Sweeping Beauty

Hike to a Bench Overlooking the Pacific on the San Mateo Coast

If you like edgy, windswept, impossibly romantic coastal vistas, then do the short hike on Wilbur’s Watch Trail near Pescadero. The goal: Find the lone bench at the end of the continent.

Hawks glide overhead, and a few Douglas firs add variety to the surrounding grassland. When you reach that sweet seat at the end, break out the bubbles, cheese, and the … engagement ring? (Just sayin’.).

Devour the coastal scenery: To the north is the lighthouse at Pigeon Point; to the south the outline of Año Nuevo State Reserve looks penciled onto the horizon. Autumn is a lovely time to be here, when late afternoon sunlight gives the Pacific a Technicolor blue hue. Keep an eye out for whales, too.

Wilbur

BONUS FOOD & DRINK: Head to downtown Pescadero for a meal at Duarte’s Tavern, a James Beard Award–winning restaurant that is famous for its artichoke soup, locally caught seafood, and Portuguese specialties. Then head over to Bob’s Pumpkin Patch in Half Moon Bay, about 12 miles north of the Pescadero downtown, to pick out your Halloween pumpkins.

Bob

Wilbur’s Watch Trail is open from sunrise to sunset daily, free of charge. No restroom facilities. Take Hwy. 1 to Pigeon Point Rd. Driving south from Half Moon Bay, turn left onto Pigeon Point Rd. immediately across from Pigeon Point Lighthouse. (Pigeon Point Rd. curves to the right and then reconnects with Hwy. 1 about one mile south.) Drive slowly on Pigeon Point Rd. and keep your eyes peeled to locate an unmarked ramp at the end of road (right before it reconnects to Hwy. 1) that leads to the parking area for the trail. 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