The 17-Mile Drive winds around the Pebble Beach area west of Monterey, It's is a short drive north from Carmel-by-the-Sea. For more information, check out the Pebble Beach Resorts' website.

Spanish Bay is another worthy stop on 17-Mile Drive. Come here to see its raised boardwalks (perfect for a stroll along the ...

This narrow, sandy track parallels the road for 0.2 mile, then crosses 17-Mile Drive and turns inland. What follows is a steep, thigh-burning ascent over sand dunes.

Perhaps the best place to take in the natural splendor is 17-Mile Drive, between Pacific Grove and Carmel-by-the-Sea. It’s a popular route to drive, which I’ve done on previous trips.

But the reality of the walled-off gem today is a complex one: 17-Mile Drive, the main road for Pebble Beach, includes friendly but foreboding gate attendees, ever-present security and billionaire ...