Erik Chalhoub here. I will admit that I haven’t been to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve since 2013, when I was excited to try out a new DSLR camera I had just purchased.
Back then, there seemed to be some pockets of time where you could avoid the crowds and find a place to park that didn’t involve risking your life along Highway 1. Those days are mostly over, hence why I haven’t made an attempt to visit Point Lobos in 13 years.
I’m not the only one who avoids Point Lobos because of the traffic. So, I encourage you to read about a promising development reported this week by Staff Writer Katie Rodriguez.
The Monterey County Planning Commission on Oct. 14 approved plans for a shuttle to transport visitors to and from Point Lobos. It’s still a ways off from reality, as an access management plan is still to be finalized, but it signals a significant step forward for a project that’s been in the works for years.
The plan includes a reservation system for visitors, from the day of to months in advance. Some questioned whether the reservation system might make things more complicated and limit public access.
“It's not access versus protection. We’ve got to do both,” Commissioner Martha Diehl said. “All of this discussion is about something that is the first thing anybody's proposed to try in 40, 50 years, and nothing in it is irreversible.”
Read Rodriguez’s article to learn more about the plan.