Kahn Ranch is a separate entrance from the main Garland Ranch Regional Park, and requires a permit to enter. To obtain a permit, please see https://www.mprpd.org/access-permit-application-kahn-ranch

The entrance road crosses private land, and thus you must have a permit to enter. There a limited number of vehicles allowed per day.  There is employee housing at this site, thus the parking lot is checked regularly, so please do not enter without a permit. 

Winter and Spring are the best time to visit:  the small streams should have water which will sustain the residents and bring in the migrants.  Carmel Valley gets quite hot in the summer and no eBird reports were found from the fall. 

Kahn Ranch has a very nice and extensive riparian habitat.  Birders can walk near small streams bordered by sycamore, California buckeye, cottonwoods, willows, and live oaks.  Blackberry bushes abound around the stream banks.  Spring should be a fine time for warblers and other migrants. The mixed-oak woodland residents, including a variety of woodpeckers, should be heard and seen.  Both Mountain and California Quail have been spotted. 

Because this unit of Garland Ranch Regional Park crosses private land and requires a permit, the general information on "About Garland Ranch Regional Park" does not apply to this stand-alone Hotspot. Please do not use the general "Garland Ranch Regional Park" Hotspot for visits to this "permit-only" property. The information on Garland Ranch is a useful summary about the overall park, but none of the access details, nor the hours of operation, apply to this Hotspot.

As of January 2024, portions of the private dirt road are very worn.  Just be careful if you plan to travel when it is raining. 

Garland Ranch Regional Park contains over 3400 acres that were formerly a ranch. The park is now owned and administered by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. The main entrance at 700 West Carmel Valley Road has a very large parking lot with a walk to a Visitor Center and restroom facilities. A vehicle bridge (for official vehicles only) crosses the Carmel River and is available to pedestrians and cyclists year-round. A small footbridge crosses the river during the summer and fall when the water level is low. The park has a variety of habitats including riparian, meadow, mixed oak woodland, and redwood canyon. The park is multi-use: birders will share the trails with hikers, equestrians, and is dog-friendly (defined as "on leash or within direct voice control;" some park users will stretch this definition). Bicycling is only allowed in a small portion of the park.

The main units of Garland Ranch Regional Park are open dawn to dusk. There are a variety of entrances and various eBird Hotspots, including a "general" Hotspot and a variety of sub-locations that generally feature specific trails. [The is also a stand-alone Hotspot for the newly-acquired, permit-only Kahn Ranch unit.] Elevations with the primary Garland Ranch Regional Park vary from 200 to 2000 feet [60--600m] elevation. The park stretches from the banks of the Carmel River southwards into the Santa Lucia Mountains foothills. Garzas Creek bisects the Park, often flowing through densely wooded habitats.

Fern Falls Trail:  a short walk from the parking lot along a stream bed.  The falls drain a small watershed, but the area stays moist into the spring. 

From Fern Falls walk along the Hitchcock Trail which follows the riparian habitat and the stream bed for nearly a mile.  The trail , which is mostly a leaf-covered fire road, rises gradually.  With luck you will find a mixed flock to keep you busy. 

The Hitchcock and Manzanita Trails climb the ridge and make a nice loop.  Great for a hike with nice views once you have birded the lower portions.  Oak woodland changes to chaparral