Best walking routes in Monterey

8 routes ranked on sights, efficiency, hills & length — real foot distance and elevation.

3.3 scoreHills 0/105.6 kmBest Sep, Oct
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Ranked routes

Same score for every walk. Click a card to expand details on the map.

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#1
Viewpoint

One Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk

1 hour

5 stops1.4 km55 min

1.4 kmdistance55 minwith stops5stops+5 mgain
2.6 sights7.3 efficiency0.1 hills7.1 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 20 min+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+5 m climb along route
  1. Old Monterey Jail
  2. Monterey Museum of Art
  3. Larkin House
  4. Monterey State Historic Park
  5. Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
5–17 m

Photo: ViewpointUnknownPublic domain

4.2/10
#2
Viewpoint

Downtown Monterey, Monterey: Walking Route

DistrictDowntown Monterey

10 stops2.8 km1 h 40 min

2.8 kmdistance1 h 40 minwith stops10stops+6 mgain
1.8 sights7.3 efficiency0.1 hills7.9 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 35 min+ up to 2 h 40 min insides+6 m climb along route
  1. Monterey History and Art Museum
  2. Custom House
  3. Pacific House Museum
  4. Monterey State Historic Park
  5. Larkin House
  6. Monterey Museum of Art
  7. Cooper Molera Adobe
  8. Stevenson House
  9. Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
  10. Dennis the Menace Park
2–14 m

Photo: ViewpointKristen (Krimp) FuentesCC BY-SA 3.0

3.9/10
#3
Viewpoint

Museums of Monterey in 2 Hours

Museums

5 stops1.7 km50 min

1.7 kmdistance50 minwith stops5stops+6 mgain
1.8 sights7.7 efficiency0.1 hills5.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 25 min+ up to 3 h insides+6 m climb along route
  1. Presidio of Monterey Museum
  2. Monterey History and Art Museum
  3. Pacific House Museum
  4. Larkin House
  5. Monterey Museum of Art
4–21 m

Photo: ViewpointSgerbicCC BY-SA 4.0

3.6/10
#4
Viewpoint

Monterey Photo Walk: Most Instagrammable Spots

Photo spots

9 stops6.6 km2 h 25 min

6.6 kmdistance2 h 25 minwith stops9stops+17 mgain
2.4 sights7.5 efficiency0.3 hills1.2 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 30 min+ up to 2 h 20 min insides+17 m climb along route
  1. St. John's Chapel
  2. Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
  3. Monterey Museum of Art
  4. Monterey State Historic Park
  5. Monterey History and Art Museum
  6. El Castillo de Monterey
  7. Pacific Biological Laboratories
  8. Monterey Bay Aquarium
  9. Sea otters
2–23 m

Photo: ViewpointMark MillerCC BY-SA 3.0

3.3/10
#5
Viewpoint

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Monterey

Walking tour

11 stops8.6 km3 h 5 min

8.6 kmdistance3 h 5 minwith stops11stops+35 mgain
2.1 sights7.6 efficiency0.6 hills0.9 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 55 min+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+35 m climb along route
  1. St. John's Chapel
  2. Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
  3. Stevenson House
  4. Colton Hall
  5. Larkin House
  6. Monterey State Historic Park
  7. Custom House
  8. El Castillo de Monterey
  9. Pacific Biological Laboratories
  10. Monterey Bay Aquarium
  11. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
3–25 m

Photo: ViewpointJsweidaCC BY-SA 3.0

3.2/10
#6
Viewpoint

Monterey Loop Walk from Cooper Molera Adobe

Loop

7 stops9.5 km2 h 40 min

9.5 kmdistance2 h 40 minwith stops7stops+29 mgain
2.0 sights8.4 efficiency0.5 hills0.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 2 h 5 min+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+29 m climb along route
  1. Cooper Molera Adobe
  2. Old Monterey Jail
  3. El Castillo de Monterey
  4. Presidio of Monterey Museum
  5. Monterey Bay Aquarium
  6. Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
  7. Pacific Biological Laboratories
4–25 m

Photo: ViewpointMeij.kobayashiPublic domain

3.2/10
#7
Viewpoint

Hidden Gems of Monterey in 2 Hours

Hidden gems

8 stops6.5 km2 h 15 min

6.5 kmdistance2 h 15 minwith stops8stops+17 mgain
1.0 sights7.6 efficiency0.3 hills1.4 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 25 min+ up to 1 h insides+17 m climb along route
  1. St. John's Chapel
  2. Dennis the Menace Park
  3. Stevenson House
  4. Cooper Molera Adobe
  5. Colton Hall
  6. Pacific House Museum
  7. Custom House
  8. Sea otters
2–23 m

Photo: ViewpointGreghenderson2006CC BY-SA 4.0

2.6/10
#8
Viewpoint

Hidden Gems of Monterey: Off-the-Beaten-Path Walk

Hidden gems

11 stops7.3 km2 h 40 min

7.3 kmdistance2 h 40 minwith stops11stops+24 mgain
1.0 sights6.9 efficiency0.4 hills0.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 35 min+ up to 1 h 40 min insides+24 m climb along route
  1. St. John's Chapel
  2. Dennis the Menace Park
  3. Stevenson House
  4. Cooper Molera Adobe
  5. Colton Hall
  6. Old Monterey Jail
  7. Pacific House Museum
  8. Custom House
  9. El Castillo de Monterey
  10. Presidio of Monterey Museum
  11. Sea otters
2–23 m

Photo: ViewpointMcGhieverCC BY-SA 3.0

2.3/10

Hills: higher = steeper along the walk. Stairs (when shown): metres of mapped stairways near the route — approximate, not a step countvisit times are estimates.

Monterey walking stats

From the 8 rated routes66 stops total19 unique places.

Most climbSelf-Guided Walking Tour of Monterey+35 m along route
Most stops / kmDowntown Monterey, Monterey: Walking Route3.6 stops per km
Least climbOne Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk+5 m along route
Most stairsSelf-Guided Walking Tour of Monterey~17 m mapped stairways (approx., not step count)
Longest / shortest9.5 km1.4 kmMonterey Loop Walk from Cooper Molera Adobe / One Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk
Places on routes19unique stop ids
How we score. Same formula for every route: Sights 50% (how notable the stops are)Efficiency 25% (less backtracking between stops)Hills 10% (how steep the walk is)Length fit 15% (distance vs the kind of walk). Stairs stay a fact in metres, not a quality bar. Avg score in the hero is the mean across all ranked walks.

Monterey FAQ

Short answers from this city’s data.

Best first-visit walk?
One Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk (1.4 km, 55 min with stops) ranks #1 here.
Best months to walk Monterey?
Sep, Oct are usually the nicest months for walking.
Shortest walk?
One Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk1.4 km, walking 20 min.
One hour in Monterey?
One Hour in Monterey: A Short Walk: walking 20 min, with stops 55 min, 5 stops.
One-day plan?
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Stairs and hills?
Hills is 10% of the score (higher = steeper along the walk). Stairs are not scored — when shown, they are metres of mapped stairways near the route (approximate; not a step count). Example: stairways ≈ 0 m.
Can I change stops?
Yes — open in Maps, edit, then paste into Lineo for a cleaner order.