17-Mile Drive facts for kids
17 Mile Drive near Spanish Bay Road
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| Maintained by | Pebble Beach Company |
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| From | Del Monte Blvd in Pacific Grove |
| Major junctions |
 SR 68 / Sunset DrCarmel Way |
| To |  SR 68 / SR 1 |
The 17-Mile Drive is a beautiful road that winds through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove in California. Much of this road follows the Pacific Ocean coastline. Along the way, you'll see famous golf courses, amazing mansions, and cool natural spots. These include the Lone Cypress tree, Bird Rock, and the huge Del Monte Forest, which has over 5,300 acres of Monterey Cypress trees.
This drive is the main road inside the private community of Pebble Beach. Because it's a gated community, visitors who don't live there need to pay a small fee to use the road. The Pebble Beach Corporation owns and takes care of most of the 17-Mile Drive, just like it owns the community itself. The drive is a 17-mile (about 27 km) loop. It has four main entrances: one from California State Route 1, and others in Carmel and Pacific Grove.
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History of the 17-Mile Drive
Spanish explorers first mapped the Monterey Peninsula in 1602. By 1840, the land we now call Pebble Beach was owned by a widow named Carmen Garcia Barreto Maderiaga Maria. She sold her 4,000-acre property for $500 in 1846. The land changed hands a few times until 1862. That year, David Jacks bought the property for just 12 cents an acre. Back then, this area was known as "Stillwater Cove." Jacks rented the land to a small Chinese fishing village. About 30 fishermen lived in simple shacks along the rocky shore.
In 1880, Jacks sold the land to the Pacific Improvement Company (PIC). This company was a group of four powerful railroad leaders: Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington, and Leland Stanford. By 1892, the PIC built a beautiful road they called the 17-Mile Drive. It wound along the beaches and through the forests between Monterey and Carmel. Soon after, the area became a popular place for tourists. This happened when the Hotel Del Monte was built.
The hotel was the start and end point for the 17-Mile Drive. Hotel guests could take this drive for fun. The company hoped it would make rich people want to buy large, scenic plots of land from them. People riding horses or carriages along the drive would sometimes stop at Pebble Beach. They would pick up smooth agate and other stones from the waves. They also noticed unusual trees, like the "Witch Tree" and the "Ostrich Tree." The Ostrich Tree looked like two trees leaning on each other.
Even with growing anti-Chinese feelings in Monterey, the Chinese fishing village stayed open. Chinese-American girls sold shells and polished pebbles to tourists by the road. In the 1900s, cars started to replace horses on the 17-Mile Drive. By 1907, only cars were used. The drive showed off the region's history, forests, and beautiful coastal spots. These were all part of the Hotel Del Monte Park Reservation, as it was called then.
In 1891, President Benjamin Harrison took a coach ride through the area. Six strong horses pulled his coach. The coach was decorated with national colors, and the horses' harnesses had ribbons and roses. In the newspaper The Monterey Cypress, President Harrison said, "This is a lovely spot. I only wish I could stay here a week."
In 1887, the hotel burned down, but a new one was built. The Del Monte Golf Course was added in 1897. It was part of the hotel and is now the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River. In 1919, the Los Angeles Times newspaper called the 17-Mile Drive one of the "great wonders of the world."
On February 27, 1919, Samuel Finley Brown Morse created the Del Monte Properties Company. This company bought all the land and businesses from the Pacific Improvement Company. This included the Del Monte Forest and the Hotel Del Monte. Another fire destroyed that hotel, and a third one was built. This new hotel was finished in 1926. In 1942, the United States government took it over to use as a training center during World War II. After the war, the United States Navy bought the hotel building and its grounds. It became the Naval Postgraduate School, and the building was renamed Herrmann Hall. The Del Monte Forest, including the famous 17-Mile Drive, stayed with the Del Monte Properties Company.
On March 30, 1977, the Del Monte Properties Company changed its name to the Pebble Beach Corporation. In May 1979, 20th Century Fox bought the Pebble Beach Corporation. Later, Marvin Davis bought 20th Century Fox. When the film company was sold to Rupert Murdoch in 1985, Davis kept some parts of the company that weren't about movies or TV, like the Pebble Beach Company. In 1990, Davis sold the company to a Japanese businessman named Minoru Isutani. It became part of a Japanese resort company called Taiheiyo Club Inc. In 1999, a group of investors bought the Pebble Beach Company. This group included Clint Eastwood, Arnold Palmer, and Peter Ueberroth.
Exploring the 17-Mile Drive
The 17-Mile Drive starts in Pacific Grove. The most famous part of the drive begins a few miles south of this point. When you cross Highway 68 (Holman Highway/Sunset Drive), you enter Pebble Beach.
From the Sunset Drive/Pacific Grove gate, the drive goes inland past Spanish Bay. Then it follows the beaches and goes up into the coastal hills. This offers many amazing views. You can drive at your own pace and stop often. There are many places to pull over along the road. Without stopping, it takes at least 20 minutes to reach Carmel. The many pull-offs let you stop to take pictures or walk along the ocean or among the trees. Visitors get a map that shows the most scenic spots. Also, a red dashed line in the middle of the main road helps guide visitors. It keeps them from accidentally driving into nearby neighborhood streets.
The road offers great views of golf courses. These include Spyglass Hill, Cypress Point, and Pebble Beach. After reaching Carmel Way, the 17-Mile Drive heads northeast. It goes towards the Highway 68/Highway 1 exit. Here, you can leave the drive or keep going on the higher parts of the 17-Mile Drive. Some of these spots are over 600 feet above sea level! The full loop will bring you back to the Pacific Grove Gate at Sunset Drive. That's a distance of 17 miles.
The only places open to the public for things like gas, restrooms, and restaurants are at the Inn at Spanish Bay and the Lodge at Pebble Beach. There are many nice spots for a picnic. Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills golf courses also have restaurants that anyone can visit.
To drive on the part of the road inside the private Pebble Beach community, you need to pay an entrance fee. As of April 1, 2019, this fee is US$10.50. However, people on bicycles don't have to pay. If you eat or shop inside the community, you can get your toll money back. People who live there don't pay this fee. They have a special "Del Monte Forest" sign on their car or license plate. Guests don't pay if a resident lets the guard house know they are coming. Also, if you have a hotel or restaurant reservation, you won't pay. Motorcycles are not allowed on the drive.
Amazing Sights on the Drive
Some of the main scenic spots include Cypress Point, Bird Rock, Point Joe, Pescadero Point, Fanshell Beach, and Seal Point. The famous "Witch Tree" used to be at Pescadero Point. This tree was often seen in movies and on TV. A storm blew the tree down on January 14, 1964. Pescadero Point is also where you can find the Ghost Tree. This is another famous Monterey Cypress tree. The tree gives its name to a dangerous surfing spot known for huge storm waves. Right now, surfing and other water sports are not allowed at Ghost Tree.
The most famous sight is the Lone Cypress. This Monterey cypress tree has been shaped by the ocean winds and salt. It is the official symbol of Pebble Beach. You often see it on TV when events are broadcast from this area. In 1990, the Monterey Journal reported that the Pebble Beach Company had trademarked the image of the tree. This means they wanted to control how the tree's image was used for business. They even told photographers they couldn't use old pictures of the tree for commercial reasons. However, some legal experts have questioned if the company can really stop others from using pictures of the tree.
Art Inspired by the Drive
Many artists over the years have found ideas for their paintings of flora (plants) and fauna (animals) along this famous coastal drive. For example, Arthur Hill Gilbert was an American Impressionist painter. He was one of the first members of the Carmel Art Association. He was known for his paintings of this beautiful area. Some of his works include View of 17 Mile Drive and The Cove, Pt. Lobos, painted around 1930.
Images for kids
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Pacific Grove entrance
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Beach near the Pacific Grove entrance of the 17 Mile Drive
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Beach access near golf links at Pebble Beach
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Bird Rock
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A seal seen along 17-Mile Drive
