Huckleberry Hill
A stop on 17 Mile Drive, a free self-guided tour.
Huckleberry Hill is a forested high point named for the wild huckleberry bushes that grow in its understory. Much of it is set aside as the Huckleberry Hill Nature Preserve, part of the conservation land that keeps the Del Monte Forest from being fully built out.
The hill is worth noticing for its trees as much as its view. Monterey pine, Bishop pine and coast live oak grow here, along with the rare Gowen cypress, a small cypress found naturally in only a couple of places on the peninsula. Poor, sandy soils on parts of the hill keep some of the trees stunted.
The Rumsen Ohlone people lived on the Monterey Peninsula long before Spanish settlement, gathering acorns, berries and shellfish across land like this.
Through the trees you can catch views of Monterey Bay and, on clear days, Carmel to the south. Trails run through the preserve if you want to stretch your legs.