There are the beaches that have an iconic Californian view: long and sandy with blue life-saving posts where you could sun bath almost all year round (oh, common, there are no such beaches! There are a winter and rains even in Orange County!). There are rocky and scenic beaches where you will go for a fabulous sunset shot. Some beaches are best for surfers, some for kids.
Living in San Francisco region for more than three years I learn where to find each of this kind. But there is always an exception. The stretch of the shore where you can find all, white sand, beautiful waves, rocks for your stunning sunset picture. It’s the best beach to stop on the way home to take a final shot of the day. It’s a great place just to walk dunes or sit and smell the salty air. I mean Pescadero State Beach.
Pescadero State Beach
You will not miss this parking lot. If you want to drive to the town your turn right but on the left, you will find the access to the ocean.
The southern part of the beach is actually a rocky end of it which is good for the one-in-your-life-so-red-and-so-colorful sunset.
This winter we stopped here four times. And yet, I never was disappointed. Waves here get the purple color on sunset. On the low tide days, you could walk the natural wave breaker and get a spot among the pro-photographers. The hills are covered with ice flowers that bloom every spring and make this place picture-perfect.
Pescadero: North Beach
There is one more parking on the south of the creek which I didn’t like. The northern part of the beach is easy to miss. If you driving on the north, it’s on the left right before the road goes uphill. The parking is way smaller than two southern, but it surrounded with white sand dunes that you can explore.
Dunes create two pocket-alike beaches that good for sunbathing on a sunny day or for the picknicks.
Northern Bluffs
Practically the bluffs are outside of the park boundaries, but they are still not the part of the Pomponio State Beach. And technically you will see a sign that it’s dangerous to walk them.
And it is! The erosion is active in this part of the coast so do look where you step and be realistic about the risks. What is good in this place is that it’s one of the highest observation points in this region. You will find the Pescadero beach down below, bluffs on the both sides. On clear days you could see the hills all over Half Moon Bay, and back to the Pescadero. On the summer days, it’s a good place to observe how the front with the fog comes to the mainland. On the clear days, it’s another spot to see the sun setting in the ocean.
