Asilomar State Beach

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Walkway made of redwood planks along the beach

Asilomar State Beach is located on the Monterey Peninsula in the city of Pacific Grove, California. Asilomar (a made-up name meaning "refuge by the sea" and pronounced a-SIL-o-mar) State Beach and Conference Grounds sits on 107 acres (433,000 m²) and offers overnight lodging and views of the forest, surf and sand.

Asilomar State Beach is a narrow one-mile (1.6 km) strip of sandy beach and rocky coves. A 3/4 mile (1.2 km) coast-walking trail is open to pedestrians. Bicycling is allowed on the paved bike lane in proximity to the trail. Asilomar State Beach is part of the Pacific Grove Fish Garden Refuge and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The water in the vicinity of Asilomar State Beach is rather free of turbidity. When standing on the beach one can look through the cresting waves like a window to the rock reefs offshore and see kelp and fish. From above the color of the ocean is a light turquoise dropping to a deep blue offshore, much like the coloration seen in locations like The Bahamas. The water is also cold compared to other beaches in the Monterey area, due to its exposure to the open ocean and the upwelling of cold water from nearby Monterey Canyon, which funnels the icy water right to shore at this location. Despite the cold water the area is popular among snorkelers and SCUBA divers where they can be treated to magnificent rocky reefs filled with colorful sea life. Those not able to handle the cold water can stay on shore and still experience incredible sea life. The rocky coves are home to thousands of species, some of which are unique to the bay. As a sanctuary, it is illegal to disturb biota.

The beach does not feature a bathroom facility. The nearest bathroom is five minutes towards Monterey Downtown.

Merrill Hall, Asilomar.

The Asilomar Conference Grounds began in 1913 as a camp and conference site for the YWCA. Its historic buildings were designed by the California architect Julia Morgan, and have been designated a National Historic Landmark. It has been owned and operated by the State of California since 1956. The grounds are available to park visitors for conferences and/or overnight stay. The California State Parks training facility-- William Penn Mott, Jr. Training Center--is located on the conference grounds.

Asilomar shore.

The Asilomar Conference Grounds is managed by a hospitality concessionaire that oversees a complex of meeting and conference rooms ranging from the 650 seat Merrill Hall to intimate meeting accommodations for smaller groups. Designed to be free from everyday interruptions; there are no telephones or televisions in the 314 guest rooms. Among the noted conferences held there was a conference in 1975 at which scientists agreed on the basic policies that would govern genetic engineering research (see: Asilomar conference on recombinant DNA).

The William Penn Mott, Jr. Training Center offers a variety of training programs to both California State Parks employees and those from other agencies.