The 5 Best Hiking Trails on the San Mateo Coastside, From a Legendary Surf Break to a Hidden Redwood Canyon

This is the southward continuation of my Pacifica trails guide, the same coastline, stretching through Montara, Half Moon Bay, and down to the small town of Pescadero. Here’s the short version: Gray Whale Cove is the easy bluff-top walk for whale season, Pillar Point Bluff is worth it specifically for watching Mavericks’ legendary winter waves from a safe distance, and Purisima Creek Redwoods is the trail to save for a foggy coastal day when the bluff views elsewhere in this guide won’t deliver. Discovering these spectacular San Mateo Coastside hiking trails allows you to fully experience the transition from crashing ocean waves to quiet coastal forests.

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Five trails anchor this guide, spanning ocean bluffs, a world-famous surf break, redwood canyons, and a major coastal wetland, genuinely more habitat variety packed into one short stretch of coast than almost anywhere else in this project.

Key takeaways

• Best whale-watching walk: Gray Whale Cove Trail, an easy, mostly level bluff-top route with elevated ocean views.
• Best surf-culture payoff: Pillar Point Bluff, direct views of Mavericks, one of the most famous big-wave breaks on Earth.
• Best redwood escape: Purisima Creek Redwoods, a genuine forest canyon just a few miles inland from the coast.
• Best wildlife-watching wetland: Pescadero Marsh, one of the largest coastal wetlands remaining on the Central Coast.
• Quietest redwood grove: Butano State Park, genuinely less crowded than the famous Santa Cruz and Marin County groves.
• Fog shapes this entire guide more than any single trail; my guide to weather hazards on California trails is worth reading if you’re planning around clear views specifically.

Gray Whale Cove Trail (McNee Ranch State Park)

Trailhead access and parking at McNee Ranch State Park, Montara

Free state park access at the Gray Whale Cove parking lot on Highway 1, just south of the Tom Lantos Tunnel, the same general Montara Mountain massif covered from the Pacifica side in my San Pedro Valley guide, approached here via a different, coastal-facing route.

What you’ll see: an easy bluff-top walk with elevated whale-watching views

A gently rolling, mostly level dirt path (roughly 1 to 2 miles) contours along the coastal bluffs above Highway 1, passing seasonal wildflowers and remnants of the old Ocean Shore Railroad and WWII-era bunkers. Note that this bluff-top trail is distinct from the steep staircase that descends separately to the actual Gray Whale Cove beach below.

Best time to hike Gray Whale Cove: winter for gray whale migration

Winter migration is the entire reason this trail carries its name; bring binoculars and scan the water from the elevated benches partway along the route.

Pillar Point Bluff Trail

Trailhead access and parking at Pillar Point Bluff, Half Moon Bay

Free bluff-top access via Airport Street and the Jean Lauer Trail Staging Area, near Half Moon Bay Airport, a family-friendly trail, though keep children close near the bluff edge.

What you’ll see: Mavericks, a world-famous big-wave surf break

Mavericks is visible directly from the bluff, capable of producing winter waves reported over 60 ft, a genuine surf-culture landmark found nowhere else in this county’s guide series. The bluff also overlooks the protected waters of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, where seals gather on exposed rocks at low tide, alongside strong bird-watching for hawks and seabirds.

Best time to hike Pillar Point Bluff: winter for the biggest Mavericks swells

Winter swell season is when Mavericks produces its largest, most dramatic waves, the defining reason to time a visit here specifically, rather than just passing through.

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve Trail

Trailhead access and parking at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Free Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District access, reached via Higgins Canyon Road east of Highway 1, the only true redwood-forest trail in this otherwise coastal-focused guide. Dogs aren’t allowed anywhere in the preserve.

What you’ll see: a redwood canyon a few miles inland from the coast

This 5,400-plus-acre preserve holds over 21 miles of trails, ranging from a quick, wheelchair-accessible 0.25-mile redwood loop up to a fuller 5-to-7-mile loop through redwood canyon, creek crossings, and ridge-top ocean views, a genuine forest contrast to the exposed bluff trails elsewhere in this guide.

Best time to hike Purisima Creek Redwoods: a shaded alternative on foggy coastal days

When coastal fog obscures the bluff-top views at Gray Whale Cove or Pillar Point, this inland, forested canyon offers a genuine alternative that doesn’t depend on clear skies the same way.

Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve Trail

Trailhead access and parking at Pescadero State Beach

Free access near the small town of Pescadero, protecting a 235-acre wetland, one of the largest remaining on the Central Coast, and the only extensive wetland along the entire San Francisco Peninsula coastline.

What you’ll see: a major coastal wetland and migratory bird stopover

The Sequoia Audubon Trail is the main route through the marsh, surrounding the confluence of Butano and Pescadero Creeks across tidal estuary, freshwater marsh, brackish water, and riparian woods; substantial numbers of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl pass through here each year, connecting to shorter spurs like the Butano Trail and Round Hill Trail.

Best time to hike Pescadero Marsh: fall and winter for migratory bird viewing

Fall and winter migration brings the heaviest bird activity, a genuinely different wildlife-timing rationale from every other trail in this guide.

Butano State Park Trail

Trailhead access and parking at Butano State Park, Pescadero (day-use fee)

A state park day-use fee applies near Pescadero, offering a second redwood-forest option further south along the Coastside from Purisima Creek Redwoods.

What you’ll see: a quiet redwood canyon away from the busier coastal trails

This is a genuinely less-visited redwood canyon relative to the more famous groves in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Marin County covered elsewhere on this site, a real solitude payoff for hikers willing to drive a bit further south.

Best time to hike Butano State Park: a reliable any-season redwood escape

Consistent forest shade keeps this comfortable across nearly every season, closing out this guide on a dependable, low-key note.

The trail I’d actually start with

If you’ve only got one stop, make it Gray Whale Cove; it’s the easiest trail in this guide to combine with a whale-watching morning, and it pairs naturally with a Highway 1 drive. Pillar Point Bluff is worth timing around winter swell season specifically, and Purisima Creek Redwoods is the pick whenever fog rolls in and ruins the bluff views. Pescadero Marsh and Butano both reward a slower, more deliberate visit further south.

For the Pacifica side of this same coastline just north of here, my Pacifica trails guide rounds out the rest of this stretch. Given how much of this guide revolves around whales, seals, and migratory birds, my San Mateo County hiking guide covers everything else the county has to offer, alongside other regional highlights like San Bruno Mountain State Park.

Frequently asked questions