17 Mile Drive - I don't get it
 

After a number of posts recommending this scenic drive I've got to know if others were disappointed also. We put it on our don't miss list for a trip last year and don't understand the fuss. A large portion of the drive is through residential communities, so if you aren't interested in seeing expensive real estate or golf courses, it doesn't seem worth doing to me. Did we miss something?

I'm with you Liz. We enjoyed driving the PCH and Mulholland Drive in LA much more. And those were free!

Liz, what you missed (or rather, didn't miss) was 25-plus years of development. When the 17 Mile Drive was first opened, it consisted of a golf course and miles of wind-swept cypress with fabulous ocean views of the Monterey Peninsula. I first drove it in, I think, 1974, and it was truly worth paying for. Then came the hotels, more golf courses, and those oh-so recherché developments. <BR> <BR>I'm incensed that any guidebook would still list the drive as a "don't miss" tourist attraction given the extent of development; I thought most quietly dropped it years ago. Any that still do have editors that haven't bothered to check out their recommendations. <BR> <BR>For anyone reading this, here's a hint on how to do the drive for free: make a lunch reservation at the Inn at Spanish Bay (which by the way, has very good food). Your reservation will get you on the "pass" list at the toll booth. <BR>

I'm with you too Liz! What a let down. My boyfriend and I took 2 weeks in Sept. and drove the PCH1 and had 17 Mile Drive on our list of DONT MISS - ugh, what a joke. It was more fun to drive around Monterey & Pacific Grove with our map....free of charge! :) I must say though...that didn't dampen our great time or our wonderful memories of that beautiful area.

If your not into golf or superaffluent <BR>residential architecture, then yeah, its <BR>not worth the price of admission. We did pay the price and took the drive to <BR>watch the sunset. My regret is that <BR>we didn't have any golf clubs with us. <BR>The courses were practically deserted. <BR>It would have been neat to tee up a ball and take a free hit, just to be able to say we drove one into the drink at Spanish Bay.

Neal, <BR>Thanks for clearing that up for me. My theory was that the residents just wanted to charge people for driving through their neigborhood. By the way I guess "recherché" means more money than taste?

We first did the drive in 1984, it was very scenic then and we had a picnic on the beach by seal rock. I think it depends on your expectations and what else you see on the same trip. We went again about 5 years later and took perfect sunset photos. I trust Neal's comments on the excessive growth, too bad you did not get to see it when it was impressive.

Yeah, isn't it too bad none of us got to see the California Coast before it was spoiled by developers and their politician stooges. <BR>I first drove the 17-mile Drive in 1964, and I felt ripped off back then (and I think it cost only two bits to get in). Sure, there still are a few good view points for sunsets, but they're much better at Point Lobos, a couple of miles south on CA 1. <BR>But you can still experience some of the old magic: park your car at the Asilomar Beach trailhead and walk in. You can actually walk all of the drive (via foot and bike trails and roads) for FREE! <BR>And don't worry about the distance. It's not seventeen miles long. The Drive got its name when the old Del Monte Hotel (now a Navy Graduate School) offered carriage rides for its guests from the hotel (on the far side of Monterey) to Carmel--a seventeen mile round trip.

Don't worry Liz, you are NOT alone in your opinion!! I was there YEARS ago when it was supposedly "pristine," and I thought it was a big NOTHING way back then, development or no development!! And someone on this Board awhile back actually had the NERVE and GALL to say that she had been on scenic drives all over the world, including the French Riviera, and that 17-mile drive was the most beautiful one she had ever seen! PLEASE -- what a J O K E !!!!

I completely AGREE! I went to Monterey in February (my first time in California) and was very let down by the 17 mile drive. Personally, I much prefered the drive south on Rt 1 from Carmel down thru Big Sur- and that was FREE!

If you want to see some really pretty cliff and saltwater (and island) scenery, check out Chuckanut Drive, south of Bellingham, WA. It's a lot more beautiful than the 17-mile Drive and there's no admission charge. (One of the Seattle papers ran a story about it this week; you can read it by searching for it at www.seattle-pi.com). The best time to visit is in May ot June, when the wild roses bloom in Wildcat Cove.

As I recall the price to enter the drive last year was $7.50 or there abouts. That price is good for the day. We like to make a day out of it. From Pacific Grove to Carmel and back there are so many spots to just stop and gawk. I find it hard to believe the sour grapes I read here. Are you all in such a hurry that you cannot stop every chance you can, get out and check out the shoreline? Gracious, how rich you all must be not to be able to appreciate the homes there along the drive. We couldn't afford it but it's nice to look and dream about the exact spot to put the home of your dreams. The drive is not about money, it's about finding beauty in nature. We are from the east coast but are fortunate to have been able to afford travel to the Monterey area each year since the early 80's and the drive is on our list every time. We have walked the drive from Asilomar to Bird and Seal Rock and it's a wonderful experience. Finding golf balls in the sands below the bluffs along Pebble Beach. Hey maybe that was the one Tiger put over the side, or maybe it was the one Clint flubbed out of that sand trap. Imagination, people! Good grief, next thing you'll be telling me is that the Lone Cypress is just a tree! <BR> <BR>Granted, Pt. Lobos is magnificent and we have spent many lovely days there and hopefully will spend many more, but don't forget, it is a State Preserve and there is also a charge to enter (unless you wish to park on the highway and walk in). <BR> <BR>It's all in your perspective. We have always advised our friends that intend to visit the left coast in and around Monterey, DON'T just drive through . . . stop and smell the roses. <BR> <BR>Yes, perhaps you did miss something, Liz but I can only hope you get to go back and see it again. <BR> <BR>Rolly

O.K. Rolly, I'll try it again and next time I'll IMAGINE what it looked like before over-development. ;)

I'm in the dark here. You PAY a fee to drive down a road?

Roland, get out of your DREAMWORLD, PLEASE!! Of course I went through there because I wanted to experience "beauty in nature" as you call it! But, unfortunately, it just wasn't there at all, in my opinion! And YES, the lone cypress tree IS just a tree, for God's sake!

Gee Whiz, Roland C., you must be SO accustomed to overdeveloped. spoiled coastlines that Monterey is just a big picnic to you! Some of us remember what it was like before all the super-wealthy development came along, and that is what most who take the drive (and PAY for it) are looking for -- not golf balls from Tiger Whothehell, but pristine NATURE, something that is rarer and far more precious than ostentatious homes and stupid freaking golf balls, for God's sake.

No, the lone cypress is not just a tree: it is a COPYRIGHTED tree. Talk about taking commercialism to the xteenth degree! Pretty soon they'll charge you for taking pictures of it!

Gosh, I seem to have struck a chord. I'm truly sorry. I would have hoped there was still a little dreaming ability from our society. I guess I was mistaken. However, that is the beauty of this day and age . . . one can state disagreement and be roundly chastised but remain upright. <BR> <BR>True John, the Lone Cypress is copyrighted but it is also a symbol. Goodness, there are many things that are copyrighted but you don't balk at paying to see, drink or wear them. And, by the way, they do charge to take its picture, $7.50 to take the drive. <BR> <BR>Sorry that you don't enjoy it any more folks, but then again, perhaps this year there will be less people there which will make it more leisurely for us. <BR> <BR>Rolly

Well I guess that I am the oddball or at least one of them. We have been on the 17 mile drive at least 20 times over the last several years. We never get tired of it. I love seeing the scores of deer on the golf course. <BR> <BR>There will always be the dissenters that are against any kind of development and would rather that we live like the cavemen did. <BR> <BR>I can't believe all of the fuss over paying $8.25 to go on the drive. Are you folks really that poor that it breaks your budget?

I don't think anyone would complain about the price(the price is per car) if they felt there was something to see. I'm more concerned about spending valuable vacation time on something that is mostly interesting to golfers or suburban neighborhood lovers. Also, the Lone Cypress has a little stone wall around it's base and is more "Lone" in a well-cropped photo than in real life. It made me giggle. Of course all develo

as I was saying... <BR>develoment isn't bad, I just don't need to spend time seeing it on vacation.

Dear Cal: <BR>You are an oddball in more ways than one. How old are you? Fifteen?!

Is this a public road or is it in a park? I still think it's absurd to pay to drive down a road whether it's $10 or 2¢. I remember seeing the lone cypress tree (and was a little disappointed with all the cables holding it up) and driving by some golf course years and years ago, but I don't remember paying for it. Who collects this money anyway? <BR> <BR>I'd wanted to go back some day... but maybe not.

I did not know that spending an hour of their time and $8.25 would bother so many people. Who cares where the money goes? The fact is that it costs $8.25 ( one year ago ). <BR> <BR>In any even, I suggest that those folks that are worried about either the time or cost, simply skip it and do something else. This subject is not worth getting all bothered about. <BR> <BR>I appreciate the compliment about my age but unfortunately you are off by about 45 years. <BR> <BR>Pleasant travels.

I've been unable to post here all day but I'll try this again. <BR> <BR>I am just genuinely curious, Cal, about who decided to charge for this - the government, the residents? Is is a private road? What is the money used for - road maintenance, scenic upkeep, what? I've heard of tolls on highways but never on scenic drives. I am truly surprised to hear of this. Is this a common practice in the US, or elsewhere? <BR> <BR>$8.25 isn't really the issue. I just think it's tacky to charge for a view. <BR> <BR>We have a marine scenic drive in my hometown which also passes through an expensive neighbourhood and golf course but nobody (I hope) would dream of charging for this. <BR>

April, the 17-mile drive dates back to the time when much of the Monterey peninsula was owned by the Del Monte Corporation (they of canned tomato fame). As John noted, the Drive began as an oceanside trail between Monterey and Carmel. It was paved some time in the early 1960s. Because it passed entirely through private property, Del Monte set up a tool booth at either end, put in lots of picnic waysides, and contentedly collected coins from those who wanted a look at a pristine bit of coastal California. <BR> <BR>But for any number of reasons, greed probably being high up there on the list, Del Monte began developing the property. First came Pebble Beach, one of the best golf courses in the world, but self-control has never been in great supply among developers. Today, or at least the last time I was there three years ago, the entire peninsula has pretty well been bulldozed in the name of commerce (and yes, Liz, "recherché" means more money than taste). <BR> <BR>I reiterate my advice that a lunch reservation at the Inn at Spanish Bay will get you through the toll booth for free.

Yeah, I'm sure Del Monte needed the extra money(!). Thanks very much for the explanation, Neal, which was very interesting. I honestly don't remember paying a fee when I went through there - must've been in the '70's, but maybe I've forgotten.

All are entitled to own and develop their property. 17 mile is a giant, fancy place for wealty people to live and it always has been. At least they have building codes. Unlike my city, Tampa, who bulldozes trees and all to build identical boring sand-colored houses in boring subdivisions. I can't wait to get there again to roam around and enjoy the homes and the scenery. The deer make my heart jump. I also like to get landcaping ideas there.

Good for you Carol. I agree with you 100%. The 17 mile drive is not like driving through some residential tract. There are still lots of trees and the waterfront has changed very little. One thing that the development has done is move the deer down to the golf course. There is almost always huge herds of deer on the fairways down by the ocean.

I'm from the UK so don't know if I should join in this domestic dispute but on my first visit to the States last year, my wife and I drove from San Francisco to San Diego on PCH1 wherever possible and thought it was wonderful. Part of the beauty was the variety of the landscape with the Big Sur being the most memorable and even Hollywood having its place. We did the 17 mile drive and felt that it was a further part of the variety - it was what it was and we enjoyed it. Is the issue here the fact that a "rich" neighbourhood (sp. I'm english remember)takes money from those who may be less rich? Didn't bother us. We judged our holiday as a whole and not bits in isolation and would gladly repeat the experience. <BR>Sorry to intrude folks. <BR>Andy

I don't think there really is a dispute. Most of the people defending the drive enjoy it for the same things that I didn't enjoy. My point was just to let others know what the drive was like so that they could decide for themselves if they wanted to go. It's a win-win. Those of us interested in other things can avoid the drive and make the drive less crowded for those of you who like golf and such.

To the top for a new set of travelers.

Since it has been brought up again, I will tell you that we enjoy the 17-mile drive. I think the homes are interesting and the golfers in our family loved seeing Pebble Beach. The last time we were there several parts were partioned off to protect the turtle eggs--the least they can do for the species in such a developed area. I agree, it's not for everyone. If you're expecting 17 miles of ocean-front scenery, take Big Sur. However, the 17-mile drive did offer us a different flavor of the coast.

17-mile drive is not what we Californians brag about...but try instead driving Big Sur and stopping off in some of the parks...like Julia Pfiffer...

To the top for Tim

Sorry for all those who think today's drive is worth seeing or worth paying for ... <BR><BR>Liz, you're absolutely right. I first drove it in 1966 while stopping briefly in Monterey on my way to Vietnam, and somehow the memory of it nourished me. Then, I messed up and drove it again just last year. <BR><BR>What a sad disappointment. You really can't go home again.

I remember driving with my parents on 17 Mile Drive and they would point out the famous people's houses, like Merv Griffin with two griffins at the end of his drive. My parents were caught up in the beauty of the coastline, the poshness of the houses and the lovely golf course at the time so I'll always have fond memories of sitting in the back of my dad's Buick Wildcat enjoying the drive. Maybe I'd better not go back so my cherished memories won't be spoiled like ExCal.

Amusing story from 17-Mile Drive<BR><BR>I was on business in Carmel looking at a retail store that was for sale along with a client and 2 colleagues. We were in his limo and decided to take a tour of 17-Mile drive.<BR><BR>We stopped at a scenic overlook and naturally, the tourists immediately looked at the 5 white guys in suits getting out of a limo.<BR><BR>For fun, my client turns to me and with a loud voice says "Ryan, were going to blast away those rocks where the seals are sitting for the Marina. That hillside, we're leveling it for the CONDO'S. Thousands of them."<BR><BR>The look of shock and horror on their faces was unforgetable.

What's really amusing is Excal's response to Liz, who posted this topic over 1 and a half years ago. Doesn't anyone check the date before they start pecking away?

"Golf courses and cemetaries. What a waste of prime real estate!"<BR>-Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack"