The wheels are turning to launch a shuttle and reservation system for access to Point Lobos.

For years, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve has been burdened by overtourism. The 150 parking spaces inside the reserve fill up quickly, and many drivers are turned away, so visitors try to find a place to park on Highway 1.

The amount of cars parked on the east side of Highway 1 across from the reserve became such a safety concern – pedestrians crossing a highway – that the County Board of Supervisors banned parking on the east side in 2018.

That forced cars to park even further from the reserve entrance on the west side of the highway, sometimes with a mile or more hike just to get to a trailhead. For those with mobility issues, access is a challenge.

Understanding these problems, a steering committee formed in 2018 among various stakeholders: State Parks, which owns the reserve; Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District; and three nonprofits – Big Sur Land Trust, Big Sur International Marathon Foundation and Point Lobos Foundation.

Out of that committee emerged an idea: ParkIT!, a shuttle van that would circulate between at least three spots inside Point Lobos, Ishxenta State Park, Palo Corona Regional Park and Marathon Flats, a rectangular patch of dirt south of Rio Road and east of Highway 1, which is also owned by State Parks, and which serves as the staging area for the Big Sur International Marathon. The idea is to turn it into an overflow parking lot with minimal hardscaping.

After years of work and refining the details, the group finally submitted an application Nov. 13 to the county for a coastal development permit to get the shuttle running. On Saturday, Nov. 23, Point Lobos Foundation is leading the second demo for the project. Shuttles for the tour will depart in the morning and afternoon from Palo Corona and head to Point Lobos and back. (As of Nov. 19, only one seat was available, in the afternoon.)

Initially, when the shuttle launches, it will not make stops at Palo Corona or Ishxenta. The latter is closed to the public as State Parks officials continue discussions with tribes over use of the park, once home to an Indigenous village along San Jose Creek.

If the county approves the permit, the biggest change the shuttle will usher in is a reservation system for Point Lobos, spreading out visitors throughout the day. ParkIT! Project Director Steffanie Gamecho, also executive director of Point Lobos Foundation, says initially there will be 900 reservations available for parking spots inside Point Lobos every day, and 567 at Marathon Flats. Reservations at the latter would also include a shuttle; a fee is yet to be determined. Those numbers are based on visitor use surveys, and assume an average of three passengers per car, with spots turning over twice daily. It’s a rate Gamecho says is intentionally conservative, and could increase with time “to ensure we have a well-oiled machine.”

For the majority of days – save for holidays and the like – those attempting to park on the highway and walk in will be turned away at the kiosk, Gamecho says. That marks a major shift for accessing the reserve.

The vision is either for the shuttle and reservation system to be managed by a concessionaire – Gamecho points to Muir Woods as a model – or if not, by State Parks. She expects the shuttle to be up and running in two years, “if everything goes really well.”