This beach is the closest to our hotel. It's beautiful. It's so tranquil. The weather was perfect…read more The beach was extremely clean. There are trails all over the upper part of the beach. If you haven't check out this beach you must.

I love the beaches in Half Moon Bay. When the rest of the bay including Santa Cruz is sweltering,…read morethe beaches here are nice and cool. This is right by the Venice beach which is our go to but this has a nicer approach (i.e. not a dirt road), plenty of parking and easy access to the beach.

This is a hidden and secluded beach at Pillar Point, not easily accessible. In fact google maps…read morewill lead you to a cliff if you input walking directions, since there's no easy way to get there. There are two ways to access the trails leading here, either from the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve side, or from the Pillar Point Parking Lot which is where I hiked from this past weekend during my recent visit. It's easy to mistakenly take the coastal access trail from this lot, which actually leads to Mavericks Beach. To find Ross Cove, you'll have to walk toward the Pillar Point Airforce Station (golf ball looking structure) as the beach is right underneath this. I hiked a bit along the trail toward Pillar Point Bluff, and discovered a steep and rocky dirt path leading to the sandy oasis below (it reminded me of Davenport Beach, but without the safety rope). It was gratifying and I enjoyed exploring the area, with scenic views and crashing waves on this cool spring day with the clouds making way for some sunshine by the afternoon. FYI, parking is extremely limited on this side and they appear to be strict about not parking on the road, so that's one downside. There are porta potties available at this parking lot though, so that's a plus.

Daaaayum! I think I've just hit the jackpot. This beach right here is truly breathtaking. The most…read morebeautiful beach that I've been to in the HMB area and one of my new favorites! Stunning, stunning, stunning! What I initially thought wasn't accessible was actually just hiding beneath the bluffs. You want secluded?! Oooh, you'll get that here! I really think that most people don't know that this beach even exists. And even after I post this review, I'm pretty sure that it's gonna stay this way for a long time. This beach is accessible by way of the Pillar Point Bluffs Trail. The parking lot is tiny and there isn't street parking for almost a mile out, so this is probably another reason why it isn't crowded. There's a dirt trail and a paved road that both lead to the stairs down to this beach. The problem is, you won't even see the stairs leading down unless you're really looking for it. From the trailhead, it looks like the beach is far away and inaccessible, but it actually is. There's a steep downhill and then some steep stairs to get down here. But once you make it down there, it is so damn magical. When I first made it down here, there was absolutely no one else there. Not a damn soul. I was shocked but happy. Blinded by the beauty of the white waves and the coastal views of the land's end. The perfect friggin' beach and all mine in that very moment. It was so serene. Picture perfect. I didn't wanna leave but I did anyways, knowing that I'd be back. When I came back the second time, there were a few other groups there but that was it. That was all. Since this beach is tucked between Ross Cove, it feels so much warmer and keeps the heavier winds at bay. But, you still get that nice ocean breeze. Ended up staying for the sunset and it was everything that I imagined it to be. Peaceful. Calming. Beautiful. Just everything. The perfect beach, ladies and gents! I have nothing to complain about. Fell in love instantly and have been dreaming about coming back. And I'll get back there again real soon.

Summer summer summertime!…read more Give me a beach and sun and water and am a happy wife ! Love love love !!! Thank me later !!

I haven't been to a California beach in so long and I forgot how cold it gets even during the…read moresummer! Came on a weekend and you definitely have to wear a parka here. There's a $10 honorary charge for parking your car where you deposit $10 in cash by the bathrooms although the print is so small I'm pretty half the people there didn't notice at all. Dunes Beach also connects to the rest of the Half Moon Bay Beaches including Venice Beach. Here are some of my observations and things that I liked: - I appreciate that there is both a beach area but also this small park area where people can just watch the views without getting sand on themselves. - As you walk further south along the beach, there becomes a split between the areas vertically along the beach. I'm not sure what the technical name is but there's a running water strait between the sand area which is then kind of hard to continue to walk down the beach as you have to cross the water strait. - The wind is crazy and it is COLD, wear a parka - yes, even when it's July. Okay maybe that's too much but at least bring the option of a parka in case you get cold. Overall, great beach. It does get busy on the weekend though but if you decide to cross the strait, which not many people do, you get to a have a semblance of a private beach.

Rock the Goat…read more Smallish beach located inside Sonoma Coast State Park that's known for its eponymous rock formation and for being in the cult classic film "The Goonies." The Good: * Several small parking lots * Picnic tables * Restroom in the parking lot * Free to visit * There's a colony of harbor seals that reside here, and you can see the babies during pupping season from March - August. The Meh: * No dogs allowed at this beach due to the seals. The Ugly: * Not recommended for swimming due to sneaker waves and strong rip currents. * As usual, Yelp's location is absurdly wrong, and the mods are asleep at the wheel. Big shock, eh? If you want to get here, put 9528 Goat Rock Rd, Jenner, CA 95450 into your GPS or just use Google, whose locations are always correct. Conclusion: Nice beach to visit if you're in the area and especially if you like to visit old film locations.

Lots of I interesting rocks an pebbles to be found! Just look down! And keep walking and walking…read more Great for rock enthusiasts. There are some dried up sea life in the sand too like dried sea urchins and hermit crab shells Free parking

Gorgeous beach, it does get busy, parking can be hard, we have been coming to this beach over a few…read moreyears, though haven't been back in the last couple of years, can't wait to come back. Its fun to see a lot of birds there, the water is cold as always, but its a solid beach

This beach is very nice absolutely no garbage any where, beautiful water color for pictures, clean…read morebathrooms, lots of parking close to the water, surfers in the water to watch, great place to take your kids. I have a 1 1/2 year old who loved it! Many shells to pick up in the sand. This place is booming with life. Really beautiful drive to the beach as well.

In Half Moon Bay, not far from where 92 ends at highway one is perhaps the perfect beach. It has…read more Sand Pacific Ocean Seals Whales Birds Waves Surfers and the best part, only 3 ways in and 3 waysout of this particular beach. Once on the beach you have 30 foot cliff that no dog can climb. Most people and dogs are especially nice. People are there to relax, take in the beach and have a good time. For dogs? It's as though my dog levitates! She knows when we're going to the beach. She asks to go every day but that's not possible yet. The best part is that it's not far from home. I say, get to any beach. My family, Trixie and I can't get enough of this beach. Also, every summer, there are a couple of surf camps for kids! Yes, my son attended a bunch of those camps and will for the rest of his life have a love for being in the ocean, riding a surfboard! A few really great restaurants near by too!

Went here the moss beach was a bust. Oh how refreshing it is to come here and see the waves and the…read morepeople with their surfboards. The ocean breeze was refreshing and we got to walk on the pathway . Flowers are abound at the side of the beach. It was windy but not too sunny.

Miramontes Point Beach is located just south of the fancy Ritz Carlton hotel in Half Moon Bay…read more There is a very small parking lot with only about 10 spots. We saw some cars getting ticketed for parking on the red lane and not having a disabled person parking placard. We tried to park at the Ritz Carlton but were unsuccessful but fortunately snagged a spot at the small lot as another car was leaving. There's a small paved trail from the parking lot to the viewpoint and there are also porta-potties. You can then walk along the path closer to the hotel. Just beware that the golf course runs along this whole area so watch out for flying golf balls. Fortunately you can walk onto hotel property to take in the sights and the beautiful architecture of the building. They won't make you feel less-than for not being hotel guests but of course you should be respectful to the area and the people around you. The hotel is a beautiful spectacle in itself as it sits on top of the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. However, along with the ocean views it's flat out amazing. There's just something about looking out into the open water and seeing the waves slowly come in that is just so peaceful. There's a small beach down the stairs from the viewpoint where you can relax and take advantage of the water. This area is a wonderful place to watch the sunset if you're able to get one of the few parking spots.

This is one of my favorite go to beach in Half Moon Bay. Parking can be a challenge, but if you…read moredon't mind walking for a bit, you can find parking a bit down further about half a mile walk. My husband and I spent two hours here this afternoon. It wasn't too cold or too hot and no rain. Perfect weather for the beach. I love the sound of the waves! Great view and love the scenery!

AMAZING tide pools during super low tide. I got a fishing license to go Sea Urchin hunting with a…read morefriend and I followed his lead to come here. The low tides happen once every couple months and when they happen it gets packed. We came around 2 and began the day hunting for eels at the Jetty. My friend made home made eel catching poles and we baited them with squid, we had no catches during our time here but we saw people using raw chicken to successfully catch some crabs Super low tide was around 6:30 and I highly advise waterproof pant or coveralls if you are going to be hunting. Purple sea urchins have exploded in population and I think with a license you can get 35 per day. They are jammed into holes in the rock and are small, very painful to find, and pulling them out of the cavities and we broke a knife and tongs. The best tool ended up being a spoon we brought to eat Uni on toast. We spent hours digging out maybe 20 small sea urchins total and then I spent another hour at home opening and cleaning them. They were delicious on sourdough and they were so time consuming to find and clean I can see why they cost so much at the grocery store. Tips for sea urchin, you will break some shells trying to pull them out so bring fresh water to rinse them before eating or it'll be super salty. They melt very quickly and you'll want something like ice water or water with alum if you want to make them "solid" like they are in restaurants.

Beaches like these just make my little heart sing! Beautiful waves, soft sand, and picturesque…read moreviews. Now this is what I'm talking about! I visited Maverick's Beach during the early morning hours in the off season, so there were practically no surfers or people in sight. But, I can totally see why this is a surfer's dream beach. Those waves are something serious! The short trail that leads out to the beach is so gorgeous! The coastal views are so insane and it's a nice little trek too. Seems to be popular with the dog walkers and local fishermen. It's not a huge beach but there's still plenty of room to move around. I can only imagine how popular this spot is during the dead of summer. Parking is limited to one lot that is shared with access to the Pillar Point Bluff trail. I walked here from Johnson Pier which was actually quite a trek but super enjoyable nonetheless. Plus, I didn't have to worry about struggle parking. There's also a gorgeous jetty that you can walk down to spy on the waves and wildlife. Such a lovely little beach! Definitely a favorite of mine in the HMB area.