Pocket Beaches To See in CA: Cowell Ranch Beach

If you plan to hike the Cowell Purisima Coastal Trail, you might also want to plan to spend some time on the beach that lies hidden around there. Protected by the bluffs in the are is the lovely Cowell Ranch Beach, a not-so-crowded beach south of the city of Half Moon Bay, California.

If you begin your hike at the north end of the trail, half a mile into your walk, you’ll find yourself on a bluff and you might notice some steps leading down it on the right. (The trail, on the other hand, continues to the left of the bluff. )

Walk down the steps and you’ll find yourself on a small but striking beach, thanks to the bluffs that form a wall behind it. And this beach too is not one of those flat ones. You’ll find some ups and downs as it slopes into the Pacific Ocean, making it a dramatic landscape.

Things to ‘note’ before you visit Cowell Ranch State Beach

• There’s a bit of a walk to get to the beach (around half a mile).
• You will also walk down a set of steps to get to the sand.
• If you’re going into the water, please take note that the area is infamous for its rip current. And there have been some unfortunate events at this beach in the last few years. So be very careful!
• The Cowell Ranch State Beach parking lot is a fairly small one. (When we visited, we saw many cars parked on the side of Highway 1. Thankfully there was a car pulling out of the lot so we managed to get a parking spot.
• If you’re hiking, there’s another parking lot, also a small one, (smaller, if I remember correctly) on the south end of the trail.

While you are in the area you could also visit:
Pomponio Beach
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Francis Beach

And if you’d like to do some coastal hikes there’s —
Wilbur’s Watch
And of course, Cowell Purisima Coastal Trail

More:
California Beaches

Linking to —
My Corner of the World

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