Should You Bike the 17-Mile Drive or Stay Home?

The 17-Mile Drive is located in the very pretty (and very expensive) area of California called Pebble Beach. It stretches between the towns of Pacific Grove and Carmel, and is close to the larger town of Monterey. And, of course, has lots of beautiful coastal views!

Most people drive it (hence the name “17-Mile Drive), but what is it like to bike? Here’s what you need to know about biking the 17-Mile Drive!

PARKING & COST

The fee is $10.50 per vehicle, but if you want to bike in, it’s free!

Note they do NOT take cash, only card is accepted.

However, finding parking outside of the 17-Mile Drive can be difficult as most places nearby require a permit to park. My dad tried to tell me where he’d parked before, but we somehow ended up in a hospital parking lot where we weren’t sure if we were allowed to be.

However, you can also try to park for free on the dirt shoulder part of the road before you hit the entrance, or along Sunset.

We just took the easy way out and just paid to park inside, at the Spanish Bay parking lot, and began our journey there.

If you do manage to find parking outside the fee area, note that you have to bike up/down a decent-sized hill to get in. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty happy we didn’t have to walk back up it after the ride as we were pretty tired!

BUT, if you eat at one of the restaurants you can get your gate fee reimbursed if you spent over $35 (which is pretty easy to do because everything is pricey here.) And bring a change of clothes. We spontaneously decided to go to a restaurant, but hadn’t brought an extra set of nicer clothing so we ended up looking like peasants in our biking gear among the rich and fancy people.

We ate at The Bench in Pebble Beach and I’m sure we spent over $35 but didn’t know we could get our parking fee refunded! D’OH.

I’d definitely still recommend The Bench, though, as you can sit outside and stare at the beautiful coastal views. And no, I’m not getting paid to say this lol (but shoot, I wish I was) but their food was BOMB, too. We got the butter lettuce salad, margherita flatbread, and a cocktail and shared it all (because we ballin’ on a budget bb!)

There was also a traditional Scottish wedding going on while we were, complete with bagpipes (!!!) so it was quite an exciting dinner.

IT’S NOT OPEN 24/7…

So no, you can’t sneak in at midnight. The 17-Mile Drive is open from sunrise to sunset and gates are manned 24/7.

That said, I’d highly recommend staying until sunset if you can because SUNSETS ARE LIFE!

TRY NOT TO VISIT DURING PEAK TIMES

Like, avoid the 17-Mile Drive on a weekend, in the middle of the day, and in summer. Especially if you’re biking, since the bike lane pretty much disappeared once you finished the coastal section of the road, which can be really annoying if there’s lots of traffic. It can get really busy with all the cars and huge busloads of tourists!

Just as an FYI, traffic tends to build up right before The Lone Cypress Tree because everyone and their mom and their mom’s mom wants a photo of it for Instagram. And this, unfortunately, is where the bike lane all but disappeared so we had to stop pedaling and walk in the grass.

I’d recommend visiting in the morning, later in the evening (I feel like the most traffic is between 10AM and 5PM), and on a weekday in fall/spring/winter.

But, if you go before 9AM in the morning or after 5PM in the evening on a weekend, even in summer, I think you’ll be fine! However, in the morning, you’re the most likely to get fog, so if you want to avoid that go in the afternoon/evening.

We went smack in the middle of the day on a weekend, so it wasn’t the BEST time…

WHERE SHOULD YOU START?

There are a few different gates to choose from, but I’d recommend starting at the main gate off Highway 1. This will make it easier to go along the route with the map!

WHERE THEM BIKE LANES AT THO??

The coastal section going from Spanish Bay towards the Lone Cypress has amazing bike lanes!

But once you turn the corner, leave the coast, and head into the forest towards the Lone Cypress Tree, the bike lanes pretty much disappear. So, just keep that in mind!

There were times when my friend and I had to get off our bikes and walk in the grass beside the road (looking at you, Lone Cypress) because the traffic had built up and there was no space for us to get by the cars.

IF YOU EAT TOO MUCH YOU CAN TAKE A SHORTCUT

So, we spent too much time at dinner (because we were so enthralled with the wedding lol) and ended up just taking a short cut on Forest Lake Road instead of finishing the whole 17-Mile Drive. You can see our route on the map above.

However, I don’t think we missed much since we had finished the coastal section, and it looked like it was mostly forest and houses in the inland section from what we could gather. So, pretty much the same scenery that we saw along Forest Lake Road.

BE WARY OF THE WEATHER

Just because it’s in California doesn’t mean you’ll get good weather! The coast, especially in Northern California, can often be foggy and cold. We were lucky and treated to nice weather but it was still super windy. Like, I almost got blown off the road a few times lol.

So, make sure you check the weather, and even if it seems like it’ll be warm bring layers! It can get very cold very quickly in the evening.

Even if you decide to go in summer, again – check the weather!! The coast is fickle and you can get beautiful sunny days in winter and rainy days in summer.

THE WILDLIFE ABOUNDS

Omg, don’t even get me started. If you’re a wildlife lover like myself def bring a good pair of binoculars because you’ll see birds and seals and maybe even otters or dolphins!!!!

We saw otters playing in the surf near the Lone Cypress Tree, Pelicans, Cormorants, and SO. Many. Gulls. And an adorable ground squirrel family, too.

I also enjoyed the different habitats you see on the 17-Mile Drive – the coast and the forests of pines and cypress trees. And all the nice ass houses. We rode past a school at one point, and I was just like, what in the world must it be like to go to school and get your learn on in such a pretty, perfect place??

NOTABLE STOPS/VIEWPOINTS

You can either grab a map at the entrance, or look at the online one here. Here are some notable stops you may want to check out:

• The Lone Cypress, duh
• Seal Rock
• Bird Rock
• Spanish Bay

YOU CAN RENT BIKES TOO

So, we brought our own since we were just driving from San Jose, but you can also rent bikes nearby. Seems like Pacific Grove Adventures has some good options, and you can even rent e-bikes, too!

The going rate seems to be $25 for a half-day, and $35 for a full-day.

DIFFICULTY

My friend and I didn’t find biking the 17-Mile Drive THAT difficult, but the wind really can make it a lot tougher that it should be.

There are also some hills, but we don’t bike very often and we were fine. Expect about a 900 ft change in elevation overall, though.

And if you do get tired, there are lots of beautiful places to stop and rest!

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

It really is a damn beautiful bike ride, and if you don’t end up paying to park it’s free, so – you can’t really complain!

However, the crowds really can be ANNOYING. Like, you may be riding alongside huge tourist buses if you go during peak season between 10AM-5PM. So just something to keep in mind.

OTHER BIKE RIDING TRAILS

The Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail might be another good option if you don’t want to deal with the crowds you may encounter on the 17-Mile Drive. It’s 29 miles, and you get a good glimpse of the change of scenery between Castroville (lots of ag fields) and the coastal views of Monterey.

This article breaks down some good sections of The Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail bike trail, and gives you a few other ideas, too. Just a disclaimer that I have done absolutely none of these rides but I hope they’re awesome if you do try them. Can’t go wrong with biking along the coast, though, I think.

But this experience just reminded me that I NEED TO DO MORE BIKE RIDES. I LOVE BIKE RIDING SO SO SO MUCH.

One day I’d love to do a longer distance bike ride in which I camp in between or stay in cheap accommodation/with friends for a week or something (I feel like that’s called something specific but I’m blanking off the top of my head. A bike tour, maybe?).

There’s something about knowing you’re doing it yourself (I mean the bike is helping, but you know what I mean), and not relying on a car, and there’s the wind rushing by, and the sunshine on your face, and the struggle, and the feeling of absolute and whole-hearted accomplishment at the end of each day.

The 17-Mile Drive just wasn’t enough (although for us, it was more like 13 miles LOL).

When I was in Belgium, I met these two guys in my hostel that were biking all throughout Europe for a few months, and either camping or staying in a hostel each night. I thought that was BADASS. And such a good work out, too. Like nothing could mess with my legs after that.

Something just appeals to me about long distance (but not too long lol, we’re talking like a couple of months max) hiking and biking. It all just seems so glamorous (even though I know it’s really not lol) and romantic – the notion of doing it yourself, of getting from point A to B by your own volition. And struggling but growing and just feeling more WHOLE, if that makes sense.

Every time I spend time outdoors, I feel like I get to know myself better, I become more grounded, I’m reminded of what’s really important, and I feel so free.

Okay, so that was a total digression, BUT. Do you have the same crazy urge that I do? And if so, where do you want (or did you) to go? Let me know in the comments, because I’m dying to do something of the sort and always looking for awesome places to go.

And let me know if you end up biking the 17-Mile Drive, and what your thoughts were!

And while you’re at it, why not head to SLO to see the Madonna Inn or some of my other favorite California destinations? Might as well 😉

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