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Half Moon Bay | Pescadero | Año Nuevo State Reserve | Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Bookended by San Francisco and Silicon Valley are some surprisingly low-key and unspoiled natural treasures. The vistas here are the Pacific and rolling hills, making it easy to forget the hustle and bustle that’s just out of sight. Come for leisurely walks on the beach and tide-pool exploration, and enjoy solid dining and the small-beach-town feel.
Half Moon Bay
27 miles south of San Francisco.
It may be the largest and most visited of the coastal communities, but Half Moon Bay is still by all measures a small town. Turn onto Main Street and you’ll find five blocks of galleries, shops, and cafés, many of which occupy renovated 19th-century buildings. While traditionally this was an agricultural center for local growers of artichokes and other coastal crops, it has also become a haven for Bay Area retirees.
Getting Here and Around
To get to Half Moon Bay from San Francisco, take Highway 1, also known as the Coast Highway and Cabrillo Highway, south along the length of the San Mateo coast. About 7 miles before you arrive in Half Moon Bay, you’ll reach tiny Moss Beach, technically part of Half Moon Bay but with a salty spirit all its own.
Essentials
Visitor Information
Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. | 235 Main St., | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–8380 | www.halfmoonbaychamber.org.
Exploring
FAMILY | Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.
Moss Beach’s biggest attraction is the spectacular Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, a 3-mile stretch of bluffs and tide pools. Since the reserve was protected in 1969, scientists have discovered 25 new aquatic species here; depending on the tide, you’re likely to find crabs, anemones, urchins, and sea stars. | California and North Lake Sts. | Moss Beach | 650/728–3584 | fitzgeraldreserve.org.
Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival.
The town comes to life—and traffic to a standstill—on the third weekend in October, when 250,000 people gather for the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. Highlights include a parade, pie-eating contests, and a “weigh-off” of giant pumpkins, some more than 1,700 pounds. | Main St. | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–9652 | www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest.
Mavericks.
Just off the coast at Half Moon Bay is Mavericks, one of the biggest surfing breaks in the world when there’s a big swell. Waves here have reportedly reached 60 feet in height, and surfers get towed out to them by Jet Skis. The break is a mile offshore, so seeing it from the coast can be tough and requires a challenging hike. Every year, if the conditions are just right, the word goes out that the Mavericks surf competition will take place, and the world’s best surfers rush to town for the famous invitational. TIP The Mavericks competition is best viewed on closed-circuit TV at local bars. | Half Moon Bay.
Pillar Point Harbor.
With its laid-back restaurants and waters full of fishing boats and sea lions, the harbor is a nice place to wander, and you can pick up shoreline trails here. | 1 Johnson Pier, off Capistrano Rd. | El Granada | 650/726–4382 | www.smharbor.com.
Point Montara Lighthouse.
Brought here in 1928 after two horrible shipwrecks on the point, the lighthouse, which originally stood in Mayo Beach on Cape Cod from 1881 to 1922, still has its original light keeper’s quarters from the late 1800s. Gray whales pass this point during their migration from November through April, so bring your binoculars. Visiting hours coincide with morning and afternoon check-in and checkout times at the adjoining youth hostel. | 16th St. at Hwy. 1 | Montara | 650/728–7177 | www.norcalhostels.org/montara | Visitor access daily 9:30 am–sunset.
Beaches
Half Moon Bay State Beach.
This 4-mile stretch of sand is perfect for long walks, kite flying, and picnic lunches, though the 50°F water and dangerous currents make swimming inadvisable. There are three access points, one in Half Moon Bay and two north of town off the highway. To find them, look for road signs that have a picture of footsteps. Amenities: parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; surfing; walking. | Hwy. 1, west of Main St. | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–8819 | www.parks.ca.gov | Parking $10.
Where to Eat
Cafe Gibraltar.
$$$ | MEDITERRANEAN | While the cuisine here is broadly called Mediterranean, in the kitchen of chef-owner Jose Luiz Ugalde that term can mean lamb shoulder braised in a harissa-date broth, or cassola—fresh local crab and other seafood simmered in a tomato-vegetable broth. The imaginative dishes are served in a warm, pretty dining room; peach walls are lighted by flickering candles, and the booths are adorned with curtains and pillows. Two miles south of Moss Beach on the east side of the highway, the restaurant is a bit hard to find but definitely worth the hunt. At signs for Pillar Point Harbor, turn inland onto Capistrano Road, then right onto Alhambra. | Average main: $25 | 425 Ave. Alhambra, at Palma Ave. | El Granada | 650/560–9039 | www.cafegibraltar.com | Closed Mon. No lunch.
Cetrella.
$$$ | MEDITERRANEAN | The coast at its most dressed up, Cetrella is all polished wood and pressed tablecloths, and it hits every mark: adventurous wine list, sumptuous cheese course, and live jazz on Friday and Saturday night. The creative menu pairs regional produce and fish with choice imported ingredients such as tangy Italian Burrata di Bufala cheese. What results are sophisticated but not stuffy dishes such as the pork loin with porcini, baby carrots, and almonds. TIP The bar has a smaller and cheaper but no less delectable menu, and Sunday brunch is popular. | Average main: $27 | 845 Main St. | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–4090 | www.cetrella.com | No lunch Tues.–Sat. Closed Mon.
Pasta Moon.
$$ | ITALIAN | One of the best restaurants on the coast between San Francisco and Monterey, Pasta Moon has a friendly, laid-back staff and fun, jovial crowd. Local produce graces the seasonal menu, whose highlights include wood-fired pizzas and imaginative pastas. Beware: the dining room can get slightly noisy on summer weekend nights, when musicians play in the bar. | Average main: $22 | 315 Main St., near Mill St. | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–5125 | www.pastamoon.com.
Sam’s Chowder House.
$$$ | SEAFOOD | This East Coast–style waterfront seafood joint may not be textbook Cape Cod, but that’s okay—dine here, and you’ll get the best of both coasts: true New England–style clam chowder and lump crab cakes but also local rock cod with Italian lentils, bacon, and Brussels sprouts. Indoor seats are in several long dining rooms; outdoor seats are warmed by gas fire pits and heaters on chilly days; and every seat in the house looks out to the water. | Average main: $25 | 4210 North Cabrillo Hwy./Hwy. 1 | Half Moon Bay | 650/712–0245 | www.samschowderhouse.com.
Where to Stay
Fodor’s Choice | The Ritz-Carlton.
$$$$ | RESORT | With its enormous and elegantly decorated rooms, secluded oceanfront property, and a staff that waits on guests hand and foot, this golf and spa resort defines opulence. Attention to detail is remarkable, right down to the silver service, china, and 300-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. During cocktail hour, view the ocean from the plush Conservatory Lounge or from under a heavy blanket on an Adirondack chair on the lawn; visit the wine bar Eno anytime. The main restaurant, Navio, is suitably decadent, with a kitchen that turns local fish and produce into dishes like goat ricotta ravioli with toasted walnuts, pan-seared diver scallops with sunchokes, and braised beef short rib hash with eggs and glazed turnips. Pros: four-star service; total luxury; ocean views. Cons: formal; not within walking distance of anything; expensive. | Rooms from: $595 | 1 Miramontes Point Rd. | Half Moon Bay | 650/712–7000, 800/241–3333 | www.ritzcarlton.com | 239 rooms, 22 suites | No meals.
Sports and the Outdoors
Bike Works.
The shop rents bikes and can provide information on organized rides up and down the coast. If you prefer to go it alone, try the 3-mile bike trail that leads from Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay to Mirada Road in Miramar. | 520 Kelly St. | Half Moon Bay | 650/726–6708 | www.bikeworkshmb.com | Closed Mon.
Pescadero
17 miles south of Half Moon Bay.
As you walk down Stage Road, Pescadero’s main street, it’s hard to believe you’re only 30 minutes from Silicon Valley. If you could block out the throngs of weekend cyclists, the downtown area could almost serve as the backdrop for a western movie.
Getting Here and Around
Pescadero is 2 miles inland from Highway 1 on Pescadero Creek Road.
Exploring
Harley Farms.
Stop for a spell at Harley Farms, a restored 1910 farm with 200 alpine goats on 12 acres of pasture. It’s a fully operational dairy, renowned for its delicious cheeses: chèvre, fromage blanc, ricotta, and feta. A two-hour tour follows the milk trail as it moves from goat to dairy, then from curd to cheese. You can walk around the yard and read detailed signage describing the buildings and operations. The Harley Farms Shop sells cheese, lotions, soaps, and gift items. Seasonal dinners in the old hayloft, which showcase local, in-season produce, book up fast. | 205 North St. | Pescadero | 650/879–0480 | www.harleyfarms.com | Tour $20 | Farm and shop Wed.–Sun. 10–5; check website for tour times.
Beaches
Pescadero State Beach.
If a quarantine is not in effect (watch for signs), from November through April you can look for mussels amid tidal pools and rocky outcroppings at Pescadero State Beach, then roast them in the barbecue pits; a fishing license is required. Any time of year is good for exploring the beach, the north side of which has several secluded spots along sandstone cliffs. Across U.S. 101, the Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve has hiking trails that cover 600 acres of marshland and is the site of a large and active blue-heron rookery. Early spring and fall are the best times to come, when there are lots of migrating birds and other wildlife to see. Amenities: parking (fee); toilets. Best for: solitude; sunset; walking. | Hwy. 1, 14½ miles south of Half Moon Bay | Pescadero | www.parks.ca.gov | Free, parking $10 | Daily 8 am–sunset.
Where to Eat
Duarte’s Tavern.
$ | AMERICAN | Though it periodically catches the attention of the national press, this 19th-century roadhouse—say DOO-arts—continues to serve simple American fare with a modest, hometown attitude. The restaurant’s bar, for instance, is a great place to sip a whiskey, but it’s also the town’s liquor store, which means some locals take their orders to go. The no-frills dining room offers a solid menu based on locally grown vegetables and fresh fish. House specialties include cioppino, artichoke soup—or go for the half and half: artichoke soup mixed with soup of peppers grown out back—and the amazing old-fashioned olallieberry pie à la mode (which Life magazine once named best in the United States). | Average main: $15 | 202 Stage Rd., at Pescadero Creek Rd., east of Hwy. 1 | Pescadero | 650/879–0464 | www.duartestavern.com.
Where to Stay
Costanoa.
$$$ | RESORT | Camping-in-style for those who don’t like to camp—think spa services—this eco-adventure resort is a popular getaway for Silicon Valley techies and other urbanites and suburbanites. Trails from the 40-acre property connect with Año Nuevo State Reserve (just across Highway 1) and four state parks, including Big Basin. Rooms in the lodge have fireplaces and open to patios and decks where you can relax and watch deer and other wildlife bound across the hillsides. Cabins and tent bungalows don’t have private baths, but they have electric lights, comfy beds with real mattresses, and access to nearby “comfort stations”: restroom facilities with a courtyard fireplace, sauna, heated concrete floors, and private indoor and outdoor showers. Costanoa also manages an on-site RV and tent camping area. The Cascade Bar & Grill serves coastal California-style meals all day, and the Spa at Costanoa offers a full menu of massage options. Pros: stunning natural setting; many accommodation options. Cons: can get noisy during high season; not superluxe; no private baths in cabins and tent bungalows. | Rooms from: $249 | 2001 Rossi Rd. | Pescadero | 650/879–1100, 877/262–7848 | www.costanoa.com | 39 rooms, 1 suite, 12 cabins, 76 tent cabins | No meals.
Año Nuevo State Reserve
13 miles south of Pescadero.
A beautiful park year-round, Año Nuevo State Reserve bustles during elephant seal mating season, from mid-December through March.
Getting Here and Around
You need your own vehicle to get here. The reserve is on Highway 1, 13 miles south of Pescadero and 21 miles north of Santa Cruz.
Exploring
FAMILY | Año Nuevo State Reserve.
At the height of mating season, upward of 4,000 elephant seals congregate at Año Nuevo, one of the world’s few approachable mainland rookeries. The seals are both vocal and spectacularly big (especially the males, which can weigh up to 2½ tons), and some are in residence year-round. A moderate, 3- to 4-mile round-trip walk takes you to the dunes, from which you can look down onto the animals lounging on the shoreline. TIP During mating season (from mid-December through March), visitors may do the hike only as part of a 2½-hour guided tour, for which reservations should be made well ahead. The area’s visitor center has a fascinating film about the seals and some natural-history exhibits (including a sea otter’s pelt that you can touch). Dogs are not allowed, even in cars in the parking lot. | 1 New Years Creek Rd., 13 miles south of Pescadero, off Hwy. 1 | Pescadero | 650/879–2025, 800/444–4445 for tour reservations | www.parks.ca.gov | Tour $7, parking $10 | Guided tours leave every 15 min, mid-Dec.–Mar., daily 8:45–3.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
17 miles north of Santa Cruz.
Home to some grand redwoods and terrain that varies from rocky coastal coves to dense forestland, the 18,000-acre Big Basin has a human history that dates back at least 10,000 years. The Cotoni and Quiroste Indians, part of the larger Ohlone cultural group, settled here long before Spanish explorers arrived in California. You can go on some fine nature walks both short and long here.
Getting Here and Around
You need your own vehicle to get here. Coming from the coast, access the park at Waddell Creek (off Highway 1, 17 miles north of Santa Cruz), where a confluence of waterways pours out of the redwoods and into the ocean.
Exploring
Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
California’s oldest state park is the best place to see old-growth redwoods without going north of San Francisco, and it’s far less crowded than Muir Woods and other famous spots. The parkland ranges from sea level up to 2,000 feet in elevation, which means the landscape changes often, from dark redwood groves to oak pastures that are deep green in winter and bleached nearly white in summer. The countless waterfalls are the most visible during the winter rains. TIP To get a feel for the redwoods, take the Redwood Loop Trail, an easy half-mile path, great for kids, that takes in some of the tallest trees here, including the Mother of the Forest and the Father of the Forest. Pick up the trail across from the visitor center, inland at park headquarters in Boulder Creek. A brochure you can pick up here points out significant trees along the way. Mountain bikers, horseback riders, and hikers can take the nearly level Canyon Road (a dirt fire road) back up the creek and into the woods.
Hikers looking for solitude might consider a more strenuous, uphill climb on Clark Connection to Westridge Trail, which rewards hard work with spectacular ocean views. Those who don’t want to go anywhere can just stay on the windswept beach, where the main attraction is watching kite surfers get huge air on the windy shoreline waves.
A short walk on the Marsh Trail leads to the Rancho Del Oso Nature Center (www.ranchodeloso.org). Open on weekends from noon to 4, the center has natural-history exhibits and is the starting point for several self-guided nature walks. | 21600 Big Basin Way/Hwy. 236 | Boulder Creek | 831/338–8860 | www.bigbasin.org | $10 parking fee.
Rancho Del Oso Nature Center.
A short walk on the Marsh Trail leads to the Rancho Del Oso Nature Center (open weekends noon–4, www.ranchodeloso.org), which has natural-history exhibits and is the starting point for several self-guided nature walks. | California | 831/427–2288 | Weekends noon–4
A Tour of Silicon Valley
Driving south of San Francisco along the San Mateo coast, it’s hard to believe that inland, behind the rolling hills, is Silicon Valley. And while the high-tech hub is known more for its semiconductors and Fortune 500 companies than its sightseeing, it does have a few highlights worth stopping for—especially if you’re already driving through on Interstate 280.
Stanford University.
Well-heeled Palo Alto and its intellectual neighbor, Stanford University, are about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Stanford’s gorgeous grounds are home to a primordial-looking cactus garden, a stone sculpture by Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy, aboriginal artworks from Papua New Guinea, and an excellent art museum—the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts (open daily except Tuesday)—whose lawn is planted with bronze works by Rodin. Free one-hour walking tours of the campus leave daily at 11 and 3:15 from the visitor center in the front hall of Memorial Auditorium. | Main Quad,450 Serra Mall, at Palm Dr., south off El Camino Real, | Stanford | 650/723–2300 | www.stanford.edu.
Mission Santa Clara de Asis.
In the center of Santa Clara University’s campus is the Mission Santa Clara. The roof tiles of the current building, a reproduction of the original, were salvaged from earlier structures, which dated from the 1790s and 1820s. Early adobe walls and a spectacular garden with 4,500 roses remain intact as well. | 500 El Camino Real, | Santa Clara | 408/554–4023 | www.scu.edu/missionchurch/history/index.cfm | Free | Self-guided tours daily 6 am–8 pm.
At the southern end of Silicon Valley, San Jose is home to several good museums.
San Jose Museum of Art.
Works by cutting-edge West Coast and Latino artists are among the strengths of this downtown museum. Bay Area figurative painting and sculpture are also well represented, and, not surprising given the museum’s proximity to Silicon Valley, new-media works are often exhibited. | 110 S. Market St., at W. Fernando St., | San Jose | 408/271–6840 | www.sjmusart.org | $8 | Tues.–Sun. 11–5, until 8 the 3rd Thurs. of month.
Tech Museum of Innovation.
At this hands-on, high-tech science museum for kids, they can grow jellyfish DNA, attempt to steer themselves in a vehicle like ones astronauts use for forays outside the space station, experience earthquakes of different magnitudes, and design and ride their own virtual roller coasters. The on-site IMAX domed theater shows a mix of nature programs and Hollywood blockbusters. TIP Take a quick swing through the museum during the last hour it’s open for half the regular admission price. | 201 S. Market St., at Park Ave., | San Jose | 408/294–8324 | www.thetech.org | $20, educational IMAX films $10, museum–IMAX combo $25 | Daily 10–5.
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
Fascinating if dated, this museum showcases exquisite antiquities from Egypt and elsewhere. Walk through a tunnel to reach a hidden burial chamber lined with murals, see a mummy more than 2,500 years old, try to figure out which animal mummies aren’t what they appear to be, and learn about games ancient Egyptian children played. | 1660 Park Ave., at Naglee Ave., | San Jose | 408/947–3635 | www.egyptianmuseum.org | $9 | Wed.–Fri. 9–5, weekends 10–6.
Southwest of San Jose are the pretty village of Saratoga and the ritzy town of Los Gatos, nestled in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Manresa.
Los Gatos is home to one of the country’s finest restaurants, Manresa, which has an exclusive agreement with a neighboring farm to produce ingredients for its exquisite Northern California cuisine. | 320 Village La., | Los Gatos | 408/354–4330 | www.manresarestaurant.com | Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch.