Pacifica Pier News

Bright blue skies, warm winds and quiet seas make August through October the prime time for beachcombing in Northern California.

And the coastline from San Francisco to Santa Cruz offers some of late summer’s most convenient and scenic escapes, with plenty of remote beaches accessible for those who make the effort to do a little scouting.

In a two-part series on beaches, our effort has been to seek out new beaches, or to look at some of the known beaches in a new way. Part I, last Monday, dealt with North Coast beaches from Gualala to the Golden Gate. In Part II, we tour the shoreline south from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.

With visits to the popular beaches, it’s usually a good idea to get out early - before 9 a.m. - even if you have to wait awhile for the fog to burn off.

But, as we’ve discovered, there are little-known hideaways and vast expanses of beach that are devoid of crowds, even on weekends. Here’s your invitation to a coastal holiday: the second installment of the Outdoors guide to Northern California beaches.
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BIG AND BEAUTIFUL

The largest beaches on this section of the coast offer a range of opportunities. There are broad, sweeping vistas visible from the access points, as well as places that are ideal for solitude and privacy.
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– Waddell Creek-Greyhound Rock Beach - Waddell Creek, just off Highway 1, is both signed and visible as a recreational beach. Greyhound Rock to the south is signed as a fishing access. But they are connected by an amazing stretch of golden sand more than two miles long.

Greyhound Rock is 7.3 miles north of Davenport on the highway; it has a driveway on the west leading to two large parking lots. A pipe gate across a steep, paved path has an old red sign announcing the path is “closed and unsafe,” but it’s not really that bad. The last few yards are eroded, but shoes with good tread and careful stepping should get you down safely. Before the year is out, the Santa Cruz County Parks Department will improve the facilities and access here.

The beach is a wild shore bordered by impressive cliffs, with long strolls possible in either direction.
Waddell Creek Beach, just over a mile to the north, is a huge triangle of gray sand, 100 yards wide at its apex. Offshore, surfers try their skill against the breakers. You can’t go very far north before you’re cut off by a steep highway embankment covered with riprap. But turn south, and you can go and go . . . all the way south to Greyhound Rock and beyond.

Waddell has privies, garbage cans, no other facilities. Greyhound Rock has a few garbage cans on the trail. No use fees. For information, call Santa Cruz County Parks at 408-425-2395.
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– San Mateo Coast Beaches - The state manages many beaches on the San Mateo County coast. San Gregorio, Pomponio and Pescadero state beaches form the most magnificent triad. One appealing aspect is that the connecting beach between them forms a continuous three-mile stretch exposed at low tide.

San Gregorio is the most picturesque of the three and has the largest parking area. It also fills first on weekends, so if the lot is full, just drive south. And if the beach area seems crowded, just hike south. (To the north is a private, gay nude beach.)

San Gregorio provides privies and picnic tables, but no water or other facilities. Reaching Pomponio (the next public beach south) seems possible for experienced coastal hikers at extreme low tide. But do check the tides, and talk with park personnel first if you plan to try for distance. There are also trails up onto the bluffs.

Pomponio is 1.8 miles south of San Gregorio on Highway 1. It features picnic tables, barbecues and privies. The fine sand beach ranges from 40 to 80 yards in width. The beach has a gentle slope at waterline, but large swells discourage swimming. As you go north or south of the access point, sandstone bluffs some 80 feet high produce a pleasant, isolated feeling.

Pescadero, another mile south, has parking in three areas. At the north end are sandy dunes; at the south end are sandy coves divided by rocks. There are some privies, a few picnic tables and garbage cans. Grocery stores and restaurants are nearby in the town of Pescadero, two miles up the Pescadero Road.

An adjacent resource is the Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve - a major habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. Hikers here should stay on marked trails.

The Preserve has docent-led nature walks on the first and third Saturdays of every month at 10:30 a.m., and on the second and fourth Sundays at 1 p.m. All walks last 90-120 minutes, cover about two miles, and start at the bridge at the south end of Pescadero Beach. Beaches are open 8 a.m. to sunset, and the portions with day-use fees charge $2/person, $1/senior, $1/dog. Information: 415-879-0832.
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FAMILY BEACHES
Families with kids can enjoy most beaches. But a beach with facilities that includes restrooms can make for very successful outings.
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– Sharp Park Beach - This long, gray-sand beach runs south from the Pacifica Pier. The beach is exposed to weather and is steep at the shoreline. It probably works best for sunbathing or picnicking on still, sunny days. But it’s always good for a stroll, and the sturdy concrete pier is a popular spot for fishing. You don’t need a license to fish off the pier, and it’s a safe, cheap and convenient spot to get a kid started with the sport.

The pier and beach are patrolled by rangers during busy hours, and the beach is swept clean of litter on a regular basis.

A building on the pier has rest- rooms (open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) and a store where snacks, bait and some tackle can be purchased seven days a week (9 a.m.- 5 p.m.). To get there, take Highway 1 to Pacifica, take the Paloma/Francisco Boulevard exit, and turn right on Francisco to reach the beach. Parking is south of the pier. Information: 415-875-7380.
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– Bean Hollow State Beach - The small parking lot for this tiny and tidy cove fills on weekends, and no wonder. There are full facilities, including restrooms, garbage cans, picnic tables and barbecues, and its small crescent of golden sand is protected at either end by rocky points. In short, it’s a charmed spot.
To stake out your own temporary claim to the Bean Hollow experience, arrive early on weekends, or plan for a weekday excursion.

You can find it on Highway 1 by heading 10 miles north of Ano Nuevo State Reserve, or 2.5 miles south of Pescadero Road. Beach is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, and day-use fee is $2. Information: 415-726-6238.
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– Martin’s Beach - A big sign with faded paint announces this privately-run beach. A short road winds through a small coastal hamlet to a cove with a golden beach perhaps 500 yards long and 20 yards wide.

The beach is sheltered from wind, but a bit steep for swimming or wading. The surf fishing seems just fine; a 43-pound bass was hauled out here in July, and the baseball caps sold in the small convenience store proclaim this beach the “Smelt Capital.” The beach has three adequate restrooms and a policy of catering to families. It’s the sort of place that works well for family picnics, though there are only a few tables.

Martin’s Beach is off Highway 1, about 4.2 miles south of Redondo Beach Road in Half Moon Bay. It’s open 7 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., and charges $3/car, $10/buses. Information: 415-726-9943.
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HIKERS’ BEACHES
Some beaches are best appreciated by throwing in a little legwork. Hiking along them, or in to them, provides pleasant exercise and great views of the coast.
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– Natural Bridges-Lighthouse Field State Beaches - Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz should shorten its name to Natural Bridge; all but one of the offshore sandstone arches have fallen into the sea. The one still standing is a nice feature of a park that also boasts shaded picnic tables, restrooms, barbecues and a huge wedge of fine sand approximately 150 yards long and as many wide.
Although the park hasn’t yet filled up this summer to the point where day-users were turned away, weekends can get crowded. If things seem a bit tight, just park here and stroll south along the bluffs. There’s a great walkway that runs 2.7 miles south to Lighthouse Field State Beach. Several small coves with beaches appear at notches in the bluffs. Step carefully and be sure of your footing if you try to get down to them; sandstone can be slippery.

Finally, at Lighthouse Field, you’ll find a small museum at the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse which is devoted to the surfing history of Santa Cruz. For Santa Cruz’s surfing present, just walk a little farther and look over the cliff - below is Steamers Lane, the area’s most popular and challenging surf spot.
Natural Bridges is open 8 a.m.- sunset, charges $3/person, $2/seniors, $1/dog. From Highway 1 at the north end of Santa Cruz turn west on Western, right on Mission, left on Natural Bridges Drive, left on Delaware and right on Swanton. Information: 408-423-4609. To reach the free lots at Lighthouse Field, take Bay Street out from Highway 1 to West Cliff Drive and turn right. The surf museum is open noon-5 p.m.
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– Ano Nuevo State Reserve - This point of land running out to Ano Nuevo Island is justly famed for its resurgent population of huge elephant seals and other pinnipeds. It also has large protected beaches where these amphibious giants lounge for your viewing pleasure.

Less well-known is the park’s golden-sand beach, called Cove Beach, where humans can lounge themselves and swim the sheltered shorebreak. The beach itself has no facilities, but the park visitor center has privies and drinking water. Garbage cans are situated along the trail to the beach, which is about a quarter-mile long.

Right now, you can get a permit from the visitor center to hike to the elephant seal preserve, but from December through April (the breeding season) you must have a reservation to join a guided tour group. Reservations are available through Ticketron.

Ano Nuevo’s hours are 8 a.m.-sunset, and day-use fees are $3/adult, $2/senior, dogs are not permitted. The reserve is located off Highway 1, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. For information about the park, docent-guided nature tours, or the special program for breeding season tours, call 415-879-0595.
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HIDDEN TREASURES
Some of Northern California’s most interesting beaches are neither obvious, nor are they particularly well-known. You need to read the fine print on the maps, be willing to drive off the beaten track, perhaps park and explore.
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– Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - There’s a sign for the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve alongside Highway 1 as you drive south, about 25 miles from San Francisco, but no indication that a beautiful beach may be involved. A 40-car paved lot at the corner of North Lake and California streets in Moss Beach provides parking; a restroom is a few yards away; and a sandy path to the northwest leads down to the sea.

A narrow beach with clean white sand about 15 yards wide forms a meridian between the low bluffs and the shallow offshore reefs. Stretches of beach interrupted by rocky bluffs continue to the south (if you’re out at low tide, make sure you get back before the tide rises).

Approximately 30 acres of rocks, slippery seaweed and pristine tidepools are exposed at low tide. Look, but don’t touch. The reserve status means no specimens, living or dead, can be collected. The only exception is that fishing for finfish, eel and abalone is permitted.

The reserve opens at dawn, closes at sunset. No use fee. The visitor center has exhibits but is open at indeterminate hours, when rangers are in from patrols. Docent tours of the tidal areas can be arranged a month in advance through the Coyote Point Museum , 415-342-7755 , but tidal conditions indicate none will be held prior to October. In addition, some tidal pool tours are led by reserve rangers; check the posted schedule at reserve headquarters. Information: 415-728-3584.
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– Laguna Beach - No, not that Laguna Beach, down in Orange County. The only way to find the little jewel of this other Laguna Beach is by a street sign for the north entrance to Laguna Road as you drive south 2.7 miles from the town of Davenport on Highway 1. There you’ll see a dirt parking lot. Park in it.
A path to the hidden cove starts at the end of the guardrail on the highway’s west side. Follow it over the railroad embankment, and then parallel the tracks south 100 yards or so until you come to a ramp veering down to the west. Take it and the path wandering through the Laguna Creek marsh until you emerge on a pristine arc of soft golden sand approximately 300 yards long and a 100 wide.

Right now this beach below high tide is in the public domain, but portions of the access route cross private land - yet another reason why you should be well-behaved.

This beach has no facilities, and there is no use fee. The parking area is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. For information, call the County of Santa Cruz Department of Recreation, Parks and Beaches at 408-425-2395.
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PHOTO CUTLINE: (1) NATURAL BRIDGES STATE BEACH Waders in the golden-sand cove stroll near the remaining natural arch. (2) LIGHTHOUSE FIELD BEACH A family discovers the surf can get pretty fierce at this Santa Cruz retreat, (3) POMPONIO BEACH A couple runs along the shoreline at this beach near San Gregorio / PHOTOS BY BRYAN MOSS/THE CHRONICLE
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Finding a Place in the Sun
BEST BEACHES OF THE BAY AREA
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
August 15, 1988
Author: PAUL McHUGH, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Estimated printed pages: 8
Edition: FINAL
Section: SPORTS
Page: E1
Index Terms: BEACHES; SERIES: PART TWO: SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO; SPORTS; COASTLINE; BAY AREA; CA
Copyright 1988 San Francisco Chronicle
Record Number: 526893