JayS864
This beach area has a good parking lot (costs $10 to park) and it is close to the beach area, but there is a very rough patch of gravel type road just before the approach to the lot. Not sure why this is not being fixed. There were enough spots open but we did see a few people parked along the sides. So my guess is that it is usually crowded in the mornings and it tapers down past noon (we went there at around 2:30 PM). There is enough sand for you to put up your tent, umbrella etc. and still be away from the water. It is a great place to take a stroll along the shoreline. There were lots of families with little children jumping into the water etc. But do watch out for those pesky seagulls!!! :) They look well fed with french fries etc. and don't want to leave the shore to look for food in the water. There are good restrooms but by the time we were done, they were totally trashed with feminine products, sand and toilet paper all over the floor. The faucet to wash your hand is outside so if you are worried about germs etc., better carry a hand sanitizer before you go inside. For $10, they could do a slightly better job with the restrooms but there is only so much you can do after paying for maintaining the beach and parking lot. All in all, a good place for a fun day outing with family.
roadtripqueen56
There was a bench to sit on a smooth short walk from the car park. Fairly easy stroll for me as a disabled person using a cane.Lots of beautiful wildflowers in bloom.
Badq45t
This beach gives you good parking options, be prepared to pay on some days. Don't cheap out and not pay, our State Parks need the dough. I ride my bike right past it 3x a week during the summer months and of the beaches I think this one is pretty nice and the parking is not always full. Remember the water is cold as hell and also remember that if it is 95 in San Jose it is probably 64 in Half Moon Bay, so bring sweatshirts and hats for the kids and grandma.
barn10
My only complaint was the amount of birds. There must have been hundreds of seagulls and they were looking for food. It was a beautiful day and it was not too crowded with people just birds!
GrammaGully
We wanted to visit the Pacific Ocean while in SanFran area...so a search on a map and GPS showed that crossing the bay using the other bridge to avoid SanFrancisco resulted in Half Moon Bay. What a gorgeous drive from our hotel across the East Bay in Danville, CA! An easy paced half day adventure. The weather is very different along the coast...We left our pool with 95F sunshine morning to drive toward "the fog". This low rolling brownish cloud fog completely enveloped the other side of the mountains and coastline. Dissappointing but read on....The temperature dropped to 60F in cloud, fog cover. My transition lenses in my glasses didn't know how to darken or lighten with the odd change. We sure couldn't spend a day on the beach. Not worth paying to go on a day like this so we started to drive N when I saw a sign a couple miles away saying Venice Beach. We turned onto gravel (unpaved road) but we figured it must run to the ocean. Sure enough, came to an un-manned entrance booth for parking. A sign advertised hiring, asked you to pay at box behind shack....an honor system since no employee?! We drove in to look around. There were a row of bathrooms and 3 cars. No commercialism, no restaurants, no souvenir shops...We just had to get out to peer over the edge of the cliffs for a minute. We then were compelled to venture down the steps to the hundreds of seagulls picking at the pools remaining from high tide. What an unspoiled area this is. I highly recommend walking along the beach, take off your shoes, walk in knee deep to feel the rip tides pull the sand out from under you. There were seals popping up just beyond the breakers. A school of 50 junior lifeguards in training went in for riptide rescue training. So weird to see, was like watching fpr train wreck in a way though..how does one learn this? California kids are fearless! Back to the beach...Walk along the trail at the top of the clifff. Trail is as thin as bike tires would make. Had to be careful not to stomp on the odd succulent wild plants, flowering in every color. Super for spectacular views and photo ops...with or without fog clouds, it was still amazing to explore. PS: the quick peek resulted in an hour, and we didn't pay, but there was only us there! The training must have been at the next beach parking...Go explore. Inaccessable for handicapped.
KCBurgh
We stumbled upon this beach when we first arrived in Half Moon Bay while driving down Route One just off of 92. We bumped along a dirt/sand road and were a bit worried we'd chosen wrong until we hit the end and - voila - gorgeous. This is a hidden beach that's clearly not as popular as the other beaches, which is a good thing (for us). My uncle never knew it was even there so he was thrilled with it as well. Sometimes visitors are a good thing!This beach is what a beach should be - in my opinion. Water, sand, birds, and few people. Just the sound of the ocean and miles of shoreline to walk and appreciate. There are also a few benches and areas to sit on bluffs to watch the ocean as well.They charge for parking on the weekend ($10) but that covers all of the area (not just this beach). There are decent toilets available (important with kids) and stairs that take you down to an amazingly pristine beach that goes for miles. Families with small children would have to help them down. Access for folks with physical limitations would be difficult, although the toilets were accessible and I suspect that there are more ways into the area than we explored.There is horse-back riding nearby that takes you through the grassy-areas above the water. Very nice, although we didn't do that.To give you an idea of how nice this beach is - we returned to it before leaving the area. At the insistence of the entire family. Enough said.
activeoldster
Venice Beach in Half Moon Bay has something for everyone. We went there to just sit and clear our minds but enjoyed watching kids play around a small lagoon there. My husband, who has difficulty getting up and down hills, found this beach easier to access then Half Moon Bay State Beach. There is a very nice walking trail for those who don't want to go down to the sand. There is also a camping area and from our view of it, it seemed to be mainly tents. So if you're spending a day "beach hopping" don't miss this one.
Divya5585
Half moon bay is a brilliant stretch of ocean which is located 25 miles south of SF. There are a lot of beaches in that stretch and you got to pick one. We by chance went to Venice beach and had a good time... It is little isolated so you can have your private time with ur loved ones ;) Also a good place to hand out with friends.. But make sure to carry warm clothing as its going to be very chill out there near the waters. If you are the adventurous type, then sure u can dive in the water and feel the cold. Overall nice place, must visit if u r in San Francisco.
felipeflipm
Não é nada como a de L.A., mas não deixa de ser bonita jamais. Uma praia tranquila, limpa, de águas claras. Sensacional a beleza do lugar.