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17-Mile Drive — The checkable facts
Quick answer
17-Mile Drive is a private toll road through Pebble Beach, California, owned by Pebble Beach Company. Admission is $12.50 per vehicle in 2026, refunded with a $35 purchase at a resort restaurant; tour buses pay $6 per passenger. Motorcycles are prohibited. Cyclists and walkers enter free. Five gates serve the 17-mile loop, open sunrise to sunset, and it draws over 1.5 million visitors a year.
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| Admission is $12.50 per vehicle, $6 per tour-bus passenger, refunded with a $35 restaurant purchase | Pebble Beach Company — Scenic 17-Mile Drive |
| Motorcycles are prohibited and the gates open sunrise to sunset | Pebble Beach Company — Scenic 17-Mile Drive |
| More than 1.5 million visitors pass through each year and the route is exactly 17 miles | Pebble Beach Company — Scenic 17-Mile Drive |
| The drive opened in 1881 as a carriage excursion for Hotel Del Monte guests | Pebble Beach Company — A Tour of the 17 Stops on 17-Mile Drive |
| Stone wall 1941, support cables 1948, fence 1969, arson attempt 1984, limb lost 16 February 2019 | Wikipedia — Lone Cypress |
| The Lone Cypress seeded around 1750; the oldest Monterey cypress aged from physical evidence lived 284 years | Los Angeles Times — Lone Cypress Poses Proudly for Generations |
| Signs warn that commercial photographs or art renderings need written permission; the company enforces by cease-and-desist letter and no reported case has tested the claim | Monterey County Weekly — Pebble Beach Co. tells artists they can't sell their pictures of the Lone Cypress |
| Images of the tree appeared on company documents from 1919; the mark was registered in May 1990 | Monterey County Weekly — Pebble Beach Co. tells artists they can't sell their pictures of the Lone Cypress |
| Terry Francke, general counsel of the California First Amendment Coalition in Sacramento: claiming the plant itself is "arrogating to a corporation what only God can do" | Monterey County Weekly — Pebble Beach Co. tells artists they can't sell their pictures of the Lone Cypress |
| Cypress Point Club left the PGA Tour rotation after 1990 rather than admit a non-white member | The New York Times — Cypress Point Drops PGA Tour Event Instead of Changing Its Rules |
| Pebble Beach Golf Links opened 22 February 1919, designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant | Wikipedia — Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| Crocker Grove is a 13-acre preserve named for Charles Crocker | LINKS Magazine — 100 Years of Pebble Beach: 17-Mile Drive |
Frequently asked
How much does it cost to drive 17-Mile Drive?
The gate charges $12.50 per vehicle as of 2026, and tour buses pay $6 for every passenger. Overnight guests of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, The Inn at Spanish Bay and Casa Palmero get in at no charge. Anyone who spends $35 or more at a Pebble Beach Resorts restaurant, other than Pebble Beach Market, has the gate fee refunded.
Why are motorcycles banned on 17-Mile Drive?
Because the owner says so. This is a private road inside a gated residential community, and Pebble Beach Company sets the rules rather than a state or county highway agency. Its published terms prohibit motorcycles outright. Bicycles are the opposite case: riders are welcome and pay nothing at any of the five gates.
Can you photograph the Lone Cypress?
For yourself, yes. Pebble Beach Company registered a drawing of the tree as its mark and has warned for decades that commercial or promotional images need written permission, backing that up with cease-and-desist letters to painters and photographers. No reported case has tested the claim, and outside attorneys have questioned whether anyone can own a living tree.
Can you play Pebble Beach Golf Links without knowing a member?
Yes, because it is a public course, which is how it became the first public venue selected for a U.S. Open in 1972. Green fees rank among the highest in the world and tee times are generally tied to a resort stay. Cypress Point Club, a few hundred yards away, admits only members and their guests.
How long does 17-Mile Drive take?
The road covers 17 miles and Pebble Beach Company marks 17 official stops along it, running from Shepherd's Knoll to Ford Meadow. Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset. Anyone pulling over at the coastal turnouts should plan on a couple of hours, and the refund rule makes a resort meal worth the extra time.
Sources
- Pebble Beach Company — Scenic 17-Mile Drive
- Pebble Beach Company — A Tour of the 17 Stops on 17-Mile Drive
- Wikipedia — 17-Mile Drive
- Wikipedia — Lone Cypress
- Los Angeles Times — Lone Cypress Poses Proudly for Generations
- Monterey County Weekly — Pebble Beach Co. tells artists they can't sell their pictures of the Lone Cypress
- The New York Times — Cypress Point Drops PGA Tour Event Instead of Changing Its Rules
- Wikipedia — Pebble Beach Golf Links
- Wikipedia — Cypress Point Club
- LINKS Magazine — 100 Years of Pebble Beach: 17-Mile Drive
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