Asilomar Conference Grounds
Park
46 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: dconvertini · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Pacific Grove
14% of Pacific Grove’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Pacific Grove, 3.2 per square mile of land. 14% of Pacific Grove’s land is conserved, about 254 acres.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #124 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
254 acres · of 2.9 sq mi of land
Trails
9.1 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
178 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
2.3 mi lanes · 1.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
13 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Pacific Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pacific Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pacific Grove is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #124 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pacific Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (178 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 85%
Water is 28% of Pacific Grove’s area (1 of 4 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Asilomar Conference Grounds, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Asilomar State Beach
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
33 acres1.4 mi of trail
Asilomar Dunes Boardwalk
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
George Washington Park
Park
23 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rip Van Winkle Open Space
Nature preserve
21 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Asilomar Dunes Natural Preserve
Nature preserve
26 acres0.5 mi of trail
Asilomar Dunes Boardwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Asilomar Conference Grounds46 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsAsilomar State Beach33 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · California Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGeorge Washington Park23 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsPerkins Park8 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsRip Van Winkle Open Space21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsAsilomar Dunes Natural Preserve26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLover's Point Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsShoreline Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHayward Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPoint Piños Lighthouse Reservation5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsArnett Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonarch Grove Sanctuary2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCaledonia Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary717 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area312 acres
DirectionsAsilomar State Marine Reserve218 acres
DirectionsLovers Point - Julia Platt State Marine Reserve145 acres
DirectionsPacific Grove Ball Park2 acres
DirectionsEsplanade Park2 acres
Greenwood Park1 acres
DirectionsBerwick Park1 acres
Jewel Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
254 conserved acres
14% of Pacific Grove’s land. Water is left out: Pacific Grove has 2.9 square miles of land and 1.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Pacific Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city149 ac
State parks104 ac
Regional agency1 ac
State fish & wildlife1 ac
State Park · 104 acLocal Park · 70 acLocal Other or Unknown · 44 acLocal Recreation Area · 22 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asilomar State Beach State Park | State parks | 104 | Open |
| Pacific Grove Golf Links Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 42 | Restricted |
| Marine Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Rip Van Winkle Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| George Washington Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| El Carmelo Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Arnett Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Baseball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Forest Hill Playground Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Pacific Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Pacific Grove
Asilomar State BeachIn Asilomar State Beach
DirectionsPlus 12 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Pacific Grove
8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Pacific Grove
Lover's PointIn Lover's Point Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Pacific Grove
9 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.9 mi
Asilomar Dunes Boardwalk0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Golf
14Basketball
12Tennis
7Baseball
2Beach volleyball
2Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pacific Grove: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 63 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 3.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 68 °F). 3.7 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Pacific Grove →
Next door
Pacific Grove and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Grove | 14% | 3.2 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
| Del Monte Forest | 3% | 4.9 | 46 | 70% | A− |
| Monterey | 13% | 1.8 | 26 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pacific Grove
Where can I hike in Pacific Grove?
The longest trail networks: Asilomar Conference Grounds, 1.7 miles; Asilomar State Beach, 1.4 miles; George Washington Park, 0.9 miles; Perkins Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pacific Grove is conserved land?
14% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Pacific Grove’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Asilomar State Beach (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pacific Grove?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of painted or protected lanes and 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Pacific Grove?
11,180 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pacific Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 178 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pacific Grove have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pacific Grove neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →