Half Moon Highroller

Cowell-Purisima Trail in Half Moon Bay

For an easy bike ride with enormous coastal views, head a few miles south of Half Moon Bay. The Cowell-Purisima Trail stretches for 3 sea-breezy miles along high coastal bluffs. You can thank the Peninsula Open Space Trust and State Coastal Conservancy, who put in a 25-year effort to secure this open space for the public.

The wide gravel-and-dirt trail gently rolls along the edge of the continent: to the east is farmland and to the west is a 100-foot cliff dropping off to uninterrupted views of the roiling Pacific. Watch for harbor seals swimming or lounging on rocks, their only natural predator being the great white sharks that share these waters. Giant brown pelicans and red-tail hawks cruise overhead. The trail is mostly flat, with only one real up-and-down at Purisima Creek, which was home to an Ohlone village thousands of years ago.

The trail ends at Cowell Ranch State Beach—a fantastic crescent hike-in (or bike-in) respite tucked away from the rest of the world by hulking cliffs. Enjoy the ocean air, keep on the lookout for passing gray whales, and return the way you came. Cowellbunga!

Drive south on Hwy. 1 passing the turn-off for the Ritz Carlton. In less than a mile you'll see the parking area for Cowell Ranch Beach. We recommend continuing south on Hwy. 1 for 3 miles and starting at the southern parking area. Park and ride the trail for 3.5 miles to Cowell Ranch Beach. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View