Tunitas Creek Beach

Trashed beach, the sand spiders are gnarly, got both our cars broken into, windy as hell. Any other beach trumps this

Just an update I got through the grapevine. The county is putting in no overnight parking signs and the local tow companies are going to have authority to start towing cars parked there between 10pm and 5am. Also, ticketing will take place. This is what happens when a bunch of people abuse the beach, leave their trash (and broken bottles), and act like idiots along the road in the middle of the night when locals just want (understandably) some quiet.
Keep it up and this park will turn into a full blown pay to access state beach.

Hello visitors visiting to tunitas creek. Please pass the word to stop trashing tunitas creek. Its becoming a huge problem and Local folks and volunteers programs are exhausted and low on funding to support tunitas. I love tunitas. It’s sand is beautiful and the environment is breath taking. Lets try to work together, pass the word, pick up your trash and be a hero to keep every beach on our coast stay beautiful to visit. –mahalo oxox

Park off of highway 1 and Tunitas, use the pathway on the side to walk to the beach. The pathway goes under the highway, much safer. Lots of rocks, dried grass/​weed, and sand on this trail. The beach does NOT have any restroom, trash, what so ever. So have extra garbage bag system ready!
This beach felt really secluded. The beach is perfect for bonfires and camping if you’re up for it. It does get cloudy, hence Half Moon Bay. The sand isn’t the best, very fine dark sand that clings onto your skin; along with the dead birds and crustaceans all over the beach. Some friends fished off the ocean and caught small fish, forgot what they were called but its flat.

It’s a beautiful beach. I like it because I like remote, open space. It’s hardly crowded.
The last time I was there the fog rolled in very fast and it was thick — imagine almost instant rain. The trail back up got muddy and I had a slip… and almost fell… off the edge of a cliff. This place is deadly. I spent my whole way back up with my feet slipping under me and my hands in the mud. I was terrified. This is no place for kids. This is no place for the elderly.
About the sand spiders, I’ve never seen one, but I always get lots of bug bites around my feet.
Yes, there is broken glass in the sand. Yes, there is a lot of poison oak around the trail. I’ve only hurt myself on the bits of buried bonfires from the night before.

Lots of trash n graffiti. Thanks to an Internet blog I found this beach. Yes it is very secluded and hard to find. Sketchy as f**k too. Hella hippies and crack heads along the side of the road. Arrived at 11 pm last night and saw a long road of cars on the side of the road. Didn’t know if it was the right spot but took a chance anyway. The way down was sketch… Esp at night and we couldn’t see anything. The trail down to the beach was about a little more than ¼ mile. Getting onto the actual beach there were lots of people on the bottom at this time.
I wish there were trash cans so that we could dump our garbage.
Next time I would come early so I can actually see the beach

Tunitas Creek Beach is one of, if not the last «free» beach on the California Coast. «Free» as in no charges whatsoever to use this beach, whether it is a short hike, day trip, overnighter, or multi-​day campout.
Taking Joe’s Trail, which starts about 50 feet down Tunitas Creek Road from Highway 1, on the South side, it’ll be about a 1 mile hike. The majority of the trail is well established and easy walking for most folks. There are a few small declines, not more than 3 – 4 feet high and a couple of spots where you might get your shoes wet, or potentially slip on the slick mudy spots, but otherwise, really a mild trail. Small children can easily handle the walk with minimal supervision. The trail runs along Tunitas Creek itself.
As you reach the trail end, iceplant covered sections, along with other sand grasses, are everywhere. Absolutely, wear shoes. Too many idiots have left broken glass. FLIP FLOPs are ok (but not for the trail, only 4 beach use.)
From the end of the trail, you’ll have to trek ¼ mile thru the sand to finally touch the ocean. Rip currents are all over at this beach, so unless you know what you are doing, figure on only getting up to your ankles in the water. Wear a wife jacket if you really want to wade/​swim. Some waves may hit 4 – 6 feet, but most are smaller. Not very surfboard oriented, but a body/​boogie board is pretty good here. At least a shorty, preferably a ¾ or full wetsuit, the water is always chilly, 60 degrees even in August.
There are silver surf perch to be caught on lightweight flies/​streamers – use a size 10 or smaller hook. Saltwater fly rod is nice here. A few anglers try their luck here in the mornings, never seen a decent catch, although rumored to have Striped Bass run through here, along with the usual shark populations.
Dungenous (sp?) Crab are prolific, but don’t even pick them up, fish and game hawk this beach heavily with binoculars. When the dunnies are IN season, mind the limits and size restrictions.
Toward the southern side of the main beach, there are usually several «community» tents with a large windsurf or paddle board marking the spot. If you have any rainbow skills, you should have little trouble using one of the tents if you’d like.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, pack out 100% of what you bring, DO NOT leave anything at all! In fact, help us all, and pack out 101%, pick something extra up to help.
There is a crew you might see running a quadrunner with a small trailer. You might talk Chris into packing your gear in or out with his quad, for about $ 20-​$ 30 per load (tell him Glider Bob sent you.)
Btw, the wind is almost always mild here, even when places like Davenport are sportung 25mph wind, this spot will be 3−7mph. Its enough for very light sloper sailplanes, even thermal gliders can «slope» here.
Careful though, lots of poison oak. Use your judgement and do clean up, its a great spot. Weekends are busy, but Sundays thru Thurs and you MIGHT be the only one there. Secure your car, secure your camp, kee0 valuables at home or immediatwly with you, recent robberies have been witnessed first hand.

Two words: sand spiders. Forget all the reviews about broken glass and human waste… Once you see one of these monsters with your own eyes you will not want to be within the same timezone as this beach. Sand spiders are an invasive species from the deserts of the Middle East that have adapted to some lesser known Nor Cal beaches. Deprived of their natural food source (camels) they have learned to hunt any large nearby mammal (in this case you). They are also particularly attracted to sources of warmth (fire) and are known to swarm in its vicinity. They have extremely good eyesight, they usually see you before you see them, and are capable of running at high speeds over sand. They grow to at least two feet long and have fangs completely capable of punching through thick clothing or a sleeping bag. They are also well known ambush predators and will crouch just under the surface of the sand waiting for bare feet. The beach reeks of all the dead goats, deer, and seals that have fallen victim to these unwelcome arachnids. If you get bitten seek attention immediately, but to be safest just don’t go here at night. Otherwise nice beach.

Stopped off on our cruise down highway one. Five minutes in my fiancé stepped on glass and cut his foot. Spent the rest of the day in the ER. Was pretty disappointed.

This is by far one of my favorite beaches. I went there on the fourth, and, I wouldn’t say it was packed, but there were many people there. The hike down to get to it is a bit of a hassle, however it definitely is worth it. Also if you wake up early enough you can go through the little cave off to the left, and there is a whole separate part of the beach that no one goes too. The only bad thing about this beach, which has to do with work of the people that go here, is that there is usually trash by the area to get back up to the cars. If people would take their stuff with them, then this beach would be absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend this beach, but beware of the hike down and back up. It’s a trek, and you need at least one free hand.

Gross beach.
Broken bottles, human waste and toilet paper everywhere.
To top it off both cars we arrived in were ticketed. Would have been better off hitting any of the state beaches.

Tried camping there last weekend — got a $ 178 ticket parking all afternoon on Tunitas Creek Lane and right after cops put tickets on all our cars, they came and kicked us off the beach and wrote $ 180 tickets for the booze.
The place is no longer under the radar, of the general population or worse, the cops. I recommend finding elsewhere.
(In addition to our nearly $ 400 in tickets per person, we are covered in Poison Oak.)

Horrible. Disgusting. Trashy. Don’t ever go here!

Tunitas Creek is one of the best kept beaches on Highway 1! There is no doubt that Half Moon Bay has better beaches than SF, so when my boyfriend found Tunitas Creek Beach on accident, I was floored to see how absolutely beautiful this beach was! First off, we parked on the opposite side of the beach, walked down a path, through a creek, and onto the beach. It was so beautiful it looked almost untouched with the prominent waves in the sand, beautiful seashells, and soft as powder sand. Definitely one of my favorite spots now!

Please remove this from site of you want it secret keep it secret the spot has already been ruined by to many people showing up

The real hidden gem of the bay area. It’s located right off Highway 1, going south to Santa Cruz from Half Moon Bay. The way I’ve always gotten there was from the pull out from the highway. I think the Unilocal address is now correct, before it wasn’t and we had to kind of search for it, since it’s not a state beach and there are no signs. I never thought the climb was that bad (until I came back after college and realized how out of shape I was) but it’s so worth it. Sunset here is really beautiful. Pick a nice day to come or it will be freezing. My friend and I came today and had the whole beach to ourselves. We also went down to the creek and waded in it a little. Make sure to bring trash bags, especially if you’re coming here to party because there are no trash cans (or bathrooms, for that matter). I’m definitely coming back here many more times in the future. Don’t tell all your friends though or soon everyone will know about it.

Please pick up your garbage. This was once a great place for couples to come to, to backpack and camp. I had lots of good times last Summer. I’ve been to Tunitas beach to camp, twice this Summer and it’s notably taken a turn for the worse. This was once a low key spot and now apparently word has spread that it’s a place you can just show up, party, dump all your trash, dirty diapers, spray graffiti all over the trees and structures, use the access trail as a toilet and leave their fecal waste and toilet paper everywhere and generally be a drunken disrespectful nuisance to other campers. It’s a two mile stretch of beach and yet these newbies come in and camp 20 feet from you. These new disrespectful invaders are eventually going to do something stupid enough to get this great spot shut down. As if what they’re doing now isn’t enough.

As long as you don’t mind a few rough edges, Tunitas Creek Beach is absolutely a hidden gem. There are few places along the San Mateo coast that offer such an adventurous experience, from start to finish. It’s really quite the find.
For starters, this is not a state park with established parking areas and pathways. It’s publically accessible, thanks to the work of the California Coastal Commision, but the ways to reach the beach are unmarked and slightly off the beaten path. Most people choose a pull-​out on Highway One where you’ll have to descent a steep cliff using a series of fixed ropes — bring a pair of gloves if you can and some good shoes if you choose this option. Otherwise, it’s a slip and slide to the beach.
The far better option is to park on Tunitas Creek Road, just off Highway One, and go underneath the highway on «Joe’s trail» and follow the creek to its eventual end at the beach itself. There are overgrown sections and one spot where a fixed rope helps you ascend a steep spot, but it’s all part of the experience. This is the San Mateo coast, baby! Go with the flow.
Once, you are at the beach, you’ll be impressed, despite the odd bits of detritus that mar the unspoiled beauty of the place.
From North to South, you have nearly two miles of sand bookended by steep cliffs and tidal pools. There are rare tafoni formations (
) at each end, a cave at the southern end that leads to a remote clothing optional bathing spot, and masses of sea birds that use this beach as a feeding zone. It’s a wonderful location for feeling removed from the hustle and bustle of the Bay area, and you are, in truth, on the Pacific plate West of the San Andreas fault, off the North American continent. It truly feels like another world.
Is it worth the effort to come here? For most, it is not. But for all the rest, Tunitas Creek Beach is a destination not to be missed. It took me a few years to finally make it, but I’m glad that I did!

If the crowds of Santa Cruz beach goers makes you anxious, and you’re looking for a quieter, more private and different experience, come here! It’s an easy to miss parking lot and looks like a cliffside when you look over the ledge of the parking lot but climb down this area and you’re guaranteed a good time. This is my breakdown:
CONS — The hike down (you need to be in decent shape because the path down is steep and you need to grab on to rope to make it down and not fall. Bear this in mind when you think to bring coolers or too many bags of food/​beach gear, it will be a hassle to bring things down and back up). *TIP* Do not do this hike in flip flops, bring something harder-​soled, like sneakers. Also, if you are staying later after sunset (and trust me, you’ll want to do that because it’s awesome!), bring a headlight or flashlight to help you navigate your hike back up.
— There are pots of trash in certain areas of the beach since it’s hard for people to haul their garbage back up the path from the parking lot.
— Tends to get pretty cold as soon as the sun goes down, bring warmer gear as well as your beach wear
PROS — Don’t know if it’s legal but likely one of the few places you can find where there is camping, bonfires, drink and fireworks. My guess is that people do these things b/​c it’s difficult for law enforcement to climb down to regulate these activities. These are intensely fun night time activities!
— There aren’t a lot of people who come here, not many little kids or seniors, probably since the hike is so intense.
— Beautiful cliffside scenery, a pleasant change from flat beach landscapes and miles of beaches full of umbrellas and people
— It’s quiet, private and lots of beach to stretch out on.

This is definitely the best beach I have ever been to! We were coming back from the tide pools one day, looking for a free beach to park at and enjoy. We stopped in this little spot, and, feeling adventurous, decided to climb down the hill. It is a bit rough getting down, but some nice people have tied a bunch of ropes together to make it easier. I am completely out of shape, and I can make it up and down without falling to my death *knocks on wood*.
That said…
Once you get down, you will [more often than not] experience a pretty secluded and always beautiful beach. If you cross through the cave to the other side, my favorite spot [the cave], you will sometimes experience some naked [mostly men] folks.
We will always be coming back to this beach. ;3