Marina Beaches

Marina’s long stretches of sandy beaches, walled in by high sand dunes, allows for plenty of social distancing while giving beach-goers a panoramic view of the Monterey Bay and the Monterey Peninsula. (A peninsula, by the way, is a land mass that’s surrounded by water on three sides, here comprising Carmel, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and New Monterey.) The air is clean and breezy, parking may be a hassle, but if you’re lucky you can spot pods of dolphins or spouting whales close enough to see without binoculars. For some exercise, try climbing up sand dunes. Not easy. Note: Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District says that Marina Dunes Preserve is closed to public access for now. But miles of beach in either direction are accessible from Fort Ord Dunes State Park, which is accessible via the Rec Trail, as well.