areas so take your time and look both directions. You will be sharing the road with pedestrians and bicycles. Deer are also a very common sight in Pebble Beach and they are often on the road. If you see one cross the highway there will probably be more. Since you will be driving in a forest you may find that detours exist for downed trees or other factors. If that happens, you can either take the tour at a different time or use a mapping program to go to the closest stop, end the tour, hit resume, and pick the closest spot to continue the tour.

Periodically as you drive you will see a red dotted line down the center of the road. This means that you are driving on the 17 Mile Drive. Our tour will take us on and off the 17 Mile Drive, so do not be concerned if you do not see the red dotted line.

We suggest having your phone plugged into an external USB charger in your car as VoiceMap could be a drain on your phone battery. We also suggest that you turn your screen saver off on your phone while you take this tour. On Apple use Settings/Display & Brightness/set to Never.

If you leave your car for any period of time, cover your valuables, take your keys and lock your doors. Break-ins can happen anywhere this is one way to avoid being a victim.

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