Pillar Point Bluff
Managed by: POST
Location: Near Moss Beach off Highway 1
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Fees: None
Trail Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Things to See and Do: POST acquired this windswept lookout in August 2004 to protect it from commercial development. While informal paths now crisscross the 119-acre property, a new trail is planned by POST as part of the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail. The Jean Lauer Trail will overlook a seasonal wetland as well as coastal waters protected by the San Mateo County Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. The bluff is popular with local hikers, joggers and dog-walkers.
Keep Your Eyes Open For: Soaring pelicans, cormorants, gulls and hawks.
Directions: From Half Moon Bay, go north on Highway 1 to El Granada. Turn left at Capistrano Rd. toward Princeton. Turn left on Prospect Rd., right on Broadway, left on Harvard Ave., right on Airport St., and left on Los Banos Ave. Turn left on Park Ave., right on La Grande Ave., left on San Ramon Ave., right on San Lucas Ave., left on Del Mar, and right on Bernal Ave. The trail begins to the left along a vacant lot immediately after the second house from the ocean. Park on the street.