Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail
Trail Review:
It’s a beautiful trail that hugs the Pacific Ocean and runs through multiple state parks. I road the trail from Poplar Beach, up to the harbor, then back.
The trail is a mix of paved or flat, hard-packed dirt. South of Poplar Beach, however, the trail turns into a bumpy mess.
The views are stunning when the trail is right next to the ocean, and a little less so when it turns away from the coast.
There are only a few trees on the trail.
There are plenty of restrooms along the path, due to the state parks.
If one were hungry or thirsty, there are plenty of restaurants close to the trail.
What I Learned:
I was surprised at how clean my gears were after the ride. After Alviso, I had thought that all dirt trails would lead to dirty gears, but not this trail. I believe it’s because of the humidity in the air that kept the dust down.
Media Consumed:
The Song of Achilles
What Happened?
13.5 miles, 1 hr 26 min, 247 ft of ascent
I woke up and wanted to ride my bike. So, I drove to Poplar Beach, parked along the side of the street, and started my ride.
I found the trail to be not too busy (at least until 10:30am) and just had a great time enjoying a relaxing ride. There was a bit of a detour I needed to handle (due to a closed bridge), but I followed the detour signs and rode all the way to the harbor.
At the harbor, I had found many kayakers and stand up boarders enjoying the harbor. I had dismissed this place before since I’m not a big fan of man-made places, but I think I want to return here with my kayak. It didn’t seem too busy, and who knows, maybe I’ll see some seals or other animals.
Anyways, I rode back past Poplar Beach and thought maybe I’d ride all the way down to Redondo Beach or the Ritz-Carlton, but the trail got really rough and a little muddy, so I turned back to my car.