With driftwood scattered on the sands near San Gregorio Creek, this mile-long beach where Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà camped in 1769 makes a pretty roadside photo op. It's about 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay.
Look for the parking lot on the ocean side of Hwy 1, just south of Hwy 84/La Honda Rd turnoff.
29.55 MILES
Since at least the 1980s, if you stroll through San Francisco's Mission District you've likely noticed the neighborhood's profusion of colorful murals and…
14.97 MILES
Just over a dozen miles southeast of Pescadero State Beach, Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve is home base for one of the world's largest mainland breeding…
28.95 MILES
The breezy, grassland slopes of 475ft Bernal Hill are decidedly non-touristy, and hiking them on a clear day offers 360-degree city views, along with rare…
27.29 MILES
At 312 acres, McLaren is the second largest park in San Francisco proper, and arguably the most underrated. There are some 7 miles of trails (including…
28.75 MILES
Crafty kids find ways to persuade parents to brave traffic and chilly fog to reach SF Zoo – but everyone ends up enjoying the well-kept habitats,…
21.86 MILES
Definitely the most interesting tech visitor center in the area. You'll be met by an army of Geniuses in red shirts offering information from how to use…
29.71 MILES
The Bay Area hits the big time here, with gallery director Ed Gilbert continuing Anglim's 30-year legacy of launching art movements, from Beat assemblage…
29.71 MILES
Ever since gold-rush miners captured their newfound wealth with ferrotype portraits, San Francisco has staked claims to artistic fame with photography –…
1. Pescadero State Beach & Marsh Natural Preserve
4.36 MILES
Fifteen miles south of Half Moon Bay, the beach and marshland preserve attract beachcombers and birders. Pull over and get out of the car to explore the…
4.92 MILES
At this local-food treasure, the split-level farm shop sells creamy artisanal goat's cheeses festooned with fruit, nuts and a rainbow of edible flowers,…
5.91 MILES
Pretty sand beaches speckle the coast, though one of the most interesting places to stop is Pebble Beach, a jewel less than 2 miles south of Pescadero…
7.72 MILES
Stretch your legs in the redwoods in this park, 2 miles south of La Honda. It has several forested hiking trails and a secluded hike-to cabin available…
8.78 MILES
Five miles south of Pescadero, bobcats and coyotes reside discreetly in this pretty park's 4600 acres of dense redwood canyon and uplands laced with…
6. Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park
9.78 MILES
A half-dozen miles south of Pescadero along the coast, this 115ft-high light station is one of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast. The 1872…
11.01 MILES
Busy Half Moon Bay is bordered by this 4-mile-long, crescent-shaped beach. Stop by the park visitor center (open weekends only) at the parking lot to…
8. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
12.71 MILES
Nobel Prize–winning scientific discoveries have been made at this 2-mile-long linear accelerator – the world's longest – built in the mid-1960s…