A bit further south of Pacifica is Half Moon Bay, another great beach town in San Mateo County. I dropped by the day before Thanksgiving last year for some hiking along the coast.
As usual we start off at Millbrae Station after taking BART:
A short ride on Caltrain and SamTrans gets us to Half Moon Bay State Beach... Turned out to be a fantastic day to go as the weather was great and there weren’t many people.
Looming in the background are the northern peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains that separate the coastal towns along Highway 1 from the more populous regions of the Peninsula along the San Francisco Bay shoreline. From here, it’s only a 20-30 minute drive into San Francisco, although the isolated location means it takes quite a bit longer by transit.
Over a century ago, plans for the “Ocean Shore Railroad” would have taken trains along the coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, passing along the edge of this open space atop the bluffs. Those plans never materialized, although vestiges still remain along the proposed alignment, including these houses along “Railroad Avenue” in Half Moon Bay.
El Granada, as we continue north towards Pillar Point…
Passing along Mirada Road in Miramar, one of several small unincorporated beach communities in this area including El Granada and Princeton by the Sea… The Coastal Trail disappears here, as the development runs right up to the beach.
Like Pacifica, the Half Moon Bay area is a popular surfing spot… Pillar Point Harbor (more accurately part of Princeton by the Sea, but frequently associated with Half Moon Bay) is home to the Mavericks, an annual surfing competition. The surfing window opened in November but they are still waiting for the perfect waves for this year’s event.
In the distance is Miramar… There’s only a narrow strip of riprap protecting these homes from the water.
Several riprap jetties extend well out into the water to form the harbor, offering a great place for saltwater fishing.
facsinating. i've been to the beach at HMB but couldn't get in above my knees. where is the clam chowder in the pic above? is there another variation of it that i dont know?
oh, ok, i thought i missed something. Keep up the great Bay Area stuff. A nice Marin/Sonoma county thread would be nice with Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma and others included. I love that particular area
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