This beautiful coastal park feels a million miles away from anything tourist-y. Walk a poppy-trimmed path to the tip of the park’s dramatic, limestone point to look down into turquoise-blue water, long bands of bull kelp swaying in the waves. Bring binoculars to scan the water for sea otters, harbor seals, and sea lions, or, further out to sea, look for spouting whales (gray whales December through March; blue whales in summer).
If you like to SCUBA dive, you’ll want to go beneath the surface here—but it will take planning ahead. The reserve protects an underwater tapestry of kelp, fish, nudibranchs, sea stars, and anemones. To protect the delicate ecosystem, dives are limited, so make reservations well in advance. Several local companies rent equipment, and guided dive trips here and in neighboring Monterey Bay are available.