Beaches near Palo Alto

Palo Alto's nearest beach is not on the bay. The bay shore here is salt marsh and mudflat, wonderful for birds but no place to spread a towel. The sandy beaches are on the Pacific, over the Santa Cruz Mountains. Drive west for 40 minutes to an hour and you reach a long, mostly empty coast of bluffs, creek mouths and coves that state parks have protected for decades.

This is not Southern California. The water stays cold all year, the surf is powerful and most beaches have no lifeguard. Fog often sits on the coast in summer while Palo Alto bakes. Come for long walks, tide pools, picnics and big skies rather than swimming. If you want to stay the night, our guide to camping near Palo Alto covers the coast campgrounds. This guide covers the San Mateo coast from Half Moon Bay to Pescadero, then the beaches around Santa Cruz, with the routes, fees and rules each park publishes.

Getting there: three roads over the hills

1. Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay. Take Interstate 280 north to Highway 92 and head west. It is the fastest route to the coast, about 30 miles and 40 to 50 minutes in light traffic. Weekend afternoons in fall, especially in pumpkin season, can back up badly.
2. Highway 84 to San Gregorio. Drive through Woodside, over Skyline at Sky Londa and down through La Honda to meet Highway 1 at San Gregorio. It is slower and winding but beautiful. Pescadero is about an hour each way on this route.
3. Highway 17 to Santa Cruz. Take Highway 85 or Interstate 280 south to Highway 17 and over the mountains to Santa Cruz, about 45 miles and an hour without traffic. Highway 17 is notorious for crashes and slowdowns, so drive it with care.

A good loop is to go out on Highway 92, drive south along Highway 1 and return on Highway 84. Fill your tank first. Cell coverage is patchy south of Half Moon Bay. There is no practical public transit for a beach day, so you need a car. See our guide to car rentals if you do not have one.

Half Moon Bay State Beach

Half Moon Bay State Beach covers about four miles of sandy beach along the town. State Parks lists four day use parking areas: Francis Beach at 95 Kelly Avenue, Venice Beach at the end of Venice Boulevard plus Dunes and Roosevelt beaches at the end of Young Avenue. Francis is the main hub with a picnic area, restrooms, a campground and a small visitor center open on weekends when volunteers allow.

• Hours and fee: 8 a.m. to sunset, with a $10 vehicle day use fee.
• Dogs: not allowed on the beaches. Leashed dogs may use the Coastside Trail, the picnic areas and the campground.
• Coastside Trail: a paved path of about three miles behind all four beaches, good for walking, running and biking.
• Beach wheelchair: an all-terrain chair is free to borrow at the Francis Beach entrance station.
• Roosevelt Beach: State Parks closed the Roosevelt lot for culvert work starting April 1, 2026, with the trail and beach open on foot. Check the park page for whether the lot has reopened.

Our Half Moon Bay day trip covers the harbor, Main Street and the rest of town.

San Gregorio State Beach

San Gregorio State Beach is 10.5 miles south of Half Moon Bay on Highway 1, right where Highway 84 comes down from La Honda. It is a wide sandy beach backed by grassy bluffs, with a driftwood-strewn estuary where San Gregorio Creek meets the sea. Portolá's expedition camped here in October 1769, a few weeks before it reached the tall redwood that gave Palo Alto its name. State Parks marks the spot with California Historical Landmark No. 26.

Hours are 8 a.m. to sunset and the vehicle day use fee is $8. Dogs are prohibited on the beach at all times. Beach fires, fireworks and drones are not allowed. State Parks also asks visitors not to take shells or driftwood. In July 2026 State Parks and the Peninsula Open Space Trust announced the permanent protection of San Gregorio Ranch and a planned expansion of the state beach by half.

Pomponio State Beach

A mile and a half farther south, Pomponio State Beach sits 12 miles south of Half Moon Bay. State Parks describes gently sloping sand at the base of high sandstone bluffs, a small lagoon and roaring surf. Facilities are basic: picnic tables and pit toilets. Hours are 8 a.m. to sunset with an $8 vehicle fee. Dogs are prohibited on the beach. It is usually quieter than San Gregorio.

Pescadero State Beach and Bean Hollow

Pescadero State Beach is 14.5 miles south of Half Moon Bay. Its mile-long shoreline mixes sandy coves, rocky cliffs and tide pools. Across Highway 1, Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve is one of the best birding spots on the coast. The $8 parking fee is paid on entry; when no attendant is there, State Parks uses a self-registration envelope that takes only US cash and checks, so bring small bills. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the marsh preserve.

Three miles south of Pescadero, Bean Hollow State Beach covers a mile of rocky coast with two lots, Pebble Beach and Bean Hollow. A one-mile trail links them. Bean Hollow is the dog owner's choice on this stretch: State Parks allows dogs on the beach on a 6-foot leash. Collecting anything, including pebbles, is prohibited. Our Pescadero and the coast guide covers the town, the lighthouse and the elephant seals farther south.

Santa Cruz beaches

Santa Cruz has warmer, more sheltered beaches on Monterey Bay and a lively town to go with them. The Main Beach by the Boardwalk is the classic stop; our Santa Cruz guide covers it. State Parks runs several beaches around town:

• Natural Bridges State Beach. A family beach on the west edge of town with a sea arch, tide pools in a marine protected area and a monarch butterfly grove in winter. Open 8 a.m. to sunset, $10 per vehicle. Dogs only in the parking lots and picnic areas. No lifeguards.
• Seacliff State Beach. Home of the S.S. Palo Alto, a concrete ship built in 1919 and deliberately sunk just offshore in 1929 to become an amusement ship. The ship is unsafe and closed to the public. Storms in early 2023 wrecked the pier and State Parks later removed the damaged structure. The campground is still closed. Open 8 a.m. to sunset, $10 per vehicle.
• New Brighton State Beach. Bluffs, trails and a campground next door to Seacliff. Open 8 a.m. to sunset, $10 per vehicle.
• Twin Lakes State Beach. By the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, with leashed dogs allowed on the east side of the harbor.

Ocean safety and sneaker waves

Every year people are swept off beaches on this coast. The water is very cold year-round and State Parks warns that even a short swim can cause cramps or hypothermia. Rip currents can pull strong swimmers offshore. At Natural Bridges, State Parks puts it plainly: hazardous rip currents and large waves can appear out of nowhere, so never turn your back to the waves.

Those surprise waves are often called sneaker waves. They run much farther up the sand than the waves before them and can knock people down or roll a heavy log on top of them. They often come in fall and winter, when big swells arrive from distant storms. Keep these rules:

• Never turn your back on the ocean, especially when taking photos.
• Stay off logs and wet rocks near the surf line.
• Keep children within arm's reach and dogs on a leash where allowed. Our dog-friendly hikes page lists coastal trails that welcome dogs.
• If caught in a rip current, stay calm, do not fight it and swim or float parallel to shore until you are free.
• Stay back from bluff edges and do not walk directly below bluffs after rain. San Mateo County warns that wet weather makes bluffs unstable.
• Explore tide pools only at low tide and look without touching or taking.
• Planning to cast a line from the sand? Read our fishing guide for license rules first.

Frequently asked questions