World Class Hugs

By Rachel Puryear

About fifteen minutes south of San Francisco is the small coastal town of Pacifica, California. The name comes from the Spanish word for “peaceful”, and the town does live up to that name. It’s a quiet, peaceful, unpretentious town with a relaxed vibe. Even though it’s right near several busy and crowded cities, it feels like a world away from it all.

Pacifica also boasts some world class beaches, dramatically beautiful views, and popular local fishing spots. People here are friendly, and the weather is typically mild – including many gorgeously foggy days.

California beaches in general are a wonderful and romantic place to watch sunsets, too, as the sun sets over the ocean on the west coast.

Sharp Park Beach

Check out the black sands at Sharp Park Beach – thanks to a high concentration of iron oxide magnetite present at this beach.

This is also a great and popular fishing spot for salmon and striped bass during the summer, and crab during the wintertime.

There’s free nearby parking, public restrooms available, and dogs are allowed on the beach on a leash.

See here for more about visiting Sharp Park Beach.

Linda Mar Beach (Pacifica State Beach)

One of Pacifica’s most popular and most iconic beaches, Linda Mar Beach is located along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. It’s widely loved for being a great place for surfing and kayaking (rentals are available there for these activities).

In spring, it’s also a great place for whale watching!

There are restrooms and showers available, as well as walking and bike trails, and dogs are allowed on a leash.

If you’re hungry, or want a drink, there’s also the famous Taco Bell Cantina on the beach here, where you can enjoy your food while watching one of the world’s greatest views from a fast food restaurant. There’s even a deck, and they’re open until midnight during the week and 1 am Friday/Saturday nights.

See here and here for more about visiting Linda Mar Beach.

Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach offers dramatic views of the headlands, and spectacular crashing waves. It’s also the only beach in Pacifica with beachfront hotels – and there’s also plenty of dining and shopping options, to enjoy these views from.

See here for more about visiting Rockaway Beach.

Mori Point

At Mori Point, you can walk above the beaches, and enjoy sweeping and dramatic views of the Pacific coast. During spring, you can enjoy the wildflower blooms at their peaks.

The winds up here can be fierce, so please dress accordingly. Also, be sure to keep a safe distance from the edges of the cliffs – high winds and long drops are a dangerous combination.

Mori Point also offers accessible parking, accessible restrooms, and an accessible trail and boardwalk – so it’s a great place to enjoy beautiful views if mobility is a consideration.

See here for more about visiting Mori Point.

Esplanade Beach

If you’ve got a furry canine friend who wants to run free, this is Pacifica’s only officially leash-free beach. (Most beaches in Pacifica still welcome dogs, though, others just require a leash).

You will need to make a relatively long and steep hike to get there, though, so consider whether that’s feasible for you. The bit more challenging journey here is probably a big reason why it’s also one of the more secluded, and less crowded, beaches in this area.

Be very cautious here during hide tide, though, especially during stormy weather – as the beach can become very narrow then, and quickly be dangerous.

If you’re hungry after roaming the beaches, I recommend checking out Camelot Fish and Chips nearby. True to its name, it’s a little hole in the wall place with a welcoming ambiance, several variations of fried seafood and chips (British for fries), and it’s been around as a local family-owned place for several decades.

See here for more about visiting Esplanade Beach.

Mussel Rock Park Beach

Mussel Rock is a rock formation of several small islands, due to the unevenly eroded headlands. The tide pools are pretty awesome, with lots of sea stars, nudibranchs, sea anemones, and of course mussels.

On a clear day, you can see out to the Farallon Islands from here, as well as see great, sweeping views of the Pacific coast. This is also a very popular spot for hang gliding, if you’re into that.

See here for more about visiting Mussel Rock Park Beach.

Shelter Cove Beach

This is a beautiful beach that’s also relatively secluded and quiet, and it’s not easy to get to. There are local controversies around public access to this beach, but it is a public beach.

There’s very limited nearby parking, and it’s a long set of stairs leading down to the beach. Don’t expect nearby residents to be happy to see you there, but many visitors do find the beauty of this beach well worth it – and whatever anyone says, it is in fact a public beach.

See here for more about visiting Shelter Cove Beach.

Point San Pedro Beach

Point San Pedro Beach is right near Shelter Cove, and is also similarly difficult to get to, but it does feature a stunning view of San Pedro Rock. Like with Shelter Cove, access for the public is also controversial to locals.

If you’re not up for getting down to the beach itself, or dealing with possibly hostile locals, you can also hike from Pedro Point Headlands or Devil’s Slide Trail, and view the rock from up above – which is also just as stunning.

See here for more about visiting Point San Pedro Beach.

Gray Whale Cove State Beach

If you’d like to explore a beach while unburdened by clothing, check out the clothing-optional (sort of) Gray Whale Cove State Beach, home to one of San Mateo County’s few nude beaches.

Technically, since it’s a state beach, nudity is prohibited by law – but many people go clothes-free out here anyway, and you can decide if it’s worth the (probably small) risk of a citation.

This is also a lovely beach, with or without clothes on – and, true to the name, it’s also a great spot for whale watching, particularly during the winter months which is their migration season.

See here for more about visiting Gray Whale Cove State Beach.

Pacifica Municipal Pier

If you enjoy fishing, as well as eating deliciously fresh caught seafood, this is a great spot on the Peninsula for fishing pros and hobbyists alike. Plus, it’s a great place to watch the seagulls! There’s also a snack bar on the pier.

See here for more about visiting Pacifica Municipal Pier.

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