Palo Corona Regional Park - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Heather L.

We had a great time exploring this park for the first time last week. We went on a cloudy weekday which was great because we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We decided to hike up the mountain to Inspiration Point then continued onto the Animas Pond via the Talus trail. On the way, you go through an enchanting forest consisting of Coast Live Oaks. At Inspiration Point you get nice views of the Carmel coast. Going to the end of the trail at the pond you pass by some interesting bean plants which I'm still trying to figure out exactly what they were. Overall, a really nice park!

UPDATE March 2025: They made some nice improvements to the park! I still have not been able to make it to the Discovery Center because of limited hours.

Victoria B. D.

My husband and I came here to hike with our German Shepherd Dog along the Carmel River. The park is lovely! There are several trails, the weather was 66F, sunny and cool breezy (in August!). The trails were well marked and maintained. It was dog-friendly with multiple trash cans and poop bags. The restrooms are brand new with a water fountain for adults, kids and dogs. The trail had sun and shade. A lot of the trails are even pathed and could be wheelchair accessible!

Gregg W.

The park has great views and lots of easy trails. A permit is required to enter from the Highway 1 side, but you can enter from the Rancho Canada site with no permit. There is 700 ft elevation gain to get to Inspiration Point. The Rancho Canada unit part of the park has trails that are in terrible condition with overgrown weeds and dog feces all over the place. There is only one bridge available in contrast to what the map shows.

M B.

The best place to run in Carmel. Quiet, peaceful, rustic, great views, fun animal surprises, expansive.

You can put together a run anywhere from 3-10 miles with the trails that wrap around this park. Best to go before sunset when the sun is golden, makes the cows quite majestic.

You can only enter from one side and last time I visited a lot of trails were closed.

Brendan K.

Palo Corona Regional Park is a great park to go hiking or simply walk. The first part of the park is an old abandoned golf course which has slowly been reclaimed by nature with the Carmel River flowing by, and old cart/walking paths and nice scenery. The other half of the park is mostly preserve/ranch land with dirt trails over a large area of rolling hills, and a fire road type trail which clumps up a hill to Inspiration Point which offers incredible views of the Carmel region on a clear day. Well worth a visit to go hiking and explore for families to experts.

Rose P.

Lovely, and easy access. It is close to highway 1, not far up carmel valley.
The addition of real bathrooms: great.
The people who use it are really nice.

Dawna R. S.

Wonderful location with beautiful views. A myriad of trails and some easy and flat. Beautiful sweeping landscape and amazing sunsets. Great for bird watching too, and dog friendly yet must be on leashes.

Alynn N.

This is the most pristine regional park I have ever been to. The park is so well kept, plenty of parking spaces and so widely spread out. The oak knoll trail is a must see.
I like the fact that they offer so many different trails for you to explore.