Hidden Gems Along the Pacific Coast

​This weekend I ventured to the Pacific side of the peninsula and discovered a whole other world there. It only took 30 minutes to drive across the mountains and the scenery looked completely different. I drove along US-1, or the Pacific Coast Highway, and stopped by several beaches and state parks. The views were beautiful along the entire coast.

All fog, no sun.

​Friday night I went to Half Moon Bay State Beach in hopes of catching the sunset, however, I underestimated the fog and there was absolutely no sun. It was crazy because as I drove east to west, I could see fog rolling over the mountains and covering the sun. Nevertheless, it was still cool to see the beach with so much fog and see people still strolling and fishing by the beach. I also saw campsites set up near the beach and people getting ready to grill and prepare for the night. 

The sunset lit up the sky so colorfully!

The fog coming over the mountains.

Before crossing over the mountain range.

I stopped at the same spot before going to Half Moon Bay State Beach.

​Since there was no sun, I left the beach and the fog before sunset and was able to get some nice shots of the sky being lit multi-colored by the sunset. This was right before entering the mountain range to cross over to the west side so it was still clear skies, but I could see the fog spilling over the mountain peaks.

Pacifica Municipal Pier

​Saturday after dragon boat practice, I drove south on Pacific Coast Highway and hit up several spots along the coast. First stop was Pacifica Municipal Pier. It was just a pier extending out into the ocean and lots of people fishing. The pier itself was alright, but the view from the pier was great. There was the ocean with huge waves coming in, the beach, and the mountains behind it. 

​A little further south, I made a pit stop by Point San Pedro. I walked along a dirt back road and came upon a cove with surfers and beach goers. It was like a mini surf city and I saw several surfers in their wet suits and surfboards walking on the road. 

Looking out from the top of the cliff.

​The spot I’ve been most looking forward to was Gray Whale Cove State Beach. I parked my car in the lot at the top of the cliff and made my way down to the beach. Before going down though, I stopped to marvel at the view from up top. From that vantage point, I saw the beach below me, the cove surrounded by rocks on either side, and the waves constantly crashing into the rocks. It felt like a hidden beach that only locals know, and they came with coolers and baskets of food. 

I spent like 20 minutes watching the waves.

​There was a wooden staircase that led to the beach and the view was just as good. It was very lively with large groups throwing parties and blasting music. I spent most of my time near the rocks that the waves were crashing onto. The sound of the waves was soothing and it was slightly addicting watching the splashes from the waves. It’s like playing a game to see if the next wave will cause a bigger splash or not.
 
The views this weekend surprised me and there’s so much I’ve been missing out on. I’m glad I discovered these spots and I definitely need to more thoroughly explore this area. Going on short adventure like this and exploring new places get me so excited and I’m looking forward to doing more of it!