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    Poplar Beach

    4.0 (126 reviews)

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    Sunset
    Ellen H.

    You could go to any beach in Half Moon Bay and be impressed by the views, yet this beach in particular can best show you the exact reason as to why this lovely place is called Half Moon Bay. This beach also has a lot of other great things going for it. There's a nicely paved and easy to walk path on top of the cliff and along the beach that's very kid and dog friendly. The beach is clean and wide, making it possibly one of the best spots around for a beach day with sun bathing and sandle castle building activities. All is easily accessible. There are several picnic tables around. That said, if you're looking to go into the water and especially if you have little ones, be extra careful. The warnings signs posted around here are not being extra cautious. The tides around here are tricky and can easily become dangerous. Always make sure you keep your eyes on the water and don't turn your back to it. So why not 5 stars? Well, they have a great parking lot adjacent to this beach that charges you $10. If you spend the whole day there, what a steal! If you're just parking there to have a 30-min walk however, that walk has now become quite expensive. There should be an option to pay per hour.

    Gabrielle B.

    This is a nice beach in half moon bay and the only beach I've been to in the Bay Area so I really have nothing to compare it to. I like that they have a little walking trail above the beach and the beach itself is large and full of soft sand. I didn't see anyone swimming and the water looked rough, so it seems like more of a place to hang out in the sand. The parking is $10 which seemed a little steep to me.

    Dale S.

    This beach is probably my favorite in Half Moon Bay. There is a designated parking area, which is convenient. Unfortunately, it is also a little sketchy. Half Moon Bay asks you to pay $10 to park here and whether you spend 10 minutes or all day long, you will pay the same price. We were lucky enough to come at a time when someone else was leaving and they were also frustrated by this, so they kindly offered us their spot. You see, you get no ticket or confirmation, other than a digital notification that the spot is "paid" until 12 am, so it is impossible for any parking attendant to know who paid for the space, only that it was paid for. Basically, they sell the same spots over and over throughout the day. There really should be a better way to manage parking. That being said, the parking area provides garbage bins and porta-potties, so those who are willing to pay to park will have what they need. This beach also has convenient access a short walk from the parking area with a set of steps leading down to the beach. It offers benches up top as well as a spot to lock your bicycles. This beach is also dog friendly and allows dogs to be off leash. There was also an ice cream truck that came by the last time we were here. The beach itself is large enough to get away from crowds if you are willing to walk a bit and yet small enough to sit close to the waves without getting out of breath if you are an old lady like me. If you are willing and able to pay the parking fee, it is definitely worth the stop. If not, there are lots of other beaches nearby where you can find street parking and walk over for free.

    J Christian E.

    Great beach for doggies!!! It was pretty clean when I went and there seems to be a nice trail to walk if sand isn't your thing. There is a parking lot however it is paid parking---there are also tons of neighborhood parking near by.

    Nico Samneil S.

    Beautiful and relaxing! Watch your children here!! Warnings everywhere! See images for information

    Mariela M.

    Beautiful quiet beach! My family and I went hiking at Wavecrest so we were able to find parking here ($10 whole day). After hiking, we went back to the beach and it was just perfect just to relax and eat a small lunch! We went on a Monday morning so parking was easy and there weren't a lot of people in the afternoon. Beach is clean, allows dogs, and we even saw a bunch of people riding their horses! Definitely a spot to chill and relax with a friend, partner or family.

    Lacey
    Kelly M.

    This is a dog-friendly beach with a scenic walking trail above that follows the coast. My dogs absolutely love the beach, so it is always fun to walk them and observe their joy! The one annoying thing is the machine that takes your $10 payment for parking. It was not very user-friendly, and when we finally got to the end of the transaction, we got no confirmation whatsoever.

    Ming C.

    So came here instead of going to my regular beach thinking this might be a nice difference. Instead a horrible nightmare. This is but a beach for surfers and people having picnics. Their are plenty of signs that says no dogs allowed on the beach due to San Mateo renting that section out to the local horse ranch who uses this part of the beach for their tours, but still see dogs. This is the 1st beach I had been to that didn't have a single shell on a 10 min walk across.

    Amy E.

    You may now avoid the parking machine line by paying by APP! The app is called FLOWBIRD, just check your parking stall number and pay via app. $10 for the day. Over the course of the pandemic I have noticed this beach has exploded in popularity on certain days. But dont worry, once you leave the overcrowded parking lot you'll likely find plenty of space to social distance. Poplar is a nice and well loved beach in HMB. it's conveniently close to the intersection of hwy 92 and hwy 1. People love to bike, walk, scooter,etc along the coastal trail which is just past the parking lot. There are a couple benches along the trail to rest and look out at the ocean. To go down to the beach, theres a big hill which it seems the city has recently taken some effort to spruce up into gentle steps rather than just a gravel incline. Still, this beach isnt very friendly to bringing tons of gear with you I'm giving Poplar 3 out of 5 cuz while it's a beautiful beach , the parking lot is crowded and mildy stressful in recent visits, 10 dollar fee, and steep incline to beach which not all people may manage easily.

    Maria G.

    I like that it is dog friendly, close to many shopping/dining areas, centric and plenty of paid and street parking.

    Beautiful path
    Mirabelle N L.

    My new GO TO Beach.. it has paved hiking path plus access to the beach!! I live my ME Time here today

    My dog loving the beach!
    Astyr K.

    I've gone twice now - once in the summer and once in February. The beach was nearly empty on a Saturday afternoon in February. I was hoping our dog could get to interact with other dogs, but it was nice to have the beach mostly to ourselves! One thing to note: there are horses on this beach. 2 groups of horseback riding tours came while we were there. Unfortunately, they left some horse poop behind YUCK! We just moved to another spot! There's a paid parking lot but also a good amount of neighborhood parking nearby. There's no trash can on the beach, but there is one at the parking lot. Overall, this is a great spot for dogs, dog lovers, and beach goers!

    Ee Vonn Y.

    August 29, Saturay 10:30AM. Parking - $1/hour. Portable potties are available. Gorgeous beach with giant bird of prey flying around. Don't worry, they're really pretty, and it was fun watching them hunt for fish. There is also a ranch with horses available for horseback riding. The walk from parking lot to beach is a short incline. There's also a really nice flat, scenic walking trail that follows along the coastline if you decide not to take the beach route. Only downside is the beach is on leash. I really wanted my dog to run wild and free. It worked out anyway to not have my dog run around because he kept trying to eat all of the horse poop.

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    2 years ago

    It's a beautiful beach love it there! We go there a lot. It's always clean. Enjoy the location easy to get to.

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    3 years ago

    Easy to get to and there was parking when we got there on a Thursday. Sat at the top bench to overlook the beach with our senior pup.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Poplar Beach

    What company is allowing their horses to poop all along the beach line here?

    When does it close?

    Parks in my area technically close down a half hour after sundown. A beach close to poplar closes about that time.

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    Review Highlights - Poplar Beach

    The paved trail along it has sweeping views of the ocean, which can take you to Half Moon Bay State Beach.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Dunes Beach - Half Moon Bay State Beach - 07.21.2024

    Dunes Beach - Half Moon Bay State Beach

    4.4(48 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    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.

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    Dunes Beach - Half Moon Bay State Beach - Sand crab

    Sand crab

    Dunes Beach - Half Moon Bay State Beach - Yarrow

    Yarrow

    Dunes Beach - Half Moon Bay State Beach

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    Redondo Beach - Surf's up!

    Redondo Beach

    4.3(53 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    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!

    One of our favorite beautiful places to go especially when the Bay Area weather is hot. We come…read morehere often and even bring family. Great for a stroll or go biking on their trails or hanging out at the beach and watching the waves from the top cliff or on the beach. Good for mountain biking as there are some rough patches of trails you can use as well as flat. Love the white soft sand on the beach. Parking here can be scarce so come early but at least, it's free. [61R,2024]

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    Redondo Beach - You will not be disappointed

    You will not be disappointed

    Redondo Beach
    Redondo Beach - Gorgeous beach, especially during sunset!!

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    Gorgeous beach, especially during sunset!!

    Wavecrest Open Space - Wavecrest Open Space

    Wavecrest Open Space

    4.8(15 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I saw someone mention this trail online, and it looked fantastic. We parked at the end of Wavecrest…read moreDrive, where it becomes a gravel road next to a baseball field. A hiker directed us to take the trail to the right. After a quarter mile or so, the trail breaks off to the left and also continues straight. Take that left curve and you will soon be in the tree tunnel area. It's a gorgeous place to walk! When you emerge from the trees, there is an overlook to the beach. We took a right turn on the perpendicular trail towards the paid parking lot, where there are stairs down to the beach. It's a wonderful place for a hike and very dog-friendly!

    For Mother's Day, I wanted to hike the Secret Tunnel and picnic on the beach. While the hike itself…read morewas lovely, there was no signage which is why I'm dropping a star. From the parking lot at the end of Wavecrest Rd., there's a myriad of paths and no signage. From the beginning, I should have read Kelly M's review where she describes her good fortune of a hiker directing her where to go in order to see the Secret Tunnel. Because I hadn't read the review, I was asking a bunch of hikers where to find this Secret Tunnel, but they were as befuddled as I was and were asking me if I knew where the beach access is located. Now that I have experience, here's the path you should take. To hike through Secret Tunnel, go right toward the trees from the parking lot, which has the cleanest port-o-potties next to the baseball field. At the curve you'll be in the trees and can kind of see the arch of trees. Take this path and take photos. Continue along this path to the beach, then turn right again until you get to the paid parking lot. In the lot, there are more port-o-potties, but dreadfully not very clean and lack toilet paper. Along the walkway, there are stairs that lead to the beach where you will find experienced beach goers and plenty of well behaved dogs and many wash-up sail jellyfish which I mistook for mussel shells. For the route back to the parking lot, either go back the same way you came or walk along coastal path and turn left before the gorge.

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    Wavecrest Open Space - Wavecrest Open Space

    Wavecrest Open Space

    Wavecrest Open Space - Wavecrest Open Space

    Wavecrest Open Space

    Wavecrest Open Space - Wavecrest Open Space

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    Wavecrest Open Space

    Poplar Beach - beaches - Updated May 2026

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