Cowell Ranch Beach Access — Attraction in Half Moon Bay

Almost always less convenient means less popular, and sometimes that's great! The Cowell Ranch Beach and Access is an astonishing beautiful spot not too many people know about or have been to and it's one of my favorites. It's because you can't see it from the highway and you have to walk about half a mile or so to get there. If you do you'll be rewarded with one of the most picturesque views along the San Francisco bay area coast. When you get to the point there is a left hand view and a right hand view, both lovely. Can sit there at the top of the cliff / bluff and enjoy a snack or meal, or you can go down to the beach. I haven't gone down to the beach yet but when I do I'll provide more info. There are trails that hug the coast from here. I'm sure those will provide lovely walks. Need a bathroom break, need not worry,...

It's a shame that being a local, I never before visited the Cowell Ranch Beach. 😏 Every time I drove south from HMB I would pay attention to the large number of parked cars in the area, especially on weekends, and would be curious as to why. I would tell to myself, I must visit this place! Today I finally did with my granddaughter. I am so happy for my decision - it was fantastic! First of all a nice walk from the parking lot to the beach. About 20 minutes enjoying the walk and playing with my granddaughter. At the end of the road, you arrive to a great wide opening with a fantastic view of the ocean and a lovely hidden beach. Everything was so so exhilarating! We both had an exciting experience and I am once again convinced - the Coastside is a...

This place was so incredibly beautiful!!! Not too crowded at all on the walking trails and certain parts of the beach. If you stay closer to the access points then yes there is plenty of foot traffic. We went a day after it rained and it was super muddy in some areas so we weren’t able to access as much of the walking paths as we would have liked. Some great areas to explore along the cliff line and some spots you can rest and look out at the ocean. Portable bathrooms only. However, they were fairly clean; the ones by the baseball fields seemed the most maintained (more so than in the main 2 parking lots). Kid friendly for sure as well though not overly so if that makes sense. I’ll definitely come back but most likely when it hasn’t rained so much...