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Cowell Ranch Beach
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Cowell Ranch Beach
One of many beaches along the coast.
I love the view and its never crowded .
Nice Beach. Pristine and gorgeous views from above and below the cliff. There is a wondrous hike from the parking lot to the beach past artichoke fields and protected trails. May be a bit strenuous to bring coolers and equipment in. The stairwell to get down to the beach is a kicker also. The sand is more coarse than San Francisco beaches.
It is a State of California beach 3.3 miles south on Highway 1 from Half Moon Bay. I loved it and can't wait to go back.
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Lovely location at the end of a trail that goes between two different periods in the life of HMB. To the left are farm fields that are unpretentious and lovely, to the right the golf course and the Ritz Carleton which are pretty in that pricey sort of way. The beach is just there for any and all who wish to amble down the dirt road and descend the wooden stairs. Nice sand, great rock formations, a nearby cliff-side viewing area for seals (although we saw none), this seems like a place that locals adore and that first-time or occasional visitors can enjoy as well. Parking is limited, and it can be easy to drive past the entrance if you are speeding down Highway One.
There are so many things I love about this beach - never crowded, secluded, beautiful. It doesn't matter if you make a fire or bring your dog, there is never anyone there to care. That's why this is the beach that I go to the most often.
However, there is a long walk.. which isn't so bad, but usually I'm bringing bags of food, blankets, and a barbecue. Harder to walk for so long with so much stuff. But I suppose if there wasn't a long walk, it probably would be far more crowded.
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California Ba-bay! This is the epitome of what a beach should be- quiet except for the crashing of waves, uncrowded, somewhat secluded cause it's a *little* hard to get to, and not very windy. Not a good swimming beach, however.
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1) Park at the road, be ready for a half mile walk. It's an interesting historic thing which meanders along the (now abandoned) railroad mainline that was a lifeline connecting this part of the coast and the rest of California.
2) The beach is nearly perfect. Instead of grainy sand, it is made up of teeny tiny white pebbles. This means several things: that the beach stays cool to the touch as it doesn't absorb as much sunlight; that you can wipe the "sand" off with a single sweep of the hand as it's not as insidious as real sand; and that your tan will be even as sunlight reflected from below hits what usually is shaded.
3) Little known, very rarely crowded.
My favorite beach between SF and Monterey, without a doubt.
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Look for the yellow gate on the right hand side as you're cruising south on Hwy 1. This beach is amazing, I'll post pics later.
My friends and I came to this beach 3 summers in a row every Wednesday. When we graduated and entered the work force we stopped the tradition. But, I still go. It's very secluded, you have to walk down a pretty long path before you get to a pretty long stair case leading down to the beach. The trek is great though with so many enchanting sights, sounds, and smells. When you reach the whale gate you know you're half way there.
It's not a great place to swim, but who swims in Nor Cal anyway? The southern most rock sometimes looks like the profile of a face or a crocodile.
Awesome beach. My girlfriend and I come here quite a bit. You do have to walk down about a quarter to half a mile pathway, then down a long flight of wooden steps, but it's worth it. I love walking so it's a plus for me. There's an artichoke field to the left and a beachhouse to the right along the path. The beach is pretty small, but it's great for privacy. There's a port a potty to the left before the stairs so if you need to go, it's available. The sand is clean and the view of the ocean from here is great.
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Hubby and I decided to do a mini-excursion to Half Moon Bay, and I was up for it, though I didn't want to put in too much effort....so we found a relatively easy "trail", if we can call it such. I was glad there was parking when we arrived, because the parking lot is really small. Well, all you do is walk straight for about 10 minutes, and then you finally hit the unfenced overlook and peer out into the sea. I love ocean, and I love water, but sometimes, I admit I am de-sensitized to it since I have the opportunity to see it so often....but this was something a bit new for me....mainly because this outlook area was NOT fenced in at all! I was afraid to step too close to the ledge for fear of falling off, but it definitely had a different feel to it....oddly, the feeling I had was "freedom"....weird, huh? How often do I really feel trapped in? To the left of the outlook, far away down, you could see seals...but we were too far away to really see anything other than the knowledge of their presence. There are some killer steps that lead you to the sandy beach, and hey, I can understand why this beach isn't heavily populated...it's because you have to endure a 10 minute walk from your car, then go down this rather long staircase...and for those who are willing, the payoff is greater than the work itself, making it worth all the effort. The sand wasn't too grainy and at first, Hubby commented that it felt like he was walking in snow....the beach was relatively clean, very peaceful, and the water was almost as beautiful as that of Hawaii, which says a lot. We sat down and just enjoyed the scenery for a bit before we headed back, and though we didn't stay that long, I can now officially say I've been to Half Moon Bay, I guess. =D Oh yes, this is a good beach to set up chair and umbrella and just spend the entire day sitting and reading...very relaxing feel to it.
Rox hit it right...and says it all....it's an amazing and beautiful part of our coast line with many paths from the parking lot leading to the goal - the beach !!...and despite the incline/downhill path to get to the waves, I surely think this is a great place to go to
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This is a nice beach. Turn into the Cowell Ranch Beach parking lot from Hwy 1. The parking lot isn't that big. It's free, and there's a piss pot on site. However, there is only enough room for maybe 12 cars or so. You will have to walk along a trail in order to get to the beach itself. You will have the opportunity to go off course and walk in the greens, from which you can see stunning ocean views. Eventually you will come across a set of wooden beach stairs. Be careful going down. They will come to an end, and then you will need to walk down a very short trail, and you'll reach some wooden stair-like planks that you need to go down in order to get to the beach. If you have trouble walking, climbing, or are unable to walk, then I would not suggest you go to this beach just because it would then be very difficult for you to get on the beach. Me and Mr. Rabbit had to climb down and up those wooden planks. While it wasn't super difficult, it might not be particularly easy for others. So just be prepared. ;-)) Otherwise, it's a nice beach!!
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