Carmel Bay

Carmel Bay
Carmel Bay, labeled
Note much larger Monterey Bay to its north
Map per NationalAtlas.gov
Carmel Bay is located in California
Carmel Bay
Carmel Bay
LocationMonterey County, California
Coordinates36°32′36″N 121°57′17″W / 36.54333°N 121.95472°W / 36.54333; -121.95472
River sourcesCarmel River
Ocean/sea sourcesPacific Ocean
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length4 miles (6.4 km)
Max. width2 miles (3.2 km)
SettlementsCarmel-by-the-Sea, California

Carmel Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California in Monterey County. The bay is 4 mi (6.4 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide with its mouth about 3 mi (4.8 km) across, between Point Carmel to the south and Point Cypress to the north; Monterey Bay is about four coastline miles north, with Point Pinos intervening.[1]

The bay's coastline includes Carmel City Beach and Carmel River State Beach, with wildlife largely protected by the 'Carmel Bay Ecological Reserve'. The City of Carmel, formally "Carmel-by-the-Sea", adjoins Carmel Bay, with the cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, California, and Santa Cruz about 5 mi (8.0 km), 4 mi (6.4 km), and 45 mi (72 km) north, respectively.[2]

  1. ^ "An Offshore Description of the Big Sur Coast from George Davidson's "Coast Pilot" of 1889" by David Rogers, Double Cone Quarterly, Vol IV, Number 4, 2001, Ventana Wilderness Alliance
  2. ^ The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide By Jerry Emory, University of California Press, 1999, pages 234,241-244