Cowell Ranch Beach

Located to the south of the city of Half Moon Bay, Cowell Ranch Beach is a large beach with light brown sand and sparse vegetation. The beach is situated below steep oceanfront yellow sandstone bluffs and is a part of an oceanfront state park known as Cowell Ranch State Beach, managed by California State Parks. The shoreline around the beach is rocky and an interesting wall-like rock formation can be found near the southern part of the beach. Cowell Ranch Beach is less popular than other Half Moon Bay beaches, offering a more secluded experience.

While Cowell Ranch Beach does not have any lifeguards or other amenities, the blufftop area above the beach has hiking trails and restrooms. The parking lot near the beach provides easy access to these trails.

Cowell Ranch Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, hiking, picnicking, beachcombing, and wildlife watching. The water near Cowell Ranch Beach is extremely unsafe for recreational aquatic activities including surfing and swimming as it is known to have dangerous waves and strong water currents. Cases of drowning-related accidents have also been previously reported from this beach. In addition, we recommend being careful while walking along the beach shoreline as sneaker waves can pull you offshore into the ocean. If you are visiting with children, we strongly recommend against leaving them unattended on this beach.

The water near Cowell Ranch Beach is home to seals, sea lions, and migrating grey whales (usually between December and April). The southern part of Cowell Ranch Beach, known as Seal Beach, is a designated nature preserve that is closed off to public access. However, there is a blufftop overlook above Cowell Ranch Beach from where you can view the seals in Seal Beach and also have a memorable look at newborn seal pups during early spring. This blufftop overlook also has coin-operated binoculars.

The blufftop area above the beach also has hiking and equestrian trails which you can use to explore the vivid and beautiful coastal blufftop landscape present above the beach. One of these trails is the Cowell-Purisima Trail, which is managed in collaboration with the Peninsula Open Space Trust. This trail is a 3.6-mile part of the California Coastal Trail and offers Instagram-worthy views of the blufftop area along the San Mateo County shoreline.

The blufftop area above Cowell Ranch Beach also has interpretive displays that offer interesting information about the local natural history. In addition, the blufftop area above the beach is a great bird-watching spot.

Getting to Cowell Ranch Beach is easy - the access trail to Cowell Ranch Beach starts near 17500 Cabrillo Highway South / Pacific Coast Highway. The access trail ends near the edge of the bluff, where there are stairs leading down along the bluff side to Cowell Ranch Beach.

There are many attractions near Cowell Ranch Beach. If you like shopping, the downtown area of the city of Half Moon Bay has some exciting designer and branded stores, galleries, restaurants, and frequent live music performances while also hosting a farmer’s market every Saturday from May through December featuring some of the best fresh produce, gourmet dishes, and handicrafts in San Mateo County.

La Nebbia Winery offers exciting wine tours within its picturesque wine gardens on weekends along with wine tasting sessions, a bocce court, and picnic areas. If you are looking for another attraction near Cowell Ranch Beach, Half Moon Bay Golf Links is set in the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay resort property and offers two 18-hole challenging golf courses, bocce ball courts, and a restaurant.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Cowell Ranch Beach. Pasta Moon is an upscale Italian restaurant serving a fantastic range of pasta and pizzas made from farm-fresh and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has been praised in many publications including the MICHELIN Guide. Cafe Capistrano offers delicious Mexican dishes with a Mayan twist and has also been praised in the MICHELIN Guide. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Cowell ranch Beach, modestly priced family-friendly Main Street Grill offers delicious lunch and breakfast dishes including eggs, pancakes, French toasts, and salads.

If you are looking for a hotel near Cowell Ranch Beach, there are many great nearby options. The 5-Star Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay offers many amenities including three restaurants, a spa, two golf courses, a lawn with firepits, a fitness center, a tennis court, a pool, and a spa. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Oceano Hotel & Spa Half Moon Bay Harbor is 22 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including a restaurant, a bar, a spa, and a fitness center. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star 1855 Zaballa House that is set in a 19th-century mansion and offers a variety of amenities including complimentary breakfast, evening wine-and-cheese tasting sessions, and an elegant guest lounge. The hotel also has an exhibition of artifacts highlighting Half Moon Bay‚Äôs vibrant history. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Cowell Ranch Beach, the modestly priced 2-Star Quality Inn is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in Half Moon Bay and offers numerous amenities including a fitness center and complimentary breakfast.