Who We Are

Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve is a group of devoted residents committed to conserving and restoring the Mission Trail Nature Preserve to its highest natural condition. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) working in partnership with the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to protect the native trees and remarkable wildlife of the Monterey Peninsula while also providing a serene, forested sanctuary for our neighbors to enjoy walking and spending time in. The City has recognized friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve as an official volunteer support group.

Forty years ago, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea designated the Mission Trail Nature Preserve as a nature park. Later on, the Mission Trail Nature Preserve Master Plan, including a special section concerning the Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden, was developed and adopted as part of the City's General Plan. 

Friends of Mission Trail has been working to ensure that comprehensive implementation of the Master Plan by the City is taking place. We are continually assessing the status of the Preserve and identifying and prioritizing projects that we believe the City should focus on to realize the vision of the Master Plan.

A One-of-a-Kind Preserve 

Mission Trail Nature Preserve is a unique, 34-acre forested park with five official trailheads in the southeastern corner of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The park is a .6-mile wooded canyon created by a seasonal tributary of the Carmel River, a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean. It was acquired by the City of Carmel-by-the Sea in the early 1970s and designated as a ‘nature preserve’ for passive recreational use in 1979. 

It is an ‘Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area’ in the California coastal zone with five distinct ecological habitats:

  • Monterey pine forest

  • Central coast arroyo willow riparian forest

  • Wet meadow

  • Coast Live oak woodland

  • Coastal terrace prairie 

Abundant bird species and other unique wildlife make the preserve an extraordinary place for residents to walk and soak up nature peacefully. The Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden is located within the preserve and offers an attractive place for education, contemplation, and relaxation.

Mission Trail Nature Preserve has the last remaining naturally occurring Monterey pine and Coast Live oak forest within Carmel.