A nice stretch of riparian habitat exists along the north side of Carmel Valley Road from the intersection of Cachagua Road (about milepost 16) and for the next mile. This habitat is along Tularicitos Creek, and exists for roadside birding from a bridge crossing just west of the road intersection and then until another bridge about two miles east. There are dirt pull-outs at each roadway bridge, and a couple along the north side of the road between the bridges. It is best to be here early, as Carmel Valley Road gets quite busy, and particularly so on weekends and holidays. So you caution as the cars go by fast. This site is best known from birding in the spring (April-June) but has potential in fall migration also.

All the land is privately owned on either side of the road, so roadside birding is limited to pull-outs only.

The usual set of riparian obligate resident birds are present, including Band-tailed Pigeon, Brown Creeper  and Steller's Jay (adjacent pines), but the Hotspot is better known for migrant or breeding warblers, vireos, and flycatchers in spring and summer, including Wilson's Warbler (common), MacGillivray's Warbler (scarce), and sometimes Yellow-breasted Chat (now rare here). Singing vagrant passerines have occurred in spring, including Northern Parula and Indigo Bunting (both rare).