Asilomar State Beach

Asilomar State Beach

Pacific Grove, California 93950
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Local Phone: (831) 372-8016

Please note: leashed dogs are allowed at Asilomar State Beach. Please consider families with infants and young children who frequent the beach when walking dogs by keeping them under control and picking up after your pet.

Asilomar State Beach is a narrow, mile-long strip of sandy beach and rocky coves bordered by a pedestrian/bike trail. Vehicle parking and a bicycle lane is adjacent to the state beach on Sunset Drive.

There are no restrooms or picnicking facilities on the state beach.

Across from Asilomar State Beach is the Asilomar Natural Dune Preserve. A boardwalk meanders through the 25 acres of restored sand dune ecosystem, leading to Asilomar Conference Grounds, a historic complex managed by California State Parks.

Help us keep this beach beautiful and dog-friendly:
• Always follow the posted rules
• Respect natural marine life and habitats
• Be aware of tides and currents
• Pack in and pack out, leaving only paw prints

dogtrekker.com, dog friendly, beach, coastal trail, dunes, boardwalk, monterey

Queen of Asilomar Beach - Photo Credit: Tandra Wright
Queen of Asilomar Beach - Photo Credit: Tandra Wright
Whew! Summer’s over, the crowds are gone, fall weather is on the way—and with it (usually) crystal-clear skies and views to go with. There’s no better time for a trip con canine along California’s gorgeous Central Coast. Start in Santa Cruz County, where the cottage-and-cabin options include the family-favorite Santa Cruz/Monterey KOA in Watsonville, just a few miles from the coast. more »
Carmel City Beach - Photo Credit: @roux.the.blue
Carmel City Beach - Photo Credit: @roux.the.blue
For many visitors with dogs, the primary reason to visit the Monterey Peninsula is to share your dog’s joy in running free on Carmel City Beach, a powdery, mile-long strand that is perhaps the best known leash-free beach in the country. It’s a short drive from Cannery Row and walking distance from stylish Carmel-by-the-Sea with its wealth of dog-friendly lodging and places to eat. Come in early morning to meet the locals, at dusk to enjoy the sunset. more »
Lovers Point, Pacific Grove - Photo Credit: @desiferguson
Lovers Point, Pacific Grove - Photo Credit: @desiferguson
The most abiding joy to be had on the Monterey Peninsula is simply enjoying the rugged coastal scenery, and there’s no better way to soak it up than on the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail. This paved, multi-use path stretches 18 miles from Castroville in the north to Pacific Grove in the south. To get started, we suggest strolling the segment between Cannery Row and Asilomar State Beach, which will take about an hour at a moderate walking pace. more »
Photo Credit: Robert Robles
Photo Credit: Robert Robles
Carmel City Beach, Monterey County. Blue-ribbon honors go to city-owned Carmel Beach, a powdery, mile-long strand that is perhaps the best-known leash-free dog beach in the country. A plus: it’s walking distance from fashionable Carmel-by-the-Sea, with its wealth of dog-friendly lodging and places to eat. more »
Winter beach dogs. Photo Credit: InstaDerek (CC)
Winter beach dogs. Photo Credit: InstaDerek (CC)
The California coast is nothing if not moody in late winter and early spring. Calm, crystal-clear days are interspersed with blustery gray ones, so it’s best to prepare for all possibilities. DogTrekkers who prefer cabin or cottage accommodations to standard hotels and motels will find a staggering selection of dog-friendly options along the Central Coast. more »
Playing at Garland Ranch Regional Park. Photo Credit: Jen (CC)
Playing at Garland Ranch Regional Park. Photo Credit: Jen (CC)
If it's coastal hiking that you are interested in, start in Monterey, where you can join the throngs of people and pups out for a stroll on the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, a paved, multi-use path that stretches 18 scenic miles from Castroville in the north to Pacific Grove in the south, hugging a route once used by the Southern Pacific Railway. The Pacific Grove section is a particular DogTrekker favorite. It hugs a stretch of coastline marked by dramatic rock formations, crashing waves, cawing gulls, braying sea lions and passing whales. Clamber down to Asilomar Beach for a close look at wetsuit-clad surfers and life-filled tidepools (but do keep Sparky on a leash). more »
Dogs on edge of sea cliff
On the edge of the world. Cece S. (CC)
The California coast is nothing if not moody in late fall and early winter. Calm, crystal-clear days are interspersed with blustery gray ones, so it’s best to prepare for all possibilities. DogTrekkers who prefer cabin or cottage accommodations to standard hotels and motels will find a staggering selection of dog-friendly options along the coast. more »
Dogs on Carmel Beach
Dogs playing on Carmel Beach. Photo - Janet Fullwood
There’s nothing like the sight and sound of the sea to soothe the soul, vanquish boredom and revive the spirit. If your pup has been seeing far too much of the back yard lately, maybe it’s time for both of you to sniff out new horizons along the highly scenic, 122-mile stretch of Highway 1 between Pacifica and Carmel. more »
Max in Monterey COunty
Max at Carmel Beach
Monterey County boasts one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, from Watsonville in the north to famous Big Sur in the south. On the north side of the Monterey Peninsula,  several beaches run together to form Monterey State Beach, popular with guests at adjacent hotels. Make sure your canine companion is leashed when walking here, and don’t stray out of the area between Wharf No. 2 and the Seaside portion of the strand, where dogs are not allowed. more »
Beach Dogs in Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove, the picturesque community on the northern tip of the dog-friendly Monterey Peninsula, is cabin central for DogTrekkers who revel in coming back to a kitchen, a living area and maybe a fireplace after a brisk coastal stroll. more »
Starting at Castroville in the north and continuing 18 miles to Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, the paved Monterey Bay Coastal Trail provides endless opportunities for you and your leashed canine pal to sample incredible vistas and charming towns. Don't miss Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove, with waves to splash in and tidepools to explore. A bit inland, the Rip Van Winkle Open Space Dog Area offers the chance for off-leash exercise in a heavily forested walkway that's very popular with PG locals; head that way for a woodsy hike. more »

Point Pinos Lighthouse

Your dog can’t come inside to watch otters cavorting and jellyfish pulsing in their tanks at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But that’s OK, because Monterey and the neighboring communities of Pacific Grove and Seaside offer a diverse array of pet-friendly lodging and plenty of things to do with Rover.

You’ll need good walking shoes (and a light jacket or windbreaker, even in summer) to wander along the spectacularly scenic Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, which hugs the shore from busy Fisherman’s Wharf  in Monterey to romantic Lover’s Point  in Pacific Grove. Watch for whales in winter and otters and sea lions year-round along this wildlife- and wildflower-rich stretch of shoreline. The trail continues on the west side of the peninsula, where you and yours can inspect the historic Point Pinos Lighthouse  and poke around tidepools on the way to gorgeous Asilomar State Beachmore »
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