Soledad

Soledad is a city in Monterey County in the Central Coast region of California. It's located in the Salinas Valley, 25 miles south of Salinas. The town is home to one of the 21 Spanish missions found throughout the state and is the gateway to Pinnacles National Park, which is located ten miles east of town.

Get in

Get around

See

• 🌍 Mission Soledad, 36641 Fort Romie Rd (Across the Salinas River from the town of Soledad. US-101 x 301 (Arroyo Seco Road), 1 mile to Fort Romie Road, right, then 1.5 miles to the mission), ☎ [phone]. 10AM-4PM daily, except major holidays. The 13th California mission, founded by Fermin Lasuen in 1791. Burial place of José Joaquín de Arrillaga, first Spanish governor of Alta California. The mission was inundated by floods, and following secularization, the remaining buildings were looted for supplies. It was reconstructed in 1955 and today serves as museum and Catholic parish. 

Do

There are several wineries in the area (see #Wineries), making wine tasting a popular activity.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Bars

• Soledad Bowl-Bar & Grill, 195 Monterey, ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Watering Trough, 235 West St, ☎ [phone]. A dive bar featuring "Thirsty Thursdays". (updated Nov 2015)

Wineries

• 🌍 Hahn Family Wines, 37700 Foothill Rd, ☎ [phone]. Daily 11AM-5PM. A winery with an excellent view; visitors are encouraged to bring picnics and enjoy the scenery. A walking tour of the winery is offered daily at noon for $25. (updated Nov 2015)
• 🌍 Wrath Wines, 35801 Foothill Rd, ☎ [phone]. Fr-Mo: 11AM-5PM. The tasting room offers views over the Santa Lucia Highlands and the Salinas Valley. (updated Nov 2015)

Sleep

• Best Western Valley Harvest Inn, 1155 Front St, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. 

Go next

• Pinnacles National Park - Ten miles east of Soledad, rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement. Hiking through the impressive rock formations is the primary recreational opportunity, although bird watchers will enjoy the possibility of seeing the highly endangered California condor.
• Salinas - Located 26 miles northwest of Soledad, fans of Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck will want to visit the National Steinbeck Center and soak in the sights that were the inspiration for much of the author's work. The historic downtown dates back to the town's founding in the mid-1800s, while the surrounding countryside is filled with vineyards and both floral and vegetable cultivation. Events include the California Rodeo, which is held during the third week of July.
• King City - King city is located 21 miles south of Soledad on Highway 101. While the town might just be a place to spend the night while driving along Highway 101 for most travelers, those who visit in early May can attend the Salinas Valley Fair, an event which offers a rodeo, livestock competitions, and a chance to experience the agricultural character of the area. The town is also home to the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum, which offers a history of the area's agricultural development and the opportunity to tour a historic school house and rail depot.

Routes through Soledad

San Jose ← Salinas ←	N  S	→ Jct W → King City → San Luis Obispo
END ←	W  E	→ Pinnacles N.P. → END