Rancho Loop – Garland Ranch (Carmel Valley)
An easy hike for families and dogs, with lots of wildflowers. Mostly flat except some short, very steep portions on the Live Oak trail. If you want a flatter hike, stick to the Rancho Loop.
Ecosystems: Coast Live oak woodlands, Eucalyptus grove, chaparral, oak savanna.
Below is the Google Map location where we parked. If you’re using Apple Maps, use the following coordinates: 36.510499, -121.768872
Some California native plants you may see…
White Globe Lily (Calochortus albus) 
Rose Clover (Trifolium hirtum) 
Coast Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) 
Coastal Bush Lupine (Lupinus arboreus) 
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) 
Fiesta Flower (Pholistoma auritum) 
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) 
Mediterranean Stork’s Bill (Erodium botrys) 
California Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum jordanii)
You can get more information on the MPRPD website, including an unmarked copy of the above map.
We parked along Carmel Valley Road. There is also a parking lot if you continue past the off-street parking.
There are two bridges, this one is always available. The seasonal bridge is to the east.
Just past the bridge, we took Cooper trail to the right. The visitor’s center and bathroom are on Lupine Loop, to the left.
We took Rancho Loop, to the right. The trails are really well marked here.
Keep an eye out for wildflowers…
California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)
Rose Clover (Trifolium hirtum)
Fiesta Flower (Pholistoma auritum)
This Botta’s Pocket Gopher appeared in the middle of the trail. It was really upset and chirped at us for a minute. I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t just run away, especially since I had a dog. Luckily Chizu just sniffed it and seemed just as confused as I was. Eventually it backed its way into the grass.
The photos cannot capture how beautiful and serene this section of the park is. This is going to be one of my favorite hikes.
Just ahead you can continue along Rancho Loop or take a little detour through the Eucalyptus Grove. We took the detour and I highly recommend it!
The Eucalyptus Grove is lovely! So many wildflowers and you can hear the river quite well along the way. There is also access to the river.
In this section of the trail the Pacific Poison Oak is HUGE! I’m not touching it here, just putting my hand under so you can see how big it is. For reference, the ones on the right are on the Live Oak trail, which are much smaller and what I’m used to seeing.
Also, if you’re itchy from seeing me so close to the poison oak, I’m one of the lucky few who isn’t allergic. But, I still try to maintain a healthy fear of it. Don’t want to push my luck.
There are trash cans, which is so convenient for those hiking with dogs! I was so happy to see this!
Beautiful Coastal Bush Lupine. Sometimes the flowers are yellow, but all the ones I saw were purple.
There are some patches of Sky Lupine and California Poppy.
Once we exited Eucalyptus Grove, we went left to get back onto Rancho Loop. If you go right, there is a locked gate.
From Rancho Loop, we took a right onto Cooper Road.
Heading to Live Oak trail, we crossed a small bridge.
Don’t forget to pay attention to all the amazing native wildflowers along the way! (White Globe Lily here.)
We skipped Acorn Point, to the right. We headed to the left.
Beautiful panoramic views of the valley.
A short ways along Acorn Trail, we took a sharp right onto Live Oak Trail.
I knew we were supposed to take a trail to the right and this is the first one we encountered. Don’t go here.
This is the right one! Took a right here to the Live Oak trail loop.
A little ways past this sign…
…we took a right.
We walked through chaparral that had so many different species!
Here are some of the chaparral plants
Wood Fern 
Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus) 
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) 
Fuchsiaflower Gooseberry (Ribes speciosum) 
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) 
Forest Scurfpea (Rupertia physodes) 
California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica)
I was a little horrified by some huge French Broom that were filled with seed pods. YIKES!
Still on the Live Oak trail. You might not be able to tell, but the section ahead is very steep. Be aware and be careful!
We stopped and took a break with some water and treats.
Headed off the Live Oak trail, onto the Orchard trail to the left.
We headed to the right, towards Lupine Loop.
More French Broom getting ready to conquer the world!
Remember to stop and admire the beauty!
Open savannah currently occupied with lupine. But we’ll check back at another time of the year.
Back to the car, we stopped for a peak at the Carmel River from the bridge.
