Garrapata State Park
- Status
- Open (per official listing)Daily 8 a.m. – sunset
- Entrance fee
- Statewide rule — see below
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Dogs allowed, with restrictions
- Camping
- None listed
- Official site
- parks.ca.gov(831) 624-4909
Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Covering about 2,847 acres, Garrapata State Park lies in Monterey County, about 11 miles south of Monterey.
Visitors come for snorkeling and diving, surfing, historic sites, fishing, and ranger programs. Water access includes a swimming beach.
Hours
Park, gate, office and facility hours are listed separately because they often differ. Alerts above override normal hours.
| Facility | Days | Hours | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park | Daily | 8 a.m. – sunset | — |
Official wording
8 AM – Sunset
Source: official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Times are local to the park (America/Los Angeles).
Fees and passes
Per vehicle at most parks (vehicles of 9 people or less, walk/bike-in free); per person at State Historic Parks and museums; amounts vary by park and are listed on each park page.
Statewide fee rule from California's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.
California park passes
- California Explorer Annual Pass — $195. Vehicle day-use entry to 134 state parks incl. high-demand Southern California beaches Details
- Golden Poppy Annual Pass — $125. Vehicle day-use entry to 112 state parks Details
- Historian Passport — $50. Admission for up to four people at per-person-fee State Historic Parks Details
- Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Annual Pass — $50. Entry to State Vehicular Recreation Areas that collect day-use fees Details
- SNO-Park Pass — $40 season / $15 day. 18 SNO-PARK winter recreation areas Details
From the California state guide. Confirm which passes this park accepts.
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Booking system
- ReserveCalifornia
- Phone
- (800) 444-7275
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Pets
Dogs allowed, with restrictions
Not allowed in or on: all other areas.
Are dogs allowed? Yes: Dogs allowed on the beach at Gate 19 (south end of the park) and trails leading to it. Dogs not allowed in all other areas. DOGS There is limited access for dogs on leash at the Garrapata State Park beach area: Dogs ON LEASH are ONLY allowed on the beach at Gate 19 (south end of park) and on the trails leading to it. Dogs are NOT allowed in all other areas, including across Hwy 1 in the Soberanes Canyon Trail area. Thank you for partnering with CA State Parks to protect our habitat areas' wildlife by adhering to dogs on leash regulations!
Service animals are generally permitted where pets are not. Check with the park for specific areas.
Things to do
FishingHistoric sites and toursRanger and interpretive programsSnorkeling and scubaWildlife viewing and birdingSurfingHiking
Trails
SOBERANES CANYON TRAIL and ROCKY RIDGE TRAIL
Located on the East side of Highway 1, the Soberanes Canyon Trail is currently open. The Rocky Ridge Trail is CLOSED due to hazardous conditions.
The Soberanes Trail is open exclusively from the main, gated trailhead on the east side of Highway 1, across from Gate 8 of the Garrapata Coastal Trail. The hike is along the 1.25 mile length of the trail to the back of the canyon. Plan on an out and back hike as the Rocky Ridge portion of the trail is closed due to hazardous conditions.
Due to the high volume of visitors to the Big Sur area, please use extreme caution when parking and when accessing trails on either side of Hwy 1.
Amenities
Water
- Swimming beach
✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.
Getting there
- Address
- Hwy 1 & Soberanes Canyon Tr
Carmel, CA 93923 - Nearest town
- Monterey — about 11 mi south (straight line)
- Coordinates
- 36.4517, -121.9265
- Phone
- (831) 624-4909
Entrances
- Directions point
Google Maps directionsApple MapsOfficial park map (PDF)
Directions from the park
The park is located on Highway 1, 6.7 miles south of Rio Road in Carmel (18 miles north of Big Sur).
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- California State Parks — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026
- California State Parks Listing page (one link per unit, page_id = officialId), unioned with the CSP Enterprise GIS 'ParkEntryPoints' ArcGIS layer (coords, address, county, unit number, management status) and the 'CSPParkUnit_CurrentStatus' layer (open/partial/full closure)
- Wikidata
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology