Monastery Beach/Ribera
Road/Carmel River
State Beach
Access: Parking along Highway 1; limited parking
on Ribera Road; parking lot on Scenic Road
Named for the Carmelite Monastery just
across the highway, Monastery Beach is a
favorite of scuba divers—but only the highly
skilled should attempt this treacherous spot.
For the less adventurous, these three beach-
es offer fantastic hiking, and the backdrop view
of Point Lobos can't be beat. Bird lovers will find
plenty to see among the still waters and reeds
of the lagoon formed by the end of the Carmel
River. During the rainy season, the river breaks
through the beach to run to the ocean, a
process sometimes aided by bulldozers to facil-
itate spawning steelhead to access the upper
reaches of the river.
114 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
MONASTERY BEACH
CARMEL RIVER BEACH
Photos:
Bart
Keagy
