High Point of Carmel: Jacks Peak

Jacks Peak, Monterey Peninsula’s high point, offers terrific vistas of Monterey Bay and Carmel Bay.

The peak is forested with the largest remaining native Monterey pine grove in the world. (Only three other native stands exist: near Cambria, Santa Cruz and on Guadalupe Island about 200 miles off the coast of Baja California.) Though the fast-growing Monterey pine has been successfully transplanted across California and around the world, there is something special about visiting the conifer in its native habitat.

Jacks Peak and Jacks Peak County Park honor Scottish immigrant David Jacks, successful 19th-Century businessman, dairy owner and land speculator. Jacks is best remembered today for Monterey Jack cheese, the only native California cheese.

For a quick tour and a view, take the Skyline Nature Trail, an eight-tenths-mile loop keyed to an interpretive pamphlet.

Another route to the top is via six-tenths-mile Jacks Peak Trail. The summit of Jacks Peak offers glorious views of the Carmel Coast, Carmel Valley and the Santa Lucia Mountains of the Big Sur backcountry; it does not, however, offer good views of Monterey Bay, which is better observed from the lower slopes of the peak.

Directions to trail head: From California 1 in Monterey, take California 68 east 1 1/2 miles toward Salinas. Turn right on Olmsted Road and drive another 1 1/2 miles to Jacks Peak Drive, which travels a mile to the entrance of Jacks Peak County Park. Day use fees are $2 per vehicle Monday through Thursday, $3 per vehicle Friday through Sunday.

The park is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Those hikers preferring a longer jaunt may park along Jacks Peak Drive below the gated park entry. It’s about a 15-minute uphill walk on Jacks Peak Drive to the park entry kiosk.

From the entry kiosk, turn right on Pine Road and follow it to its end at Jacks Peak parking area.

The hike: Begin on Skyline Nature Trail, which makes a counterclockwise circle of the mountain. An interpretive pamphlet, available at the trail head, helps identifiy birds, geology and Monterey pine forest ecology.

Not far from the start, a vista point offers an excellent panorama (on fog-free days) of Fisherman’s Wharf, downtown Monterey, Cannery Row, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Marina State Beach sand dunes and Moss Landing.

From the nature trail, Jacks Peak Trail branches the short distance to the top of Jacks Peak.

Skyline, Iris, Rhus Trails

Where: Jacks Peak County Park, Monterey.

Terrain: Monterey pine-forested hills.

Highlights: Grand views from high point of Monterey Peninsula.

Distance: Skyline Nature Trail is 0.8-mile loop; return via Iris and Rhus trails is 2.8 miles round trip. Longer loops possible.

Degree of difficulty: Easy

For more inforamtion: Monterey County Parks Department, P.O. 5279, Salinas, CA 93915; Tel. (408) 755-4899