Every Trail Tells a Story
Half Moon Bay State Park
Four beaches in one hike-each with a unique mood and backdrop.
Wide-open ocean views, tidepools, birdlife, and even migrating whales offshore.
A perfect balance of easy trail, beach strolling, and small-town Half Moon Bay charm
If you want to see the Central Coast dressed up for the weekend, head to Half Moon Bay. The town wears a lot of hats: farming hamlet (pumpkin patches glow orange every October), funky art-and-craft village, seafood stopover, and beach resort. But its most enduring draw? That broad, shining crescent of sand that arcs for miles, rimmed with cliffs, dunes, and surf.
The state park doesn’t cover the entire bay-just the middle stretch-but what a stretch it is. Four distinct beaches, each with a personality, are strung together like beads on a necklace: Francis, Venice, Dunes, and Roosevelt. And tying them all together is the Coastside Trail, part of the grand California Coastal Trail, which rambles for nine miles between Purisima Creek and Pillar Point Harbor. Walk the park section and you get the best sampler plate on the Half Moon Bay coast.
Francis Beach, at the park’s southern end, is the people’s beach: big parking lots, grills, picnic tables, and a campground perched right above the surf. This is the place for a family barbecue, a volleyball game, or a short sandy stroll capped with ice cream from town.
Northward is Venice Beach, the local heartthrob. Bordered by Pilarcitos Creek on one side and Frenchman’s Creek on the other, it feels tucked away even though it’s a short hop from Highway 1. Surfers paddle out here, families spread blankets on the sand, and the bluffs make for good whale-watching posts in season.
Dunes Beach does what it says on the label: it’s backed by dunes and blufftop grass, and access trails drop steeply from the sandstone. You’ll often have more space to yourself here, making it a good picnic or sketchbook stop.
And then there’s Roosevelt Beach, also called Naples, on the park’s northern fringe. It’s the quietest of the four, less visited, more mellow. If you’re looking for a little solitude, a walk to Roosevelt usually delivers.
Half Moon Bay is, of course, no secret. On sunny weekends the lots fill early, and you’ll be sharing the sand with everyone from sunbathers to surfers to sandcastle architects. But come in the off-season-fog-shrouded July mornings, blustery December afternoons-and you’ll discover the moody, beautiful side of the bay. The sunsets? Pure California gold.
Half Moon Bay State Beach is located at 95 Kelly Ave in Half Moon Bay; this is the main entrance to Francis Beach, the park’s southernmost unit, park headquarters and where this hike begins. Day use fee.
Start at Francis Beach, where the paved multi-use Coastside Trail begins its six-mile journey through the park. Walk northward, skirting picnic lawns and campsites before reaching Elmar Beach, where Pilarcitos Creek makes a wetlands detour. A long footbridge helps hikers cross when the creek pools up behind the sand.
Beyond Elmar, Venice Beach offers blufftop views and steep sandy access trails. From there the route continues to Dunes Beach, where sandstone cliffs frame a broad sweep of coast. Finally, Roosevelt Beach caps the park with its quieter vibe and views toward Pillar Point. Return the same way for a six-mile round trip, or extend your walk north into Miramar and El Granada.