Pescadero Point Beach

Awesome spot with tide pools! Free to go to, as were all the beaches we ended up visiting on the same day. We went during low tide and were able to spot endless amounts of hermit crabs, ribbed limpets, and some sea anemones. Worth a stop even if it's short. It exceeded my expectations because I just thought we'd be here for 5 minutes, but probably spent 30+ minutes here. There are some stairs to get down to the beach.

I like coming here because this is one of the only beaches on hwy 1 that have reliable, strong cellular reception. The beach itself is breathtaking, with the waves just rolling in at high tide. When it's calmer you can even see elephant seals lounging on the rocks. Keep in mind that this beach tends to be busier because it's closer to the bay and that it has reception

Beautiful beach and state park. Lots of trails down to the water and all around the rocks and beach. Lots of cool formations to see.

Just past the official pescadero state beach, which costs money and is sometimes crowded, there is a pull off on the right where several cars could fit and two short easy paths leading down to the beach. There is a small "park hours" sign. All other signs of life are minimal. My absolute number one favorite place to rockhound in the greater Bay Area.

There are better beaches nearby for just relaxing in the sand or checking out beautiful coastal cliffs and landscapes. Where this beach shines is the tidepools. There are lots of quality tidepools to admire over a long stretch of distance filled with black and brown tegula snails, blue band hermit crabs, rough limpets, striped shore crabs, gooseneck barnacles and little brown barnacles, aggregating and suburst anemones, rockweed, turkish washcloth, and many other types of life. This beach also tends to be less crowded than others in the area, so if you are looking for a place to get away from people on a hot day it is a good choice.