Bean Hollow State Beach — Attraction in Half Moon Bay

This is our favorite beach. Yes, it can get cold but if you are lucky.... It's awesome! Even when it's cold, we have so much fun at the tide pools. I haven't seen this many crabs anywhere else around this area.

I like to stay on the right side of the parking lot. That's a lil cove and "secret" beach that has calmer water. The rocks are full of crabs. Just stand still for a few minutes and they will start coming out. Or look for them in the crevices. There are also anemones, fish, sponges, eel looking things and mussels.

We have seen a seal/sea lion looking at us from waves multiple times. It's always cool to see them.

There are some cool honeycomb like rocks here too. But the North side...

A quiet family beach spot allowing dogs along the north coast of California. Near the parking lot, a few picnic tables for our snacks, overlooking the sandy beach below. We had bought local fresh artichoke bread and honey nearby at Arcangeli grocery. We brought our mother in a wheelchair near the tables to watch and enjoy the fresh air. It was a bit windy and foggy so we wrapped blankets around ourselves. Our dog and grandson enjoyed the sand and waves below. Outhouses are available near parking. For an hour drive from the SF Bay area, it was a worthwhile getaway. Note: poor or no internet signal in this area. Maybe the government should add free wifi hotspots in the parks...

We went on a Saturday to the southern part of the beach (the official State Beach entrance was .5 miles farther north). Nice little sandy beach, reasonably quiet though the small parking lot was quite full. Because of a reef structure at the north end of this sandy beach, it's not surfy and seems very safe for small children and puppies. Beyond the north end of the sandy beach, there are rocks and tide pools. We had puppies so didn't venture far into the tide pools, though the puppies were very happy to explore the...