Garrapata State Park, State park near Carmel, United States

Garrapata State Park covers 2,939 acres on the Monterey coast, 6.7 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It has 2 miles of beachfront, coastal bluffs covered with coyote bush, California sagebrush and bush lupine, and trails that climb about 50 feet to a view of the Pacific. There is no main entrance; numbered turnouts line Highway 1.

In 1835 Governor Juan Alvarado granted the western land as Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito to Teodoro Gonzalez, regranted the same year to Marcelino Escobar. Jose Antonio Ezequiel Soberanes later bought it and ran cattle and sheep for 24 years. Francis Doud assembled the Doud Ranch in 1891; cattle ran until the early 1950s. The state bought its first parcel in 1980, and the park was classified in 1985.

The name Garrapata is Spanish for tick. The Soberanes family, who ranched here for 24 years, were locally known for their musical talents and hosted other ranchers travelling the coast to Monterey. Features in the park still carry the names of these families.

The park is reached through unmarked turnoffs along Highway 1, with no official signs marking the entrances. You can park at these roadside spots and walk toward the beaches or climb into the woods from several access points.

Gray whales travel close to shore during their migration periods, and sea lions, harbor seals, and sea otters live in these waters year-round. Visitors often spot these animals from the trails without needing to go far into the water.