Joyce Krieg 
Pacific Grove at Your Feet [EPUB ebook] 
Walks, Hikes & Rambles

Pacific Grove at Your Feet
Walks, Hikes & Rambles
Map of 14 Pacific Grove Walks 6-7
Introduction 9
Rules of the Road 12
#1.    Recreation Trail East: This beautiful, easy walk along the bluffs overlooking Monterey Bay is suitable for all ages and abilities, taking you from a world-class destination to a popular local park. On the way, you’ll follow an old railroad bed as you pass by a harbor seal birthing beach and a popular selfie site.    16
#2.    Recreation Trial West: Breathtaking vistas of Monterey Bay and its abundant wildlife await those who tread this popular path. Numerous turnouts on Ocean View Boulevard with stairways and access paths make it easy to join this walk anywhere, or to do it in stages.    28
#3.    Asilomar Coast Trail: offers an easy and relaxing walk on the rocky bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean with stunning vistas of crashing waves. Much of this hike is on boardwalk or packed, crushed granite, suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, although the complete trail does involve a short distance on loose, sandy soil.     38
#4.    The Beach at Low Tide: The low-tide walk is a glorious adventure right on the damp sand, taking you along two beautiful white sand beaches, best done in early fall.    48
#5.    Over the Boardwalk: A mostly easy walk along the shoreline bluffs on a well-maintained boardwalk. A few yards over a relatively steep sand dune might elevate this walk from easy to moderate status.    58
#6.    Asilomar Conference Grounds: Explore the work of famed architect Julia Morgan in a beautiful natural setting, with optional side trips to a cottage with a Steinbeck connection and over the sand dunes.    66
#7.    Walkin’ the Ghost Rails: When wind or fog make a walk on the shoreline bluffs unpleasant, the old Southern Pacific rail bed offers an appealing alternative, steeped in local lore and featuring two different golf courses.    80
#8.    El Carmelo Cemetery and Point Pinos Lighthouse: Lighthouses have traditionally served as symbols of safety and comfort, so it would seem a natural pairing— a walk through a cemetery, then a visit to a lighthouse.    90
#9.    The Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary: In a book about walks in Butterfly Town U.S.A., of course we must include this easy stroll through the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. Best done between October and February, when our annual visitors are actually in town.     100
#10.    George Washington Park: An easy walk through a woodsy oasis in the middle of the city, with an intriguing backstory—that’s George Washington Park.    106
#11.    Lynn “Rip” Van Winkle Open Space: Locals refer to this as “the dog park” and that says it all!    112
#12.    Historic Downtown Pacific Grove: A stroll through Pacific Grove’s downtown district offers a panorama of history from pre-historic eras to the dawn of the digital age.    118
#13.    Strolling with Steinbeck: The Nobel Prize-winning author is usually associated with Salinas, but he has a strong connection with Pacific Grove, both as a resident and as a setting for his stories.    138
#14.    Candy Cane Lane: Our holiday bonus, a stroll through Pacific Grove’s traditional Christmas-themed neighborhood, usually open the first Saturday in December and running through New Year’s Eve.    148

Joyce Krieg would never describe herself as a fitness fanatic or as particularly outdoorsy type. Yet after relocating to Pacific Grove some 25 years ago, she discovered the fun of exploring Butterfly Town U.S.A. on her own two feet. She’s now convinced that our city’s walkability is one of its chief assets. Joyce is a writer and editor with a background in print and broadcast journalism.