Rating: C
WTF, there are some naked people in that sand trap on Hole 9!While that isn’t quite the situation in Pebble Beach, naturists do occasionally sunbathe on the sand just below the world-famous golfing greens. “It’s remote, out of the way, and people can’t see you from nearby Carmel Beach,” says Fred, of Pacific Grove, who found the site while walking along the shore one day.
Legal status:
Believed to be Monterey County land.
How to find it:
From downtown Carmel, take Ocean Avenue west. Turn right a block or two before it ends (use any side street) and find parking where you can Walk west onto the sand of Carmel Beach City Park. At the water, turn right and go north 150 feet until you see the end of a fence. Walk north another 300 feet until you come to what looks like the end of the beach. Walk over the water-smoothed rocks or take the little, well-worn path up and over the edge of the hill next to the rocks, being careful not to leave the trail or you may wind up on golf course land. In high tide, the path is the only way to the cove.
The beach:
Measures about 150 feet long and 40 feet wide.
The crowd:
“I’ve never seen more than a few people using it,” says Fred, who counted two persons on the sand during his first visit.
Problems:
Cold water; fog; wind; usual route requires that you climb over rocks; unknown legal status.