Moving to Monterey County CA - Advice?

Hello MP,

I'll be moving from Ohio to Monterey County CA and haven't officially picked a place within the area to move yet. I was born and raised in San Luis Obispo County, but I I don't know much about the climbing (and mountain biking) scene in Monterey. I have a job in Salinas, but I only work around 14 days per month and most of the people I have spoken with did not recommend living there.

Some things that I value in a living space in no particular order: Proximity to crags/MTB trails/climbing gym, cost, commute to Salinas, and safety. From the little research I've done, doesn't seem like Monterey has much besides Castle Rock & Pinnacles as far as outdoor climbing. Seaside seems like a decent option as well as Watsonville. Either way I would really value the opinion of some locals!

hey man, 

I live in Salinas and work in Monterey. Gym scene use to be awesome in Seaside till it closed in '19. They reopened as a bouldering gym which is a bummer in my opinion. 

If you don't mind the gym situation, all your other items are definitely available and Pinnacles is great. That being said, i'd still suggest closer to santa cruz for the gym scene and great atmosphere in that area. I wish I was closer to Pac Edge myself.

Send me a messege with any more questions.  

Hey Brian, 

It will probably depend on where you can find housing, what you can afford, and what you are looking for (house, apartment, condo…) 

The best access to mountain biking in Monterey county and the only climbing gym are both in Seaside. But like you said, you will be driving for a bit to get to any outdoor climbing.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to get in touch.

-Nick

Pinnacles is the most polarizing climbing destination I know of on the planet. Some people such as myself absolutely love it, but a great many people really hate the climbing there with a passion. 

My advice is to become someone who loves Pinnacles. =p 

Seriously though, spend a day or two cragging out there and do Feather Canyon (I like to call it the Snake Dike of Pinnacles) at least before you decide you hate it. Many of my most memorable climbing days and leads are in that park. It's a rad, special place. 

Castle rock and pinnacles is about it. There’s a small amount of coastal granite routes down in Big Sur, but you could do them all in a day and it’s nothing to write home about. I live in Monterey and while it’s quite safe and nice, rent is high and it’s about an hour drive to west side pinnacles and 1:20 to castle rock. You could maybe consider looking for places in Aptos, I’m not sure what the commute would be to Salinas, but there’s a nice bouldering gym there, better proximity to rope gyms, and closer to castle rock/Tahoe/pinnacles east side. Traffic can definitely be bad though so it may not be worth it.

Hey, check out the pinnacles! Great rock out there

Pinnacles are great, but really a cold weather area.  Hopefully though you can work blocks so you can escape  to the Sierra. 
The coast is nice to visit there a couple times, but being a climber, it blows.

There’s also climbing in the SLO area, like Bishop Peak which in my opinion is an excellent crag! 

My advice is to become someone who loves Pinnacles.

Find a place in Prunedale. You'll be right next to  Salinas, And Pacific edge climbing gym in Santa Cruz will only be like 25 minutes away. Prunedale is like the unknown rural part of Monterey County. Reminds me a lot of my Hometown Mariposa. Monterey's really nice, I've lived here for 16 years pretty much, But there's no scene of any kind. Santa Cruz is where it's at, But fucking expensive I think even worse than Monterey.

Fuck Castle Rock. Bunch of greasy 3 bolt sandstone pebble routes and gnats everywhere.

 Pinnacles is the shit unless you're a wuss.

Adding to the Pinnacles Pile cause I fucking love that place.

Get comfy with the easy routes and short approach on Discovery Wall- you can TR solo if you don’t have partners yet. Once you’re used to the climbing get a little more scared but in a safe way on the sport routes at the beautiful and steep Monolith. Ready for some multipitch? Head on over to the west side and climb Old Original and Costanoan. Scare yourself on the R rated but fantastic Lava Falls on the Balconies. Then when you’re feeling cocky hike over to the high peaks and rescue my anchor from the first pitch of Condor Condiment for me please, I got scared and bailed this spring. Maybe finish the route and become a Pinnacles hero.

I just re-read your post,  OP,  And concerning mountain biking,  And concerning mountain biking, you'll definitely want to situate  Yourself closer to Santa Cruz. Trust me. 

II lived in prundale for a few years, And I absolutely loved the fact that I was only 25 minutes from Pacific edge, An extra 20 minutes closer to  Pinnacles, And the rural vibe. I just didn't like commuting 30 minutes to the harbor and fighting the entire city of Salinas who floods highway one every weekday morning and afternoon doing rush hour. Working in Salinas itself means you won't have to  Deal with any of that.

Now, if you want to live close to bars and nightlife Prunedale ain't it.

Then again, the entire county isn't exactly known for night life.

Monterey: Newly weds, and nearly deads.