Asilomar Coast Trail
.jpg "Coast Trail Boardwalk with Rainbow Above")
A Mile of Precious Coastal Access Worth Preserving!
The scenic Asilomar Coast Trail is a highly popular tourist destination on the Monterey Peninsula. Local community members regularly exercise, walk their dogs, observe wildlife, and simply enjoy the dramatic rocky shores coastline. Tourists often visit Asilomar State Beach, known for its white sandy beaches and stunning coastal views.
Since its inception in the 1990s, the Asilomar Coast Trail has access to high-quality recreational opportunities while protecting the area’s treasured natural resources. The Asilomar Coast Trail and Dune Natural Preserve are home to endangered species such as the Menzies’ wallflower and the Tidestrom’s lupine as well as the black legless lizard. The rugged, granodiorite shoreline hosts and affords protection for a number of nesting shorebirds such as the black oystercatcher.
Over the years the Asilomar Coast Trail has been maintained primarily by California State Parks Asilomar Natural Resources Crew, which has performed trail tread repair work, drain installations, fence installation and repair, and boardwalk repair. There have been several significant property additions such as the Asilomar Rocky Shores Aquisition in 1995 that added more boardwalk, a gazebo, and a bridge, which was completed with the aid of contractors, volunteers, and other Monterey district staff. All of this work has kept the mile-long Asilomar Coast Trail open to the public despite the use by thousands of annual visitors, in addition to the geologic impact of severe winter storm cycles and climate change.
Several sections of the coast trail are subject to increasing erosion due to sea-level rise and increased storm frequency and intensity. For your safety and to minimize trail damage, please keep to the established trail and boardwalk and stay out of posted areas.