//
Photo: Elaine with Grey Cats from Mountain View, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a unit of the San Mateo County Parks famous for its tide pools. The best time to visit is during low tide when rocks are exposed and visitors can expect to find everything from starfish to the occasional octopus. Seals are usually present on the beach as well. Parking is limited and can be tough to find on weekends. Docent tours are available.
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a marine reserve in California on the Pacific Ocean, located just north of Pillar Point Harbor and Mavericks in the San Mateo County community of Moss Beach. Moss Beach is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco and 50 miles (80 km) north of Santa Cruz. The reserve is a 32-acre (0.13 km2) holding which extends from Montara light station at the north to Pillar Point on the south. The reserve consists of a three-mile stretch of beach, tidepool habitat, marsh, erosive bluffs, clifftop trail and cypress and eucalyptus forests. The property is owned by the State of California and managed by San Mateo County as a county park and nature preserve. The reserve is administratively assigned to be part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Adjacent to and possibly within the reserve is an endangered species of butterfly, the San Bruno elfin butterfly.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
One of the more popular beaches in Half Moon bay due to easy access and low hills, the beach provides opportunity for swimming, exploration of tide pools and surf fishing. There is also a lighthouse at Point Montara that has been converted to a bed and breakfast.