San Carlos Beach Park — Attraction in Monterey

Wonderful little beach that didn't seem to get crowded. It was a little dirtier than the other beaches, with washed up kelp and more flies. Someone didn't pick up after their large dog, which was annoying. Avoided those areas best we could and had a great time by the water, especially after we noticed some type of creatures burying themselves after the tide receded. We had a fun time catching them, googling to figure out what they were, and returning them back to their sand. (They are pacific mole crabs!) other then them, there were different types of birds and ducks scavenging for, probably, those pacific mole crabs. There are stairs to get down to the beach, as well as a ramp. There were also multiple trash and at the top of the stairs and ramps, which is nice to encourage trash being thrown out and not...

There always seems to be something to see here if you look! Scuba divers do training here and you can see them in the shallow water by the beach. On the beach people enjoy sunbathing or just admiring the scenery. Kids like to play in the sand and the water. Also, there are often seals swimming or floating around. Certain times of the year you can see whales out in the ocean. This is a popular place for people to fish and there are plenty of seagulls and some other native water birds. Depending on the time of year, you may see the seagulls sitting on nests or sea chicks or juvenile seagulls waiting for food to be brought to them. A popular place for tourists and...

Easy to overlook beach. Small and doesn't look clean compared to most other beaches around here most of the time since kelp washes up on the sand constantly. Thing is what really makes this beach 5 stars is what happens right off the beach in the kelp nearby. Plenty of divers can attest to the abundance of sea life living there but even at the surface plenty can also be seen! Saw my first sea otters here! Not only them but plenty of other marine animals seem to just love the kelp it's like a free salad bar for them so you can see them constantly munching on the stuff all the time. This makes it a great spot to get awesome pictures of it all...