Traffic can get gnarly during Monterey Car Week as over 100,000 visitors are expected to descend on the region during the 10-day festival starting Aug. 7.

With more than 35 automotive events taking place across the region in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Sand City and Seaside, planning ahead is crucial.

To help locals and visitors stay ahead of the traffic, Monterey County offers a free online traffic tracker and a dedicated text line for public safety alerts during car week.

Located at Monterey Car Week 2026, the daily tracker includes a map legend that shows exactly what's going on each day of the event as well as a Monterey Car Week event schedule. New this year, users can click on a Car Week event, except private ones, and get driving directions through your own navigation system, whether that is Waze or Google or Apple Maps.

The tracker shows traffic closures, including dates and times and has links to traffic web cams.

Powered by data from Caltrans and the county public works department, the mobile-friendly online tool offers live traffic updates and real-time road closures.

People can also text "CARWEEK" to 65513 for Public Safety texts during Monterey Car Week.

The MST Trolley will run throughout car week (Aug. 7-16) along downtown Monterey, Old Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There is free parking and shuttle pickup/drop-off at Larsen Field on Rio Road in Carmel for Concours for a Cause on Aug. 12, and for Carmel Concours on Aug. 13. Shuttle runs every 10 min. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Free parking and shuttle pickup and drop-off is available at the corner of General Jim Moore Blvd and Eucalyptus Road in Seaside for Exotics on Broadway in Seaside on Aug 15. Shuttles run all day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shuttles will be available for attendees of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance at Carmel Plaza (Ocean Ave. between Junipero and Mission) in Carmel-by-the-Sea on Aug. 16. Shuttle runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets $40/person.

Just in time for car week, no parking signs are being installed at Bixby Bridge near Big Sur. The parking ordinance becomes active and enforceable once signs are fully placed.

Since State Route 1 was fully reopened earlier this year, the iconic spot has become overrun with visitors, creating traffic jams and generally unsafe conditions.

More: Bixby Bridge parking ban aims to boost safety at iconic Big Sur landmark

Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Morro Bay: This Highway 1 stretch has been called one of the country’s great romantic road trips. Dramatic cliffs, ocean vistas, and beach towns (Big Sur, Cambria, Cayucos) embody the Central Coast’s summer scenery. Learn more: Ultimate Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide
Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Morro Bay: This Highway 1 stretch has been called one of the country’s great romantic road trips. Dramatic cliffs, ocean vistas, and beach towns (Big Sur, Cambria, Cayucos) embody the Central Coast’s summer scenery. Learn more: Ultimate Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide
Big Sur coastline (including McWay Falls & Pfeiffer Beach): Big Sur’s wild landscape and iconic spots like McWay Falls and Pfeiffer Beach offer turquoise coves, waterfalls, and sunset cliffs that are especially photogenic in summer. Use caution near the surf as the waves can surge. Learn more: Plan Your Getaway to Big Sur
Big Sur coastline (including McWay Falls & Pfeiffer Beach): Big Sur’s wild landscape and iconic spots like McWay Falls and Pfeiffer Beach offer turquoise coves, waterfalls, and sunset cliffs that are especially photogenic in summer. Use caution near the surf as the waves can surge. Learn more: Plan Your Getaway to Big Sur
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (Monterey County): Regional guides consistently cite Point Lobos as one of the most beautiful coastal nature areas near Monterey, with coves, cypress trees, and wildlife viewing. Summer brings clear hiking conditions and excellent ocean views, while the marine reserve status helps keep the scenery pristine. Learn more: About Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (Monterey County): Regional guides consistently cite Point Lobos as one of the most beautiful coastal nature areas near Monterey, with coves, cypress trees, and wildlife viewing. Summer brings clear hiking conditions and excellent ocean views, while the marine reserve status helps keep the scenery pristine. Learn more: About Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
17‑Mile Drive & Pebble Beach (Monterey County): 17‑Mile Drive is widely described as one of the world’s most scenic drives, with viewpoints like Spanish Bay, Bird Rock, and the Lone Cypress. Pebble Beach is a standout destination, combining coastal bluffs with famous fairways overlooking the Pacific. Learn more: 17 Mile Drive
17‑Mile Drive & Pebble Beach (Monterey County): 17‑Mile Drive is widely described as one of the world’s most scenic drives, with viewpoints like Spanish Bay, Bird Rock, and the Lone Cypress. Pebble Beach is a standout destination, combining coastal bluffs with famous fairways overlooking the Pacific. Learn more: 17 Mile Drive
Monterey Bay and whale‑watching cruises: Monterey Bay, home of Whalefest, is a top place to see humpback whales and other marine life in summer migrations. On-the-bay vistas, especially from whale‑watching boats or the shoreline near Cannery Row, offer expansive views of the bay and marine wildlife. Learn more: Monterey whale watching
Monterey Bay and whale‑watching cruises: Monterey Bay, home of Whalefest, is a top place to see humpback whales and other marine life in summer migrations. On-the-bay vistas, especially from whale‑watching boats or the shoreline near Cannery Row, offer expansive views of the bay and marine wildlife. Learn more: Monterey whale watching
Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay views from the Boardwalk: Visitors on Santa Cruz’s historic Boardwalk roller coaster get commanding views over Monterey Bay, capturing the bay’s curve and coastal hills. Summer adds classic beach-town atmosphere—sun, surf, and long daylight—making the bay panoramas from Santa Cruz especially striking. Learn more: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay views from the Boardwalk: Visitors on Santa Cruz’s historic Boardwalk roller coaster get commanding views over Monterey Bay, capturing the bay’s curve and coastal hills. Summer adds classic beach-town atmosphere—sun, surf, and long daylight—making the bay panoramas from Santa Cruz especially striking. Learn more: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea and Carmel Beach (Monterey County): Carmel Beach’s soft white sand, blue water and stunning sunsets, plus the town’s storybook architecture and art galleries, make this one of California’s most iconic Central Coast stops. Carmel also serves as a gateway to marquee Northern California coastal attractions like Monterey and Santa Cruz. Learn more: Discover a Storybook Kind of Place
Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea and Carmel Beach (Monterey County): Carmel Beach’s soft white sand, blue water and stunning sunsets, plus the town’s storybook architecture and art galleries, make this one of California’s most iconic Central Coast stops. Carmel also serves as a gateway to marquee Northern California coastal attractions like Monterey and Santa Cruz. Learn more: Discover a Storybook Kind of Place
Marina State Beach and Lovers Point (Monterey County): Monterey County summer features highlight Marina State Beach and Lovers Point as places to “beat the heat” with cool ocean breezes and broad coastal views. These spots are ideal for summer picnics, tide‑pooling, or simply watching the waves along the Monterey Bay shoreline. Learn more: Marina State Beach
Marina State Beach and Lovers Point (Monterey County): Monterey County summer features highlight Marina State Beach and Lovers Point as places to “beat the heat” with cool ocean breezes and broad coastal views. These spots are ideal for summer picnics, tide‑pooling, or simply watching the waves along the Monterey Bay shoreline. Learn more: Marina State Beach
Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row waterfront: The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the Central Coast’s marquee attractions, paired with the historic Cannery Row waterfront. From the Aquarium’s decks and Cannery Row’s paths you get panoramic bay views, with sea otters and seabirds often visible right offshore. Learn more: Welcome to Cannery Row
Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row waterfront: The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the Central Coast’s marquee attractions, paired with the historic Cannery Row waterfront. From the Aquarium’s decks and Cannery Row’s paths you get panoramic bay views, with sea otters and seabirds often visible right offshore. Learn more: Welcome to Cannery Row
Central Coast towns south of Big Sur: Cambria, Cayucos, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo: Road‑trippers along the Central Coast call out Cambria, Cayucos and Pismo Beach for their quiet beaches and coastal bluffs, and San Luis Obispo for its scenic inland hills and missions. Combined with the Monterey-Morro Bay PCH segment, these towns round out a classic summer coastal landscape. Learn more: Places to visit
Central Coast towns south of Big Sur: Cambria, Cayucos, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo: Road‑trippers along the Central Coast call out Cambria, Cayucos and Pismo Beach for their quiet beaches and coastal bluffs, and San Luis Obispo for its scenic inland hills and missions. Combined with the Monterey-Morro Bay PCH segment, these towns round out a classic summer coastal landscape. Learn more: Places to visit

Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Morro Bay: This Highway 1 stretch has been called one of the country’s great romantic road trips. Dramatic cliffs, ocean vistas, and beach towns (Big Sur, Cambria, Cayucos) embody the Central Coast’s summer scenery. Learn more: Ultimate Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide

Due to heavy traffic congestion during last year's event, traffic along scenic 17-Mile Drive will be restricted at Pebble Beach from Aug. 13-16.

Only those attending Pebble Beach Concours events, hotel guests, members, pass-holders and residents will be permitted. Diners at Pebble Beach restaurants are recommended to make reservations ahead of time.

This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: How to get around during Monterey Car Week