Right Beaches › California › Half Moon Bay
Gray Whale Cove State Beach
4.7★ · 1,713 Google ratings · Half Moon Bay, California
✓ Parking✓ Short walk✓ Restrooms
At a glance
Parking
175 yd away · fills up
Walk
90 ft · under a minute
Restrooms
Yes · 250 ft away
Water
59°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Tide
3 ft range today
Length
500 yd of shoreline
Sand
300 ft from the water to the back
Crowds
Quietest Tue 8am
Map of Gray Whale Cove State Beach
1
2
1Parking175 yd from the listing2Restrooms250 ft from the listing
Guide
Good to know
Perfect for sunset photography
Cliffs frame a west-facing beach where water turns deep blue-green and waves crash dramatically against rocks.
Arrive before 10am on weekends
The parking lot fills quickly on sunny days and warm weekends, with no overflow options.
Cross Highway 1 with extreme caution
Cars approach around blind curves at high speed with no crosswalk, and the parking lot sits between two turns.
Wear sturdy shoes for the stairs
Roughly 150-300 wooden stairs descend steeply to the beach, with sand making them slippery when wet.
Conditions
How it is right now
Air
63°F · overcast
Water
59°F · modelled, no buoy nearby
Waves
5.0 ft · 10 s apart
Wind
6 mph from the SW
Shelter
Onshore · wind blowing straight in off the water
UV index
7 peak today
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 06:09 | High tide | ↑ |
| 09:36 | Low tide | ↓ |
| 16:23 | High tide | ↑ |
Last updated Sep 4, 5:30 AM.
Crowds
When it gets busy
| 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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QuietBusy
Practical
Plan your visit
📍 Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
🅿 Parking 175 yd from the listing
🌊 Water 90 ft away, under a minute walk
🚽 Restrooms 250 ft away
Nearby
Other beaches close by
1.3 miles away
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2.5 miles away
3.1 miles away
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Questions
Common questions
Where do you park at Gray Whale Cove State Beach?
The nearest mapped parking area is 175 yd from the listed location. Positions come from OpenStreetMap, not from review text.
How far is the walk to the water at Gray Whale Cove State Beach?
90 ft in a straight line from the listing to the mapped shoreline, under a minute. Soft sand and dune make the real walk longer than the straight line.
Does Gray Whale Cove State Beach have restrooms?
Restrooms are mapped 250 ft from the listing.
When is Gray Whale Cove State Beach least busy?
Google visit patterns put the quietest hour at Tue 8am and the busiest at Sun 4pm.
Measured from OpenStreetMap, public aerial imagery and live conditions data, and counted from visitor reviews. Every source, in full.
