From Poplar Beach to Cowell Ranch Park, Half Moon Bay

Park at the Poplar St parking lot in Half Moon Bay. Low-tide option If the tide is low enough, you can just walk the whole way on the beach. Get to the beach from the Poplar St parking lot, turn left on the beach and keep walking south. It takes about 3.5 hours. You will pass these milestones (slow pace because of the sand): 10:15 start from Poplar Beach 35' steep trail to Redondo Beach 48' First view of the hotel 1h06' stairs to the hotel and golf course 1h42' tight corner (you need to climb the little cliff) 2h stairs to Cowell 2h10' trailhead (after the detour to the overlook) 2h50' top of trail 3h10' junction with the southern parking lot 3h30' dead end of the coastal trail and overlook Regular trail From the Poplar Beach parking lot follow the paved trail south. After crossing a bridge, you enter the Wavecrest Open Space. The trail bends right and then left (south). At the end of Wavecrest the trail makes a long switchback around a canyon but there is a steep shortcut to cross the canyon. Either way, continue south. The trail is confusing and there are many subtrails. Whenever in doubt, just take the one closer to the cliffs. You will miss the shade of Wavecrest: every else has no shade. Eventually you get to the parking lot for Redondo Beach. Here the trail becomes a paved trail that dead-ends at the property of the big hotel. Turn left before the sign "No trespassing" and the paved trail (sign "Coastal Trail Extension") will take you all around the hotel. It's easy to get lost but the hotel is very visible and the staff will send you on the right trail. If you don't want to get to the beach, you'll go around the hotel by walking inland on paved roads, and you'll have to turn right into a paved biking trail after a parking lot. It sounds complicated but it's intuitive: just walk the perimeter of the golf links. When you see the parking lot, turn into the paved trail and walk towards the beach. At one point you'll see a bridge on your left. That bridge goes through the golf links but it is allowed to hikers. Walk straight on the road and you'll get to a sign that the Coastal Trail ends. It doesn't: look to the right of the fence and you'll see where it continues around the fence. Now you're out of the golf links and back into the wilderness. The trail will take you to the stairs that come up from Cowell Beach and you're entering Cowell Ranch Park. On your right are the stairs, on your left the wide unpaved road that comes from the parking lot, in front of you the entrance to the Cowell Ranch trail, and if you continue straight there is an overlook over the protected area for seals, a short 500 meter detour. Take the Cowell Ranch trail and continue to the dead end. The trail is a tedious road but it has a few good overlooks, especially the very last one that comes right after the junction with the unpaved road coming from the southern parking lot. The map at the overlook shows the exact locations of Eel Rock and Seal Rock (as of 2022 the most popular navigators showed the wrong locations). Milestones: Poplar Beach parking lot 5' Bridge to Wavecrest 15' South trailhead of Wavecrest (the other side of Wavecrest) 35' Redondo Beach parking lot 40' Coastal trail extension around hotel 1h Bridge into the golf links 1h10' Trail out of the golf links 1h15' Stairs and Cowell Ranch trailhead 1h20' Detour to overlook 1h25' Stairs and Cowell Ranch trailhead 2h45' Dead end and overlook

Weather in Half Moon Bay Where it is: Going around the hotel may be confusing, but it is legal and there if an official route: