Point Lobos is a rocky headland at the southern end of Carmel Bay, lying between Cypress Cove to the north and Headland Cove, about 19 miles (31 km) north-northwest of Big Sur and 2.5 miles (4 km) southwest of Carmel, California. The headland was named during Spanish occupation after the barking of sea lions inspired the name ‘Punta de Los Lobos Marinos’ (Point of the Sea Wolves). Carmel Bay spans about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) between Pescadero Point and Point Lobos and is bisected by Carmel Canyon. Point Lobos is an erosion-resistant formation in the Salinian terrane, located west of the San Andreas Fault system’s main trace; exposures of this terrane occur at Bodega Head to the north and Mount Pinos to the south. The rock formation comprises four components. The oldest are the Santa Lucia Granodiorite, formed about 79.5 million years ago. It is composed of quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, amphibole, and biotite mica that crystallized from magma slowly cooled at depths of 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 km) below the Earth’s surface. The granodiorite was gradually uplifted over 30 million years before being eroded. About 55 million years ago, a submarine canyon was incised through the granodiorite basement rock, and alluvial sediments were deposited by submarine landslides and turbidity currents. These sediments were subsequently lithified into coarse-grained conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone, which now comprise the Carmelo Formation—the second major rock type at Point Lobos. Around 18,000 years ago, the Pacific Ocean’s level was considerably lower, as much of the global water was trapped in polar ice caps and continental glaciers. Ocean waves eroded platforms at a sea level approximately 250 feet (75 m) below the present level; these marine terraces were later uplifted due to transpressional shear between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate—a process that continues today at Point Lobos. The youngest rocks are the sands and gravels along the coast, especially on the beaches.

Point Lobos has long been a site of human occupation. Indigenous Ohlone bands, each numbering about 200, inhabited California’s central coast for thousands of years before European arrival. They built permanent villages of dome-shaped, thatched huts and exploited local resources—from acorns, game, and mountain mammals to fish and shellfish. A seasonal village, Ichxenta, near the mouth of San Jose Creek (about 1.4 miles east of Point Lobos), has been occupied for roughly 2,500 to 3,000 years, making it the longest continuously inhabited Ohlone site in the Monterey Bay area. In 1602, Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno sailed into Carmel Bay; his soldiers likely camped near the Carmel River’s mouth. By 1769, the Portolá expedition had traveled overland from San Diego, camping along San Jose Creek while scouting routes through Alta California to Monterey and identifying sites for presidios and missions. In 1770, Monterey was chosen as one of 21 sites for these purposes, but the mission was soon relocated to Carmel and renamed San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. The mission’s vaqueros were the first nonnative users of Point Lobos. After Mexico’s 1822 independence from Spain, the government awarded land grants. Don Marcelino Escobar, a Monterey official, received Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito in 1839—which included Point Lobos—before selling it a few years later. The property reportedly passed to Jose Castro of the Monterey Presidio. In 1848, California was ceded to the United States, prompting a commission to settle land claims. By 1888, the original grant had been divided into 34 parcels, with subsequent owners selling interests to the Carmelo Land and Coal Company. When coal mining proved unprofitable, Alexander M. Allan acquired 640 acres in 1897. In 1933, his family sold 348 acres to the state, establishing Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

In 1960, the first U.S. marine reserve was designated at Point Lobos, covering 750 underwater acres (300 ha). It was redesignated as an ecological reserve in 1973 and added to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary—the nation’s largest—in 1992. In 2007, the ecological reserve was expanded and renamed the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve and Point Lobos State Marine Conservation Area. These are 2 of 29 marine protected areas established in the first phase of a collaborative initiative to create a statewide network in California. Scientists monitor these areas to better understand healthy ocean ecosystems. Today, the marine protected areas at Point Lobos conserve a wide range of plants and animals—from shallow nearshore reefs to the deep waters of Carmel Canyon. State and national parks protect terrestrial wildlife and habitats; similarly, marine protected areas conserve and restore ocean ecosystems. A global body of scientific evidence confirms that marine protected areas effectively restore marine ecosystems. Under the California Marine Life Protection Act of 1999, California launched a historic effort to establish a science-based statewide network of marine reserves in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California State Parks. The state has taken a regional approach, dividing California into five regions—the north coast, south coast, north-central coast, central coast, and San Francisco Bay—for designing and implementing marine reserves. Marine reserves contribute to healthier, more resilient ocean ecosystems that withstand impacts such as pollution and climate change. By protecting entire ecosystems instead of individual species, they serve as powerful tools for conserving and restoring ocean biodiversity and protecting cultural resources while permitting marine recreation and research. Read more here and here. Explore more of Point Lobos and Carmel Bay here: