Pebble Beach Off The Beaten Path

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While all the tourists are zipping up and down 17 Mile Drive snapping photos of a crowded tree and a bunch of golf courses, within a mile is one of the quietest, least visited spots on the Monterey Peninsula. The Huckleberry Hill Natural Reserve contains several hundred acres and is filled with wide trails and dirt roads. No vehicles are permitted in this park.

During my hike, I followed the main trail from Hwy 68 almost a mile to the maintenance yard. Though this wide, flat trail seems to connect to Lopez Drive, you'd have to sneak though this maintenance yard. I Decided to turn around and go back to the main trail, Trail 7. This cuts downhill through the park about one mile to Congress Road then follows along this same road. It also crosses other trails such as Trail 6 and Trail 3.

Across Hwy 68 from Pebble Beach's Huckleberry Hill Natural Area is Monterey's Huckleberry Hill Nature Preserve. Though the parks share a name and are only separated by a small, but busy road, there is no access between them. To get to Monterey's Huckleberry Hill area, you have to head into Veterans Park via downtown. The park is located at the upper end of Johnson Street, accessible from downtown via Madison or Jefferson and following the signs (about 1 mile).

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The SFB Morse Botanical Reserve consists of 84 acres surrounded by the Huckleberry Hill Natural Reserve, Poppy Hills Golf Course, and Congress Road. The reserve was created in 1972, and the Del Monte Forest Foundation acquired this land in 1976. This reserve was initially created to preserve the endangered Gowen Cypress, and other endangered species have been documented here.

The main trail through the reserve is called the Crawford Trial and is marked by a bronze plaque along Congress Road. The plaque reads, "The Crawford Trail--This trail is dedicated in memory of Rudd Crawford. His knowledge and wisdom instilled a love of nature that will endure forever in all who knew him." The Crawford Trail is marked with purple blaze and runs uphill through a very small draw formed by a tributary of Sawmill Gulch. The trail runs along the edge of the drainage until connecting with Trail 2 in the Huckleberry Hill Natural Reserve. This is a narrow, quiet trail perfect for a quiet stroll.

The 31 May 1987 Morse Fire began here in the Morse Botanical Reserve, burning 160 acres of forest and destroying 32 houses valued at $18 million back then....here is a slide show from the Monterey County Herald with historic and present day photos. The fire is believed to have escaped from an illegal fire in a trashcan, which is considered arson; no one was ever brought to justice. The official US Fire Administration report is located here: http://www.desastres.org/pdf/tr-007.pdf

Congress Road and the reserve entrance are located near the SFB Morse Gate to Pebble Beach, near the intersection with Bird Rock Road.