Length: 0.74 miles
Elev. gain: 66 ft
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/garrapata-beach-calla-lily-valley-d3d80b6
Calla Lily Valley is located off the Pacific Coast Highway, approximately 11 miles to the south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. This is a very popular tourist site in the springtime when the wild calla lilies are blooming.
We arrived at the trailhead in the middle of the day after driving almost six hours from Orange County.
This year, California has experienced abundant rainfall, resulting in lush greenery wherever we looked from the hike.
The trail to the valley is very short and easy. Since it was midday on a Saturday, there were lots of people and the valley was very crowded. So I decided to come back the following morning for a quieter experience.
Instead of taking the same trail back, I opted to return along the beach to complete the loop.
Arriving early the next morning, I found that a few early birds had already made their way to the valley. Fortunately, by the time I reached the valley, the couple had left and I had the valley all to myself.
Here are the pictures of Calla Lily Vally.
