Pescadero and the San Mateo coast

South of Half Moon Bay the coast empties out. Highway 1 runs past sandstone bluffs, pocket beaches and fields of artichokes and Brussels sprouts, with almost no towns for 30 miles. Pescadero sits a mile inland in a creek valley, a one-street farm village with a white church, a tavern and a goat dairy. A few miles south stand the tall tower of Pigeon Point Light Station and the dunes of Año Nuevo, where thousands of northern elephant seals come ashore each winter.

Our Half Moon Bay guide covers the beaches, harbor and pumpkin farms closer to town. This page picks up where that one stops. It covers the slow road over the hills on Highway 84, Pescadero itself, the lighthouse, the elephant seal walks and a loop home through the redwoods. Plan on a full day. The drive is not long in miles, but every road out here is two lanes and worth taking slowly.

Getting there over Highway 84

Highway 84 is the scenic way to the coast. From Palo Alto, take Sand Hill Road or Interstate 280 to Woodside, then follow 84 as it climbs through redwoods to Skyline Boulevard. On the far side it drops through the forest to La Honda and follows San Gregorio Creek down to the ocean. At San Gregorio, turn south on Highway 1 for a few miles, then turn inland on Pescadero Road. The trip is roughly 35 miles and about an hour without stops.

Two notes before you go. First, the road is steep and full of tight curves, with cyclists and motorcyclists on weekend mornings. Use the turnouts to let faster traffic pass. Second, Caltrans started a resurfacing project between La Honda and Woodside on September 14, 2026 and expects it to continue through winter 2026. Crews use one-way traffic control at points along the corridor and the work depends on weather, so allow extra time and check Caltrans QuickMap before you leave.

If you would rather skip the mountain road, take Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay and drive south on Highway 1. It is a little longer in miles but often about the same in time. A good plan is to go out on one road and come back on another. There is no practical public transit for this trip, so you need a car or a guided tour.

Stops on the way over

The drive itself is half the point. At the top of the hill, Highway 84 crosses Skyline Boulevard, where several open space preserves start. Windy Hill is a short drive south on Skyline and its summit has wide views over the Peninsula and the ocean on clear days. Down the other side, La Honda is a small mountain community with a general store and little else, which is part of its appeal.

San Gregorio State Beach sits where the creek meets the ocean. It has a sandy beach, a lagoon and sandstone cliffs with small caves at low tide. A day use fee applies in the lot. Just inland, the San Gregorio General Store has served the farm community for well over a century. Coming from Woodside, you can also start the day with coffee in Woodside village before the climb.

Pescadero

Pescadero grew up in the 1800s as a farming and dairy town and it has barely grown since. Stage Road is the main street. In a few blocks you pass the white wooden church of St. Anthony, a couple of shops and the two food stops that bring most people here.

• Duarte's Tavern has served cream of artichoke soup, cioppino and pie since 1894. It keeps fairly short hours and closes on Tuesdays, so check before you plan lunch around it.
• Arcangeli Grocery bakes the garlic and herb artichoke bread that people drive down the coast to buy. It sells out on busy weekend afternoons.
• Harley Farms Goat Dairy at 205 North Street makes fresh goat cheese on site. The farm lists its hours as 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and runs public tours that you book on its website.

Farm stands along Pescadero Road and Highway 1 sell berries, squash, artichokes and flowers in season. Some are self-serve, so bring small bills.

Beaches, tide pools and the marsh

Pescadero State Beach lies where Pescadero Creek reaches the ocean, with rocky points, sandy coves and tide pools at low tide. Across the highway, Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve is one of the best birding spots on the coast. Herons, egrets and ducks feed in the shallow water and in fall and winter you may see large flocks of migrating shorebirds. Our birdwatching guide covers the Baylands back home if you get hooked.

A few miles south, Bean Hollow State Beach has a short bluff trail and colorful pebble beaches. The tide pools here are rich with anemones and sea stars, but the rocks are slippery and sneaker waves are a real risk on this coast. Check a tide table, go on a falling tide and never turn your back on the water. Fees and rules vary between the small state beaches, so read the signs in each lot.

Pigeon Point Light Station

About 6 miles south of Pescadero Road, Pigeon Point Light Station stands on a rocky point above the surf. Its 115-foot brick tower is among the tallest lighthouses in America and was first lit in November 1872. The point takes its name from the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon, which wrecked here in 1853.

The tower is closed to visitors. California State Parks began a full restoration in February 2024 and says the lighthouse will stay closed until the structure is restored. You can still walk the grounds and see the tower from outside. Here is what the Pigeon Point page listed in late October 2026:

• The day use area is open from 8 a.m. to sunset.
• The visitor center and park store open Thursday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as staffing permits.
• The original first-order Fresnel lens is on display in the historic Fog Signal Building. A modern LED beacon now marks the point.
• The park lists lighthouse history walks on November 1 and 8, 2026 and a 154th anniversary celebration on Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 1 to 7 p.m. State Parks says that will be the last chance to see the lens lit up close before it returns to the tower next year (2027).

The bluffs here are a good place to watch for gray whales from December through spring and harbor seals on the rocks below. Hostelling International runs a hostel in the old keepers' houses. It is the only lodging right on this stretch of coast.

The elephant seals at Año Nuevo

Año Nuevo State Park, about 8 miles south of Pigeon Point, protects a long spit of dunes where northern elephant seals breed. Males arrive in early winter and fight for space, females come ashore to give birth and the beach fills with thousands of animals. It is one of the great wildlife sights in California and it sits just over an hour from Palo Alto.

Guided walks, December 15 to March 31

During the breeding season you must join a guided walk to see the seals. Here is how it works according to the Año Nuevo State Park page:

1. Book a walk through ReserveCalifornia online or by phone. Public bookings for the 2026 to 2027 season opened on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Walks open up to 56 days ahead. Weekend slots go first.
2. Pay $7 per person plus a $3.99 booking fee. The viewing area is closed from December 1 to 14, before the walks begin on December 15.
3. Arrive early. You pay a vehicle day use fee at the entrance on top of the walk reservation.
4. Expect a moderate walk of 3 to 4 miles over sand dunes and uneven ground. The farthest viewing area is a 4-mile round trip from the parking lot and most groups need two and a half to three hours.
5. Dress for wind and rain. Walks go ahead in most weather.

Self-guided viewing, April to November

The rest of the year you can walk out on your own with a free permit issued at the park from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Spring brings molting seals and fall brings young seals hauling out on the beach. Pets are not allowed anywhere in the park and you may not leave them in a parked car, so leave dogs at home for this trip.

Seasons can end early. In February 2026 an H5N1 bird flu outbreak among the seals cancelled the rest of the 2025 to 2026 walks, so check the park page for notices before you go. Our Año Nuevo guide covers the season, the walk and the outbreak in more detail.

If you cannot get a reservation or do not want to drive, some coastal and wildlife tours cover this stretch of coast. Check that a tour includes the guided seal walk before you book, since the walks are run by the park.

The loop home through the redwoods

For a different road home, take Pescadero Road east from town. It climbs past Loma Mar into thick redwood forest. Turn left on Alpine Road, which leads up to Skyline Boulevard, then take Page Mill Road down into Palo Alto. Page Mill is narrow and steep near the top, so take it slowly in the dark. Our redwood forests guide covers Portola Redwoods State Park and other groves along these roads if you want one more walk among big trees.

You can also head south from Año Nuevo on Highway 1 and finish the day in Santa Cruz, about 20 miles farther. That makes a long but rewarding loop home via Highway 17.

Staying on the coast

This stretch has very little lodging. Most visitors who stay the night base themselves in Half Moon Bay to the north or Santa Cruz to the south and drive in for a seal walk in the morning. You can compare hotels in Half Moon Bay and along the coast for a winter weekend. A night on the coast lets you book one of the first seal walks of the day, before the wind picks up.

Frequently asked questions