Bean Hollow State Beach

Treat yourself to a morning walk along the coast, overlooking the tide pools, rock formations and pebbles. Walk down any of the trails to the water and get a closer look. Be mesmerized. Then head to Pescadero for fresh bread and cheese. Perfect afternoon — rain or shine!

Love this beach!

This has pretty much become the only beach we will visit now for many reasons. It’s dog friendly, has free parking and picnic tables with barbecues. It’s also very clean, beautiful and never crowded. What more could you ask for? We drove around for nearly a day trying to find a beach with all these amenities before we found this one so now we won’t go anywhere else! You could easily spend a whole day here. Have yet to check out the tide pools but definitely will next time!

This was my dog’s first beach! Love this spot. Lucked out on really good weather, no fog at all. We parked at the first turnoff for this beach. Plenty of free parking. We originally missed it and went to the 2^nd parking lot, but that one was packed! There are stairs that lead down to the beach on the right and then we climbed some rocks to get to a little area where we could put our feet in the cold water. Felt soooo good. My 6 year old and 10 year old were able to climb down the rocks. Not bad at all. If you walk further out from the parking lot, there’s stairs that go down to the tide pools. So much fun for the kids to see all the crabs and hermit crabs! Probly better to wear water shoes, we found out, bc the pebbles make your bare feet sore after awhile. But still love this place!

Great fun for the kids. Lots of tiny pebbles and interesting rock formations to climb around. Go during low to medium tide to see lots of crabs and other aquatic life in the tide pools. Sea lions and seals were out basking on the rocks while we were there.

The water had been turquoise lately. Great for swimming. it’s like being in Hawaii but in 60 degree water (you get used to it).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this beach!
Seriously it has all the elements of a fun time at the beach;
–A cool secluded beach. check
–TIDE-​POOLS! CHECK
–Dog friendly. check
–pathway or trail. check
–beautiful rock formations. check
I could probably spend the whole day playing in tide pools and taking selfies here (no shame!) Its gorgeous! The rocks that line the beach are actually from Southern California but thanks to earthquakes and A LOT of time they are here for us to enjoy. During the time I visited the tide was bay back so there was plenty of room to roam around and see all the tide-​pools.
I suggest taking a walk on the pathway south of the parking lot. You will come across a rock full of seals. Early April there was even a few baby seals.
Great place to teach kids all about tide pools, earthquakes, and a love for nature in general.

Stopped in to view this gorgeous beach! Absolutely stunning at sunset in December!
The sand was pristine. The beach was clean, no litter or anything unnatural anywhere. The waves were awesome.
We explored the rocks and the beach. We saw another entrance but didn’t stop by there. We were at the first entrance coming from the north on Highway 1, about 20 minutes south of Half Moon Bay.
There’s one of the lovely state park toilet stalls available. There are just a few parking spaces, and the cost is $ 8. The park closes just after sunset.

My wife, dogs and I went to Bean Hollow near the end of October. What a gem! Beautiful region, low crowds, cool pebbles and dogs allowed. This is now my favorite NORCAL dog-​accessible beach.

I was flashing back to 6^th grade science camp 25 years ago when I finally found this beach. I came here 25 years ago and thanks to google and Unilocal was able to locate this pebble beach. I had wanted to come down this way many times but could not remember what this place was called. I just happened to be exploring the coast with a friend when I decided to do a google search to see if I could find it.
Not much has change here from my memory but I thought there was more pebbles before and I could be right. People probably take pebbles all the time. It is probably one of the coolest beaches to go to.
Definitely bring your kids out here as they will remember it just like I did even 25 years later.
Don’t take the pebbles people eventually they are all gonna be gone if people keep taking them and there won’t be anything to enjoy.

I visited here on a Saturday in early July and it’s well worth the trek from the East Bay. If you are heading south on Highway 1, pull off in to the first small lot you see for Bean Hollow. This more northern lot is free, if you can snag a spot. Beautiful, dramatic rock formations as you clamor south on the beach, while the north end houses the wonderful «beans,» the tiny gem-​like rocks formed over the eons. Spend some time exploring the tide pools, wonder at the coastal rocky shore and dip your hands in to the pebbles that gave this beach it’s name.
Foggy and not crowded, this is a perfect place to unwind and explore. Wear sturdy shoes you don’t mind getting dirty or a little damp for the tide pools, dress in layers and plan to spend at least an hour here!
It’s well maintained and run by California State Parks. A true gem on the San Mateo coast!

This beach is one of the most beautiful beaches just north of the central coast, it’s about 35 miles or so north of Santa Cruz and there are 2 parking lots. On this trip I stopped at the northernmost lot so my pictures are from that side of the beach. Dogs are allowed on leash but as with most of California’s beaches, rangers are not too common in the winter months so well trained dogs can usually play off leash (use discretion dog owners, you know who you are…)
The winter months seem to be the best beach time in Cali as the fog stays away and you can enjoy the beautiful blue skies!!! My pictures are from March 2014

So, there are actually two State Beaches with the same (or similar?) name — this one was the one I was looking for, and the one further northwest on Route 1. There isn’t a whole lot of parking, but what there is was free!
I paused here because a local had mentioned to me over at Nuevo Ano that there was a beach nearby with rocks shaped like beans. That sounded fun to me, so I thought it would be nice to take a look.
I wish I had more time to spend here, but it was cool just to walk down the steps and to check out the holey rocks stuffed with the smooth small pebbles.
There was a class field trip going on during my brief visit, as well as two fellas over in the distance by the water, so it definitely wasn’t a ghost town by any stretch of the imagination.
PS — there’s a sign posted that says «Do Not Remove Pebbles» so please resist taking home a souvenir.

What a great place to adventure around. Walking around the tide pools is like walking on Mars. Rocks carved out from waves crashing, creating beautiful art all around you. We found tons of sea snails and a couple of crabs in the tide pools.
On the walking path, if you are lucky, between the months of March-​July, you’ll find rocks out at sea, filled with sea lion pups. That was one of my favorite spots. They are just so cute! Some sea lions will looks at you from the water. We waved at them. :^)
The beach is like stepping into a dream. Super smooth pebbles all over the shoreline. As each wave retracts, you hear the pebbles make this sound, that’s so relaxing. Next time I go here, I plan on putting out a mat and just listening to the waves.

I can’t believe I’ve gone my entire adult life without visiting the tide pools! I’m a beach bum: I’d spend every day of my life at the beach if I could.
Made our way about 20 minutes south of Half Moon Bay to the next beach that allowed dogs: Bean Hollow. We parked at the North lot and there was plenty of parking (no charge!) we made our way down the steps and found a beach covered in pebbles. «But where are the tide pools I read about?» we went back up the steps and just to left there is a narrow ledge past a sign that you have to brave to cross into the tide pool areas,
The tide pools are so much fun, even if you’re not actively looking for life in the pools it’s fun just to hop and climb around on all the tafoni covered rocks and sit and enjoy the ocean breeze and incredible views.
I happen to own a waterproof camera and it was an amazing way to utilize that feature.
Go here to have an awesome time by the ocean (no sand toys required)!

This is a charming little beach that was perfect for what I had in mind: Doing absolutely nothing but relaxing. And it was free. Maybe there is another parking area that charges you to park, but not the one I found.
Again, being here in January meant I had the whole place to myself. I sat my ass down next to a cliff and took a nap. Afterwards, I sauntered down to the other end where the tide pools are. Since the tide was out, I spent an hour exploring the tidal pools and taking pics of sea creatures. Nothing could be better than this. Stress is nonexistent to me when I’m on the ocean. It always cures my blues. Especially on a hot, sunny wintry day when nobody else is around.
It is a gorgous beach, and this stretch from Santa Cruz to San Francisco is absolutely beautiful. I really love the beaches up here. At least when nobody else is enjoying them…
If you come on a busy day, just cruise down PCH and find a pull off. Chances are, you just found free parking for another excellent beach opportunity. I found many places that were unmarked, and just as gorgous as this one. And one beach had 2 naked women on it. Old women with saggy… well, you get the picture.
I wish people would stop mentioning wifi service. Who fucking cares if you can’t Tweet about your latest bowel movement? Shut the f up and enjoy the beach. I wouldn’t want to see people with their heads bent over and stabbing at a piece of technology at this beach. Leave that for the city. Please. Oh, and don’t steal the wildlife. It’s for the beach, not your backyard. And stop criticizing the bathrooms at these places. It’s a public rest room without running water. Just piss in the hole and shut your hole. Enjoy the place and keep the negative thoughts back in Santa Cruz or wherever.
I will come back to this place again. As long as it isn’t packed to the gills.

My friend took me here explaining how it was her favorite beach while we were out for a random drive up and down the 1.
Bean Hollow State Beach is pretty nice with all the multicolored pebbles. With how deep they are at points they can be a little difficult to walk on.
«The best part is the hissing sound you hear when the waves crash onto the little rocks and draw back,» my friend said. It’s more prevalent in spots where there’s a lot of them.
The larger sandstones along the beach have worn away in interesting patterns, with pebbles resting in all the holes.
We sat around the cliffs watching the waves crash on the rocks all along the shore, spraying seawater high into the air. Some men were fishing. One caught what appeared to be a sanddab.
Except for the ambient noises of nature, it’s a pretty quiet beach. Recommended for amateur geologists, curious tidepoolers, and people who just want a nice place to think.

How freaking cute is this beach, anyway?!
Lots of exploration potential… tidepools, pebbles, sea life.
Parking can be a pain in the nuts on busy weekend days, so it’s best to arrive early. $ 8 parking fee. But don’t bitch about it, that helps support our state parks! :)
They even put in a toilet. No peeing in the sand, people!

What:
— Beach
— 2 mile Arroyo de los Frijoles Trail
— Tide pools
— Shorebirds
— Harbor seals
— Beachcombing
— Small pebbles formed over a million years ago
More Info:
— $ 8 car parking fee (applicable to all the state beaches along CA-​1 S for that day)
— Restrooms
— Plenty of parking spaces
Bean Hollow State Beach is perhaps one of our favorites amongst all the other beaches that we visited that day in the south of Half Moon Bay. This beach was originally called by the Spanish name «Arroyo de los Frijoles», which means «Creek of the Beans,» and was later Americanized to Bean Hollow.
To the right is a short stairway that lead us to the beach shore which has small pebbles that were formed more than a million years ago. The rock formation here looks very interesting and it is called Tafoni. They are formed by «cavernous weathering» process, which involves the interaction of winds and salt sprays in the rocks.
Tafoni Rock Formation —
The beach also features a 2-​mile trail along the ocean with a detour that takes you to the tide pools. Unlike the visitors center in Natural Bridges State Beach (
) that displays the time of the high tides and low tides, there is no visitor center in this beach to provide information about the tides.
A board at the beginning of the trail displayed pictures of the rich marine life that could be seen in these tide pools. As I am one of those folks who get excited by tide pools, I was looking forward to see them. Unfortunately, we could not walk down to the rocks to see the tidepools because the pathway was too quaggy. However, the trail itself was pretty nice; it was bedecked with wild flowers and the walk along the ocean was refreshing.
Bean Hollow State Peach at sunset —
There are reefs offshore where you might be able to spot harbor seals and shore birds. Though we did not catch sight of them, we still enjoyed the dramatic view of the ocean waves crashing against the reefs.

I was at Alice’s Restaurant today, and we overheard the owner talking about the beached blue whale! The biggest whale species in the world!
It was sad and smelled extremely bad if you were downwind, but it was the most amazing thing ever.
LARGER THAN LIFE!