Gray Whale Cove State Beach - Half Moon Bay, California

Dana Sliman

A beautiful spot along the coast line to stop by a hidden beach and enjoy the ocean breeze and smashing waves over the rocks. A lovely community of young teens playing guitars, surfers, young families and couples are all enjoying the beautiful space. A delightful atmosphere and worth the visit. Just be mindful when crossing the street and take few deep breaths before the 200 straps on the way back up! You can do it!

Josh Wilson

Attendant at the entrance that normally charges $8 for a day pass that is good at any state park was very cool to let me just park for free and "walk around for 15 minutes to stretch my legs" as he put it.
That was all I needed for a break during my drive down the coast and it was a really nice park with beautiful views.

Chaco Ruiz

Absolutely gorgeous beach with plenty of picture opportunities! You park across the highway before walking a short distance (stairs involved), but then you are at an amazing beach with cliffs, rocks, and huge waves! We only got our feet wet since we weren't planning on getting in, but there were others further in the water. It was practically empty and we chilled there for a good, long time.

Amanda F

Very nice beach. A bit of a hike to get to it and crossing the highway is a bit dicey but was well worth it. Only major issue i had was people with their dogs off leash and not watching them. I had two pee on my back pack and that's where our lunch was.

Shirley Yu

I finally visited this beautiful secret beach.
You need to run fast across HWY 1 from the parking lot and you will find the closed gate. Walking along the trail and walking down the stairs then you will see the beautiful beach.

Stormi Ramirez Gessell

*single mom with 12 year old boys* It was a very beautiful cove, dog friendly, with very little people but I’m rating as someone who needs kid friendly and a swim-able surf. The parking lot is ACROSS the beach. There is a very busy highway in between and the access happens to be right after a turn from oncoming traffic.

There are a good amount of stairs down to the cove. When it opens up it’s very pretty but the way back after some beach time could be difficult with littles.

The portapottys are also at the parking lot, meaning if one of the kids really has to go you’ll have to hike all the way up and cross that dangerous hwy again. The beach was also not the cleanest because of no trash bins (one next to the portapotty) but could have been way worse.

To top it off there is an unofficial nude beach just north of the cove. My boys had a good giggle seeing two grown men take a leisurely stroll completely nude thankfully we were a good distance.

It would be perfect for a date for two adults with a pop up tent , some snacks , and lots of time to enjoy the coast.

Grigoriy Dubyago

Awesome place, if you are in Half Moon Bay these hidden beaches up north is where you want to go. There is plenty of parking, you have to cross carefully to get to the stairs and it’s a short walk, and when you get down to the beach you are out of the wind. We laid in the sun for 30 and we were red, don’t forget sunscreen and be careful with the time you spend in the sun. The waves are strong here and I went swimming anyway or tried it was too strong I got in the water waist deep and it was wild. You can get beat up by them be careful. Great place

Julio Gonzalez

be prepared for the steep incline for the first 3ish miles. we were not. i’d avoid going up when it’s hot. we did not. the walk down had great views. highly recommend