Garrapata State Park is a state park of California, USA, located on Highway 1 6.7mi south of Carmel and 18mi north of Big Sur on the Monterey coast. It is marked only with one sign on the west side of the road. Numbered turnouts mark each parking area. The 2939acre park was established in 1979.Garrapata State Park has 2mi of beachfront, with coastal hiking and a 50ft climb to a view of the Pacific. The park offers diverse coastal vegetation with trails running from ocean beaches into dense coast redwood groves. The park also features coastal headlands at Soberanes Point. California sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters frequent the coastal waters while gray whales pass close by during their yearly migration.The beaches in the park have been used for nude recreation.Most of the park was burned over in the 2016 Soberanes Fire.HistoryThe area hosted the Ohlone and Rumsien tribes in the past. In the early 20th century it was the Ezequiel Soberanes Rancho, a cattle and sheep ranch. The ranch was later sold to the Doud family, who had a cattle ranch on the property. Features within Garrapata State Park still bear the names of these families.
