Lovers Point Park

Lovers Point Park is a small rocky point jutting into the Pacific from the northeast shore of Pacific Grove, at the foot of 17th Street. The point sits east of the Monterey Peninsula's tip, and its east-facing position makes it one of the few places on the West Coast where the sun rises over the ocean. Small sandy pocket beaches, locally numbered Lovers 1, 2, and 3, sit between the rocky ledges on either side of the point. Depths inside the cove run from about 10 to 40 feet, dropping to around 60 feet on the outer edges near the reserve boundary. Rocky ledges and cobble frame both flanks, and a dense kelp bed wraps the point. A concrete pier and diving platform sits at the point itself, and a snack bar, restaurant, beach volleyball court, and children's swimming pool occupy the bluff above.

Rocky ledges and cobble on both sides of the point form a rocky reef biome. The kelp bed anchored on that reef and stretching around it is a kelp forest biome. Small sandy pocket beaches at the entries make up a surf zone biome with mild wave action inside the cove. The Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR covers 0.30 square miles and reaches depths of 88 feet, so the biome mix from the shore extends well into the reserve. The reserve was renamed in 2014 to honor Dr. Julia Platt, the first American woman to earn a Ph.D. in zoology and later mayor of Pacific Grove, who established early tide-pool refuges here and at Point Pinos.

The east flank of the point sees calmer water and easy sandy entries suited to beginners, while the west flank picks up more surge as the shoreline turns toward the peninsula tip. Scuba, snorkeling, freediving, and swimming all draw heavy use, and Lovers Point Park is one of the more popular training entries on the peninsula. Parking is free 2-hour street parking on Ocean View Boulevard plus two small lots, one south near Lovers 1 and one west near Lovers 3. Restrooms, picnic tables, a snack bar, and a restaurant sit at the park, and the lots fill fast on summer weekends and dive-class days. From May through September, a city rule prohibits diving from the southeast beach Friday through Monday between 11:30 a.m. and sunset, keeping that entry clear during peak swim hours; the stairs and Lovers 3 remain open year-round. Take of any marine resource is prohibited within the Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR, which is a no-take reserve.