Almost always less convenient means less popular, and sometimes that's great! The Cowell Ranch Beach and Access is an astonishing beautiful spot not too many people know about or have been to and it's one of my favorites. It's because you can't see it from the highway and you have to walk about half a mile or so to get there. If you do you'll be rewarded with one of the most picturesque views along the San Francisco bay area coast. When you get to the point there is a left hand view and a right hand view, both lovely. Can sit there at the top of the cliff / bluff and enjoy a snack or meal, or you can go down to the beach. I haven't gone down to the beach yet but when I do I'll provide more info. There are trails that hug the coast from here. I'm sure those will provide lovely walks. Need a bathroom break, need not worry, portapots available.

Small parking lot, but don't let stop you from coming here. A short walk and you have some amazing views on cliffs (be careful) of the Pacific Ocean... some of the best in the peninsula.

Cowell Ranch Beach is beautiful. The trail to the beach is a 10 minute walk and the dirt/sand is mostly level. At the end of the trail there are stairs to get down to the beach. I came on a Saturday in the late afternoon and it wasn’t crowded. I was able to find a couple of secluded spots to sit down and watch the waves. The beach was clean, no ocean smell, and the water was sparkling. I highly recommend this beach.

A beautiful trek into nature I highly recommend.

Spectacular wild flowers blooming! This could turn into a long walk along the coastal trail: north to Ritz Carlston, south to end of the trail to Seal Rock view point. Very enjoyable walk in early April.

Parking is really compact, we parked roadside other than that i love this place, trails are marvelous. If you love to hike with the view then this is the place for you. Be aware of beach area, waves are high and seems dangerous.

Love this place, a small trail which leads to the beautiful bowl shaped beach access. Plenty of trails and one of the best places to watch sunset

It's been a long time since we've gone hiking so we decided on a fairly easy trail. Cowell-Purisma Coastal Trail was pretty easy with gravel trail (stroller friendly) & you get the pretty views pretty much right away! It's about a 7 mile hike, out and back with very little incline. Make sure you wear a cap and wear your sunblock as there is no shade! Unfortunately, the stairs heading down to the beach have been damaged from the heavy storms so they're closed off for now! The parking lot is fairly small but overflow parking is available roadside.

There isn’t really beach access at the moment because seal mamas are nesting there. So you can watch the ocean from the cliff. The ranch was beautiful when I went, carpeted in yellow blooms. The ocean is always a pleasure to be next to. There’s nothing much to do here, just a few benches. I brought a book that I read because I like being alone next to the ocean and it’s difficult with more accessible beaches. Most folks just came and took photos and left, since there isn’t anything else to do. Also it can get pretty cold and windy so pack well. 4 stars because it’s beautiful but there isn’t much to do. It’s a very small space.

Short dusty walk to the beach. Stairs are sturdy and wide except for the last couple steps. Almost stepped on a snake walking down! Sand is coarse and plenty of interesting rocks to play with. Some small sea glass.

An incredible, wide beach with incredible scenic views! Be aware that there is a pretty long walk from the parking to the beach and a pretty steep staircase that isn’t very accessible.

Easy family walk, you can walk all the way to Ritz Carlton hotel or down to the beach. Street parking is easy

Great for walking trails! Beautiful views

I've been coming to this pebble beach for 20 years and it has always been calm, peaceful, and relaxing. The small parking lot leads to an easy, flat hike (half mile?) to the wooden stairs down to the beach. We normally bring a filled picnic basket and some picnic blankets to enjoy the ambiance. No restrooms, only a Port-a-Potty so use the bathroom b4 you arrive. No dogs allowed on that stretch of the beach.

Beautiful small beach about a half mile off of highway 1

Beautiful beach, not real crowded for a Saturday. It's an easy walk with a bench to stop if you need a rest. Stairs down to the beach.

The beach is very serene and beautiful. Not very crowded usually. It is a 0.5 miles walk through the farms from parking lot(limited parking available 10-12 spots). You need to take stairs to get to the beach.

Flat walk along the cliff tops. No beach access.

Beautiful place to walk or run. The coastal views are amazing.

Excellent place for taking rest with children and friends! It is not overcrowded! Especially it it is awesome when the sun goes down.

Clean restroom

Wonderful California coastline views. Follow the Beach Access guides to get down to the ocean, but the views from the coastline are spectacular.

Fantastic

(Translated by Google) Magical sunset, pleasant walk in the middle of productive land (pumpkin plantation) and the look when you see the sea is indescribable. (Original) Pôr do sol mágico , caminhada agradável em meio a terras produtivas (plantação de abóboras ) e o visual quando se avista o mar é indescritível ....

Nice quiet and clean beach. There are a lot of trails to walk along the coast or around the beaches.

Nice view

A beautiful beach to spend the day with kids and look for shells and rocks. It is windy at the top, better at the beach. Beach is accessible via stairs after walking about a half mile from the parking lot. Parking is limited, around 15 spots, porta potties available at the parking lot and the end of the walk near the stairs. There are around a 100 steps and they are steep. Strollers can't be taken in those steps. Be prepared for cold winds. Gorgeous wildflowers along the path to the beach! Parking lot closes at 5 pm. Rangers enforce the closure. Plan to walk back by that time.

Gorgeous scenery. Worth the walk from the parking lot. If you are heading down the stairs to the beach be careful the stairs were partially washed out at the bottom.

Wonderful scenic walk. Fresh breeze. Makes your mind and body very calm.

The best half-moon Bay beach. Coarse sand that doesn't stick to clothes and skin, and less crowded than other beaches.

Amazing view of the ocean the water was so cold. Absolutely spectacular.

This place was so incredibly beautiful!!! Not too crowded at all on the walking trails and certain parts of the beach. If you stay closer to the access points then yes there is plenty of foot traffic. We went a day after it rained and it was super muddy in some areas so we weren’t able to access as much of the walking paths as we would have liked. Some great areas to explore along the cliff line and some spots you can rest and look out at the ocean. Portable bathrooms only. However, they were fairly clean; the ones by the baseball fields seemed the most maintained (more so than in the main 2 parking lots). Kid friendly for sure as well though not overly so if that makes sense. I’ll definitely come back but most likely when it hasn’t rained so much right before!

Nice shirt walk to the beach, great views not too busy.

Beautiful sea shoe, cliffs and sand and waves.

It is a pretty hike to the beach. The steps going down are not too challenging, but not little kid friendly, as they can easily trip. The beach has a pebbly sand, and enough area for a small beach excursion.

There is such a beautiful trail that starts here and you can chose to head to the beach or walk 7 miles out and back.

Place i will bring my first love

Small parking lots that fill up quickly on weekends. From there it's a short walk to the beach. There is a much longer bluff hike to another entrance to the South.

A relaxing stroll with nice views. A good daytrip in the area.

Beautiful beach with wild surf which is not visited that much. There is quite a riptide.

It is Nature's miracle. It is one of the best sunset viewpoint.

If you're looking for a a beach that's not so congested. I think this Beach would best suit you. There is about a ten minute walk/hike to the beach and a flight of stairs you'll need to walk down to meet the beach. The sand is like soft pebbles and the sunset reflecting off the ocean is eye gazing. Just be careful for the sprinklers walking back after sunset from the property owners you walk passed. Nice little getaway. Parking is limited, just keep that in mind.

Nice walk with my wife

Recommend on a weekday not a weekend gets really crowded in the area around the afternoon.

10-15 min walk from the parking area to the beach. Easy walk and ok to bring items for a picnic setting. Be prepared - your walk will end with a staircase to access the beautiful beach. I love this beach access because is away from the highway but not a bad distance to walk and or roll a wheeled ice chest or carry some bags if your planing a little beach day getaway.

Absolutely love this beach, the small hike wasn't too far about 10-15mins of walking. the stairs weren't too bad going down but on the way back up I really wanted to get back into the water. Carrying a cooler up and down it wouldnt be the easiest thing to do but I've seen a few families with them. The beach wasn't too populated on Saturday, we went around 2-5. Parking was free but very limited spaces. Other than that, this is now my go to beach.

Beautiful views

Love it

Love this spot its my favorite relaxing getaway day

It's a bit of a walk to the beach itself, but that's a nice way to have more quiet

It is a great place to walk with lovers♡ Gorgeous View, Fantastic Weather!

Beautiful clean beach with friendly folks. There is a 15-20 minute walk to the beach from the parking lot. Don't bring anything overly large or heavy as the trail finishes with a long stretch of stairs. Some places can get pretty narrow. Overall, pretty nice place to hang out for a day.

Nice secluded beach area got there by bike and enjoyed beautiful views and not crowded beaches with clear sand

The bathrooms need maintenance

(Translated by Google) BEAUTIFUL VIEW. VERY GOOD (Original) HERMOSA VISTA. MUY BIEN

Very enjoyable area , great weather , great people, and highly recommend !

Love this beach to relax and enjoy picnic time!

A lesser know haven for hikers!

Not crowded.

A favorite place for family bike rides ????

(Translated by Google) Best place for trekking (Original) 트레킹장소로 최고입니다

Coast trail only open on weekends. Limited parking. "Bathrooms". About five minute walk to bluff. Not much to look at.

Free parking for Cowell Beach access. Slightly hidden from the main road by trees, so hopefully there are little to no problems with criminals looking for cars to break into.

My favorite place when visiting HMB, start here and walk to the RitZ Carlton. Small parking lot available but you can also park on the street