Half Moon Bay State Beach
About
Spanning four miles, Half Moon Bay State Beach is home to four popular sandy beaches: Francis Beach, Venice Beach, Dunes Beach and Roosevelt Beach.
Half Moon Bay is ideal for sunbathing, picnics, surfing, fishing and also has a campground for those who wish to visit longer.
Surfs up! The water is a very cold 50-60’F and is a popular surfing spot! Keep a close eye on the weather before making the trek over to this beach — temperatures can reach closer to 60 degrees with high surf even on a sunny summer day!
Francis Beach has a visitor’s center, picnic tables and bathrooms. There also is a 52-spot campground. North from Francis Beach, you can take the paved pedway along the bluff — a perfect hiking spot!
Venice Beach is the next beach north of Francis Beach; it can be found at the western end of Venice Boulevard off of Highway 1. This beach has picnic tables, outdoor showers and a bathroom.
Dunes Beach is north of Venice Beach, also known as Naples Beach, this beach is reachable from Highway 1 via Young Avenue. This beach has bathrooms and parking here is usually easier to come by.
Roosevelt Beach is the northernmost beach at Half Moon Bay. The Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail is behind the parking lot and heads north to Pillar Point, site of the famous Mavericks surf competition, and south along the entire length of the state beach.
Learn more in the California State Parks brochure: English | Spanish.
Directions
The beach is located a half-mile west of Highway 1 on Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay. There are multiple parking and beach access points:
- Francis Beach is at the end of Kelly Avenue in the City of Half Moon Bay.
- Venice Beach is at the end of Venice Boulevard off Highway 1.
- Dunes Beach is at the end of Young Avenue off Highway 1.
- Roosevelt Beach connects to Half Moon Bay State Beach via a walking path.
- Cowell Ranch Beach is south of the town of Half Moon Bay and is accessible via the Cowell-Purisma Coastal Trail.
By Bus: Take samTrans route 17 to get to the beach.
Check the Santa Cruz METRO schedule for public transportation options.
Things to do
Beach AreaSwimming is not recommended here because of extremely cold water temperatures and unpredictable rip currents. Surfing conditions here are nearly impossible to forecast because of the unpredictable weather and surf action.
FishingFrom late spring through summer, Half Moon Bay is noted for good runs of surf smelt. Anglers use throw nets and are known to bring along great to catch the striped bass that sometimes follow the smelt.
Hiking TrailsCoastside Trail runs along the eastern boundary of the four beaches providing close to a three-mile stretch to walk, jog or ride bikes. The trail continues north to Pillar Point Harbor.
Horseback RidingA horse trail parallels Coastside Trail from Roosevelt Beach to Francis Beach. While in the state parks, horses are restricted to the designated horse trail and are not permitted on State Beaches.
Environmental LearningVisit the Visitor Center for more information.
Visitor Center
The Half Moon Bay State Beach Visitor Center is open Saturdays and Sundays. Come on in and learn about the exciting world of the beach and experience the cultural history of the Coastside.
Fees and Passes
Parking is available in the Francis Beach lot, Venice Beach lot and Cowell Ranch lot.
An Automatic Pay Machine is available in the Venice Beach lot to pay for parking, in addition to our friendly kiosk staff. Parking is $10 and supports the park. Credit card payments are encouraged.
Annual State Parks passes also are available to purchase at the entrance kiosk.
Services
- Venice Beach has outside showers, flush toilets and a payphone.
- Francis Beach has sand wheelchair available to borrow. Learn more in the Hilltromper Beach Accessibility Guide.
- There are no lifeguard stations at Half Moon Bay State Beach.
- Picnic Areas
Camping
Francis Beach has a campground with 52 individual sites, some suitable for tent camping, others for trailers or recreational vehicles. Although hookups are not available, there is a dump station. Coin-operated hot showers are also available (2 minutes per quarter).
Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground is now on the reservation system. Campsite reservations must be made through ReserveCalifornia, 1-800-444-PARK (7275) or online.
Maximum length for trailers, campers and motorhomes is 40 feet.
View the Francis Beach Campground Map here.
Field Trips
This is a Kids2Parks Participating Park!
Kids2Parks is an innovative park-equity program to bring students from Title 1 schools to State Park field trips. The program, a partnership between California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, increases the number of students who have visited a state park or beach by reducing barriers to access. The program offers transportation funding for field trips to all Title 1 schools in Santa Cruz County and select Title 1 schools in San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. Learn more.
Volunteer
There are several ways to get involved at Half Moon Bay State Beach.
- Serve as host at the Visitor Center Park Store at this popular beach visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
- Participate in Plover Watch Program to monitor and protect this endangered shorebird, which nests on the coastal beaches.
- Participate in the Beach Restoration Project to remove invasive non-native plants and replace them with natives.
Contact Ranger Nelle Lyons at (650) 726-8804, voice mailbox 7# or email to get involved.
History
Half Moon Bay State Beach is in the unceded homelands of the Ramaytush-speaking Ohlone Tribe known as the Chiguan, who stewarded these lands since time immemorial. Centuries of colonial violence led to the removal and displacement of the Chiguan. Today, their descendants continue their stewardship and presence here, in partnership with State Parks.
By the time Europeans arrived here, this area had been occupied for thousands of years by as many as 50 separate and politically autonomous native groups known as the Ohlone. Each group had its own leader, customs and territory, though some smaller groups were connected by shared boundaries, intertribal marriage and similarities of language. In the mid-1700s, Spanish missionaries arrived and drew the native people into the mission system. The decline in the Ohlone way of life began with the loss of their lands and grew rapidly with the introduction of European diseases.
When the gold rush brought immigrants from Mexico and Chile to the area, the area earned the nickname “Spanishtown.” Its remarkable diversity began during the late 1800s, when groups arrived from Canada, Italy, Germany, Ireland, China, England, Portugal, Scotland and the Pacific Islands. The first official mention of Half Moon Bay is on an 1854 Coast Survey sketch of Spanishtown. Before Highway 1 was built, Prohibition (1920 to 1933) had caused a proliferation of speakeasies along the coast. This area’s hidden coves and thick fog made it perfect for the eagerly awaited ships of Canadian rumrunners to unload their illegal whiskey onto smaller boats headed north to San Francisco.
Cowell Ranch State Beach, the southernmost unit of Half Moon Bay State Beach, was opened to the public in 1995. The ranch has been farmed since the mid-1800s, first by a 16-year-old immigrant from Germany, but later by Henry Cowell who acquired the property due to foreclosure. When the Cowell Foundation decided to sell the ranch in 1986, it was purchased by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a nonprofit land trust serving San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. To assure permanent protection for this land, POST sold conservation easements—permanent deed restrictions, which include the development rights on the property—to the California State Coastal Conservancy. POST also donated beach access to the State of California, providing a unique agricultural view trail to the new Cowell Beach. After protecting the land and assuring recreational opportunities, POST sold the ranch to local farmers. Learn more about Cowell Ranch State Beach here.
Regulations
- Dogs are prohibited on the beaches at all times. They are allowed in the campground, in day-use picnic areas and on the Coastal Trail, provided they are controlled with a leash of no more than 6 feet at all times.
- No beach fires are allowed and fireworks are prohibited. Please refrain from removing shells, driftwood and other natural beach features.
- Permits are required for all events and weddings. For permit information contact: San Mateo Sector Office at (650) 726-8819.
Recreate Responsibly
Before you visit, check the Recreate Responsibly page to protect yourself, family, friends and your community by following these measures during your visit.
More Info
(650) 726-8819