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.

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

A little hidden gem in HMB - it was recommended to me by a friend years ago and now it's my go-to…read morespot. I often take friends and family here when they visit the Bay Area because it feels like a secret private beach. There's a small parking lot that I've never had issues with, fits maybe 10 cars but again - never had any issue securing a spot and I typically visit right before sunset which I imagine is one of the peak hours. There's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the beach but there's a well worn path with fences on either side making it easy to walk down. It takes maybe 8-10 minutes (depending on how fast of a walker you are) to get to the beach/cliffside from parking so be prepared especially if you've got young children or gear (picnic fixins, chairs etc.). The stairs down from the cliff to the beach are relatively well maintained, I've gone many times over the years and I find they've kept up well. With small children you may have to be prepared for a slow walk or to pick them up and escort them down yourself as it can be steep. Once on the beach there is plenty of space for all to enjoy. We never have any issues finding an open spot for our picnic blankets to enjoy the sunset.

This is a nice, quiet family beach. We didn't actually go to the beach this time, but instead took…read morea leisurely hike along the coastal trail. The hike is so beautiful anytime of the year. At the beginning of summer, there are plenty of wildflowers, and you can't beat the cliff views. You'll probably run into a few rabbits and little critters, and the hike is calming and relaxing. This is a great place to enjoy some chill time.

It's a great view if you can make it down here…read more I've been to this location several times. When planning your trip here, make sure to check the weather before hand and not only look for sun and temperature, but also look for wind speed and direction as well. (Twice now we've come down here and been whipped around a bit much.)

Parking lot cost $10. There was plenty of parking when we got there around 10:45 on a Saturday…read moreAugust. It looks like a park ranger was cleaning the bathroom. It wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, the path down to the beach is blocked by knee deep stagnant green water. We use the trail to walk to the dunes beach and went down to dunes beach path instead

Stunning views of the Pacific…read more Honestly y'all, I was having a bad day. So I dropped everything and drove as far out to the coast as I could. And after the long drive I was grateful to find decent porta-potties in the Poplar Beach parking lot! The way down to the beach was quite steep, so I decided to stroll along the elevated Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail instead. I found some of the most majestic views I've seen in Nor-Cal. This is a great place to wander and remember to breathe. After a few hours here, I was sure that whatever troubles I had could never outspan the ocean.

This seems to be the best beach in Half Moon Bay. There is even a small parking lot. I was there on…read morea Saturday around 12. But the parking lot was full. Fortunately I was able to find space on road side. Horses are allowed in the beach. So there is horse shit too. Beach was beautiful and peaceful. There is a walking trail, that starts from the beach as well.

Such a lovely beach!! Nice, clean sand. Easy to get to. Lots of parking! The water for cleaning off…read moreyour hands/feed was broken by the bathroom though, but that's okay! We saw a whale while we were here!! That was awesome!!

I love the beaches in Half Moon Bay especially in the summer when the rest of the Bay is sweltering…read moreHMB is nice and cool. I love spending the day here listening to the waves and taking walks along the water.

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.

We parked at the free public lot here and walked down to the beach. The beach was pretty empty and…read moredog friendly. We then walked along the Coastal trail. The walk parallels the Ritz Carltons golf course. The views and fresh air were excellent. The Ritz Carlton offers free public seating and restroom access to people walking along the trail. The trail s paved and makes it easy for those who might be mobility impaired.

Beautiful lookout and path down to the beach. There are bathrooms at the top, along with a few…read morepicnic tables. Be careful coming here at night for the sunset, lots of people trying to also come and see the gorgeous view

Such a beautiful place to exist. Miramar Beach is so spacious and vast, when I settled on a rock on…read moreseparate occasions I felt like I was the only one. No one else was around me even with the presence of others in the distance. During the evening, a pair passed me. Other than that, I existed solely. The sound of waves as the water cascades on shore, the song of the birds squawking at another, the dance of the wind on the ears drowns out all else. This was true during my early morning, midday and evening walks across the beach's shore. The sand of Miramar Beach was pristine. With the number of people visiting and enjoying, there was no litter or dog poop to be seen. I found solitude, serenity, peace here. People seem to stick to themselves, not much pleasantries were exchanged. In this space, I was satisfied with such. Here I only existed in the moment, there was nowhere else I wanted to

We came to beat the heat in the east bay, so we headed to Half Moon Bay. First we had lunch at…read moreMiramar and then went across to the beach. Originally our plan was to take a nice relaxing stroll after lunch. However we could tell this seal was in distress. At the time we first arrived there was only 1 volunteer from the Mammal center there to keep an eye on the seal and do crowd control. This area is an off leash dog area. However, this does not apply when it comes to safety. It was amazing how many people weren't paying attention at all, or who wanted to get right up in the seals face for selfies. We stayed the whole time to watch the rescue. It took awhile since there wasn't a place on this beach for the rescue truck to get down to the sand. Parking can be hard if you come later in the day or on the weekends. Lovely place to walk and enjoy nature

This is my go to spot to get away from the heat of Silicon Valley and/or to let my dog enjoy the…read morebeach. There is an amazing ridge trail along the top of the cliffs that runs all the way down to the state beach, and beyond. Even during high tide I believe it is quite possibly the longest stretch of walkable beach in the area. Even on "busy "days you'll find plenty of space to do your own thing. We have only run to friendly dogs and no one seems to care that they are off leash and living their best lives.

Talk about a great day at the beach with pals! My friends and I ventured up to Half Moon Bay on a…read moreSaturday afternoon for a beach escape. I recommend driving through Woodside, despite it being a longer route, as the views along the way were stellar. Once you arrive, there's a sandy road leading to a parking lot. The parking lot was mainly full, so we had to park on the side of the road and walk the distance to the parking lot. The parking lot has some horses next to it. It can be a bit confusing once you get to the parking lot.If you want to stand above a cliff and look down, then being at the parking lot is perfect for you. But, if you would like to feel the sand beneath your toes or hop in the ocean for a dip, be ready for a trek down a large cliff. It did feel very scary, intimidating, and dangerous - especially since my friends were carrying large bags down - but it's a necessary evil journey down to enjoy the beach in its full glory. I do not recommend wearing flip flops if you're planning on going down to the beach, as it can be easy to slip down the cliff. I also wouldn't recommend going down if it was raining, as it can be very slippery due the large incline and pure height of the cliff. The beach is really long and was relatively empty when we had climbed down. There aren't any benches to sit on, so bring some seats or blankets to enjoy the view. The water is very cold, like many NorCal beaches, and there weren't any people swimming in it. Despite it turning gloomy, the views from the actual beach were beautiful, and in my opinion, worth the hike down. Also, like other beaches in NorCal, there was a windy breeze so bring a layer! We stayed until dark since we wanted to watch the sunset. If you thought it was hard going down, imagine scaling the cliff, carrying our own bags and trash bags, and in the dark. We had to use our phone flashlights to light the way, as there was no lighting around the beach or any of the cliffs other than some near the parking lot. I recommend just watching the sunset from the top to be safe. Overall, if you're okay with hiking down a cliff to access a beach, or even just admiring the view from the parking lot, Redondo Beach is a viable option for you. It's a bit hard to access and dark at night, but we thought it was totally worth it for the view, beach vibe, and good times with friends. We'll be back for another outing!

We loved our visit to Moss Beach! We enjoy Sunday drives to different beaches and this was an…read moreexcellent choice. Within this area, we also checked out the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. There's a small free parking lot here as well. If you have to use the bathroom, it's well maintained and clean. We enjoy the coastal beaches. It's beautiful and serene. It's even more relaxing to hear the waves with a sunset or sunrise. I still enjoy a foggy morning with a good cup of coffee. It's a nice walk to enjoy mother nature. If you enjoy animals, the seals are fun to watch! Lots of birds flying around, too.

Moss Prevention A…read morethree-mile stretch of beach located in the eponymous census-designated place of Moss Beach that features typical amazing California coastal views and clifftops. The Good: * Free to visit. * Small parking lot. * Restrooms in the parking lot. * The main reason people come here is for the amazing tidepooling at the J.V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, which is a tidal reef ecosystem that one can explore during low tide. * The Cypress Grove at the top is a fun place for photos. The Meh: * A fairly tall staircase is required to access the beach area, and if you cannot handle a few flights, then it is best to skip this place; it is definitely not ADA compliant. * As far as beaches go, if it were not for the tidepooling, I doubt I would ever come here for the beach itself. It is small and not really noteworthy, especially since you have to schlep your stuff down that huge flight of stairs. The Ugly: * The parking lot is not that large and fills up very quickly, especially during the summer months. There is neighborhood street parking available, but I would personally prefer not to bother the neighbors. Conclusion: Come for the exploration and not much else.