The Free Walk-In at Point Lobos Is the Part Being Redesigned

"From about 10am to 2pm we're seeing a large increase of people mostly parking along the highway and walking in, [sometimes] getting up into 4,000 to 5,000 people a day," John Hiles, manager of the Monterey Sector of State Parks, told Monterey County NOW this summer. "It's overwhelming the reserve."

The detail that matters most to Carmel Highlands is in the middle of that quote: parking along the highway and walking in. For decades the reserve's limits have applied to cars at the kiosk. People on foot have never been counted. This fall, a county permit, a supervisors' vote and a new state law are all aimed at that unmetered stretch of shoulder and the people walking along it.

A Limit Set by the Parking Lot

Parking inside Point Lobos is capped at 150 vehicles, according to the Point Lobos Foundation's visitor page, updated September 17, 2026. That number has shaped the reserve for a long time. The Carmel Land Use Plan describes the earlier State Parks General Plan proposal to hold visitors to 1,350 people per day "primarily by restricting the amount of parking available at any one time to 150 spaces." California Coastal Commission staff noted in a recent comment letter that the 1,350 figure "was based on parking availability and not resource considerations."

A cap on the lot does nothing to cap the people who walk in. The same Coastal Commission letter says fee-based parking inside the reserve often fills up, while walk-in and bike-in access "currently is not limited," apart from the finite supply of highway parking. The environmental impact report for the 2021 Carmel Area State Parks General Plan estimated that about 400,000 visitors walk into the park each year. Monterey County NOW reports that total visitation is now above 500,000 a year, which is 85 percent over the 270,000 annual capacity set out in the 1979 General Plan.

Put those two figures side by side and most visitors are already arriving on foot from the highway. In practice, the kiosk lane is the side entrance and the shoulder is the main one.

The Mile of Shoulder Doing the Work

The county has regulated part of this shoulder before. In 2019, a trial ordinance banned parking at all times on the east side of Highway 1 for 1,800 feet north and 1,800 feet south of the reserve entrance. In 2021, Ordinance No. 5352 made the ban permanent. County staff found no reported collisions involving pedestrians after the restriction began, and no adverse effect on attendance.

The pressure then moved to the remaining spaces. SB 178 points specifically to "the approximately 90 parallel parking spaces along the highway south of the reserve between the main entrance and the highway pullout closest to Gibson Beach." County staff describe a tree and cars parked on that narrow shoulder forcing pedestrians onto the edgeline of Highway 1. North of the entrance, a pedestrian bridge in poor condition pushes walkers off the path and back onto the highway as well.

At the Aug. 3 land use advisory committee hearing, Carmel Highlands resident Sara Stone described traffic concerns involving U-turns. She also raised concerns about emergency response times. "You've got gridlock going both northbound and southbound," she said.

On Sept. 22, the Board of Supervisors voted 5–0 to pursue an Emergency Coastal Development Permit for no-parking restrictions where the shoulder narrows south of the entrance. The board also directed staff to work with Caltrans and the CHP on raising fines, currently $28, and improving signs in the existing no-parking zones. Supervisor Kate Daniels, who wrote the referral, kept its scope narrow. "This isn't an attempt to make no parking south of the entrance," she said at the meeting. Her concern is spots where a car's tire sits on the shoulder and leaves pedestrians nowhere to walk except the road. Supervisor Chris Lopez questioned enforcement and pointed to Bixby Bridge: "Are we going to K-rail this next?"

An emergency permit can last up to one year and must be followed by a regular permit. That follow-up process is where long-term parking and access options would be explored. The Sept. 22 vote started that process. It did not put a new restriction in place that same day.

ParkIT Would Count People at the Gate

The ParkIT! program goes furthest. Its FAQ answers the question most relevant to anyone who walks in from the Highlands:

Will a reservation be required if I walk into Point Lobos State Natural Reserve? Yes, all visitors will be required to have a reservation.

The applicant is California State Parks. The proposal would turn the Marathon Flats lot at Rio Road into a 100-space park-and-shuttle site, with shuttles into the reserve about every 15 minutes. A reservation system would manage both the shuttle riders and the parking inside the reserve. According to the FAQ, someone who arrives without a reservation can book an open slot on the spot or take the next one available. Coastal Commission staff report that State Parks plans to hold 25 percent of reservations for same-day use.

Fees are not set. The FAQ says they "are still to be determined." Coastal Commission staff passed along preliminary State Parks estimates of $3 to $8 per person for walk-ins, $3 to $5 for the shuttle, and $10 to $25 for parking inside the reserve. Commission staff argue that charging walk-in visitors for the first time could fall hardest on people least able to pay. They point out that free walk-in and bike-in access has long been a core part of public access to the reserve.

Steffanie Gamecho, ParkIT!'s project director, told supervisors the timing pressure has grown: "What used to be primarily a weekend and summer holiday problem has become increasingly an everyday occurrence."

Where Each Piece Stands as of Oct. 4

As of today, no ParkIT! agenda item has been posted for either October hearing date. If the permit is approved, the FAQ puts launch about 12 to 18 months later, with outreach about the reservation requirement beforehand. Even with approval this month, that puts the earliest reservation requirement late in 2027. SB 178 does not ban parking by itself. It funds a $150,000 study of unsafe parking, traffic-calming signs and reflectors, and possible additional pedestrian entrances.

The Reserve as It Runs This October

None of these changes has taken effect yet. As of mid-September, the reserve opens at 8 a.m., closes at 7 p.m., and takes its last entry at 6:30 p.m. Entry for a passenger car costs $10. The Foundation says you have a better chance of driving in before 9:30 a.m. or after 3 p.m. Those windows fall just outside the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. walk-in peak Hiles described, so an early or late visit avoids both the full lot and the busiest stretch of shoulder.

The fix for the shoulder problem that already exists is inside the reserve. The new accessible Lace Lichen Trail runs from the entrance to Sea Lion Point without putting walkers on the road. State Parks lists the accessible route at 0.75 miles each way to the Cypress Grove parking area.

Several dates this month connect directly to the reserve:

• Oct. 14, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28: Point Lobos Habitat Restoration Volunteer Days, listed by California State Parks.
• Oct. 16 to 18: the Robinson Jeffers Fall Festival at Tor House.
• Sunday, Oct. 18, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: the festival's poetry and geology walk at Point Lobos. It costs $50, requires advance registration and is capped at 25 participants.
• Oct. 14 or Oct. 28: the two Planning Commission meetings where ParkIT! could be heard. Watch the posted agenda before either date.

When the Jeffers walk starts at 8 a.m., the parking lot is at its emptiest and the morning walk-in rush has not yet begun.

Michelle follows the Point Lobos hearings as they move through the county because what happens at the reserve entrance affects daily life along this stretch of the Highlands. If you'd like to talk through what the Highway 1 changes could mean for your own address, Michelle Hammons welcomes you to request a private consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.