The lakes on the map are private property. Only locals have access to them. Calera Canyon is narrow and winding with few safe turnouts. One can park at the very end of the road and walk the area.

The beautiful valley between Monterey and Salinas, granted by Governor Guiterrez to Francisco Figueroa in 1836, inspired Steinbeck’s short stories and California-based novels. John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven, a short story cycle published in 1932, is set in the valley. In their youth, Steinbeck and his sister, Mary, played at the base of Castle Rock, the “fence of earth” giving Corral de Tierra its Spanish name.

The community of Corral de Tierra lies along Highway 68 midway between Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula. State Route (SR) 68 stretches 20 miles between Salinas and Pacific Grove. It is part of the DeAnza Trail, a route that once linked all of California’s mission settlements during the Spanish Colonial era. In the last half century, small neighborhoods have been built in the valleys running off the Monterey-Salinas Highway, and a sense of independent identity and community has formed among the residents in the community of Corral de Tierra, California 93908.

CalTrans had plans to turn SR 68 into a freeway in the 1950s and 1960s, but environmental concerns stopped the expansion.The corner of Corral de Tierra and Highway 68 is 10 miles from the City of Monterey, 7 miles from the City of Salinas, 9.8 miles from the City of Seaside, and 8 miles from the town of Del Rey Oaks. It is in close proximity to many coastal and inland cities.

There is a walking trail on both sides of the road that starts at the long dirt parking pull out. This is where you can see the sign on the east side for Markham Ranch, and on the west side for Patee Ranch. Both of these properties are private. Park and walk south on the trail to the Four Corners intersection. Cross the road and walk north back to the car.