Point Lobos visitors could soon need reservations

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a beautiful stop for many tourists and locals, but the spike in visitors has park officials considering a reservation policy.

Jerry Loomis, a docent with Point Lobos, says on a busy weekend day, the park can see thousands of people.

“Because of that increase in visitation, people are coming in, they’re walking in, not getting rules and just kind of over running the reserve in a way that’s never been used before,” said Jerry Loomis.
Loomis told KION he fears the increased number of visitors is causing wear and tear on the land and visitors are also noticing.

“It looks like it hasn’t had water and it has a lot of people walking on it,” said tourist Ann Skartevedt.

Loomis said requiring reservations to visit the popular spot has been talked about for several years. He thinks the idea may soon become a reality, bringing up mixed feelings from visitors.

“I would prefer they didn’t, but I understand that to protect the land for the future generation,” said Carmel resident Liz Broedlow.

Volunteers said up to 5,000 people trek up and down the trails on any given weekend day and their small parking lots aren’t supporting the numbers.

“We’ve seen about five cars coming in here circling around and around looking for parking. So we’re feeling pretty lucky today because everybody else is scrambling to get a parking spot,” said tourist Michael Mcgowan.

The reserve houses 160 parking spaces and the rest of the cars end up being turned away or parked along the highway.

That’s a problem that could be prevented if the reservation policy goes into effect.

However, volunteers say ultimately, the decision will be about preserving the park’s natural beauty.

“Just about everything about this place is unique and it just keeps people like myself coming back for more,” said Loomis.