Huckleberry Hill, Pebble Beach, CA

Huckleberry Hill is the high ground in Pebble Beach's Del Monte Forest, and the preserve that shares its name is how most people on the Monterey Peninsula know it. The preserve covers the crest, and the homes of Huckleberry Hill sit on the slopes below, among pines and chaparral. The hike is the main event. From the Monterey side, a loop of about two miles starts up a wooden staircase of roughly 180 steps near Veterans Memorial Park, gains around 300 feet, then follows wide trails and a rocky scenic path through Monterey pine and chaparral. In spring, monkey flower, Douglas iris and manzanita bloom along the way, and the endangered Yadon's piperia orchid can turn up. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the trail is steep enough that most people stop to look back at least once. Houses tuck into the hillside on winding roads, with the trees doing most of the screening. The slope and the curves set this area apart from the flatter, fairway-lined streets lower in the Forest, and lots tend to follow the contour of the hill instead of a grid. Food is closer on the Monterey side than at the resorts. Sarita's The Original serves Mexican plates, and Layers has been making celebration cakes in Monterey since 1989, now out of its Soledad Drive bakery. In Pacific Grove, Patisserie Bechler on Forest Avenue is the pastry stop, and the Safeway on Forest Avenue handles groceries. Highway 68 and Highway 1 are the two ways down off the hill. Because of the slopes, every errand starts with a drive, and the roads are narrower than the ones near the Lodge. Up top the pines open for a moment and the whole arc of the golf links, Spanish Bay and Pacific Grove shows at once, with open Pacific beyond.