To follow our journey, I’ve listed in order the places we visited and provided you with the corresponding Pebble Beach Map marker number. I definitely suggest making sure your camera is charged, as there will be numerous Instagrammable spots to get your selfie on, as well as allotting a few hours to fully take advantage of being able to enjoy each location without feeling rushed. What we loved about the 17-Mile Drive was that the route is clearly marked with road signs helping you navigate each step of the way. While we had all intentions to see each of the 17 scenic stops, we ended up skipping 4 stops due to the fact that we accidentally exited at the Carmel-by-the-Sea gate.

After paying the entrance fee, the security officer gave us a map with information to locate all 17 must see places of interest and pointed the way for us to go. The map below shows our route and the various scenic stops we made along the way. On our trip, we started out from Monterey and entered through the Pacific Grove gate, heading in the southern direction. However most visitors coming to take the drive will use one of the three more popular entrances: the Pacific Grove gate that will allow you to take the drive from Monterey south, the Carmel gate which will be the most convenient route from Carmel-by-the-Sea north, and Highway 1 gate which is the most convenient entrance for travelers coming from Santa Cruz or San Jose.

17-Mile Drive and the Pebble Beach Golf Links are accessible through one of 5 gate houses. While one might think driving through an exclusive guard gated community would be off limits to outsiders, non-resident visitors can actually experience this iconic drive after paying a nominal entrance fee, (at the time of this article, we paid a $10.50 fee). Tucked between the seaside towns of Monterey and Camel-by-Sea, is where you will find the famous 17-Mile Drive, a winding coast hugging journey with, coincidentally, 17 marked points of interest for you to explore and take in the natural beauty of this stretch of California’s coastline. A highlight on any Northern California trip itinerary - and one of the top must do things do when visiting the Monterey Peninsula - is a drive along 17-Mile Drive to witness the spectacular scenic views of the Pacific Ocean, rocky coastline, and to see the world famous Pebble Beach Golf Community.

17 mile drive time