Week 33 - Not-a-Hike to the Best Bay Area Beach

Yesterday, a friend and I took my 2.5 year old to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve near Moss Beach. (Also, see here and here) I think this currently tops my list of the best Bay Area beaches. In fact, I was inclined to not blog about this place because it was so nice and quiet. I realized, of course, that I don't really have enough readers to worry that the beach will be swamped with people who read about it on my blog. And if I met my readers there, I would probably like them, or have invited them myself.

We did not hike any of the trails on the bluff, but they looked nice. At the Moss Beach entrance, a short trail takes you to an overlook between two beaches. To the South/left, you climb down a short stair, cross a freshwater stream and can walk down to the tidal pools. Although we got there about 4 hours after low tide, we were able to see crabs, hermit crabs, anemone, and periwinkle. It was great. Flocks of pelicans flew overhead, and the weather was perfect.

We walked back to the car, and got our picnic gear, which we took to the northern beach. We were virtually alone there, except for one other family. The bluff curves around the beach, so we were buffeted from the wind, and the temperature was around 70. My son ran around and around on the soft sand, practicing his slides into home plate. A harbor seal spied on us from the waves.

We hung out for about 4 hours and then headed back to Oakland. The traffic on 92 heading west made us feel pretty superior for having gotten on the road at 8:45 a.m. It took less than an hour to get out there from Oakland. A guy on the beach passed along this great tip: Caltrans has a live video camera at the intersection of Highways 1 and 92. You can see the traffic and the weather at the same time, and decide whether its worth heading out. One possible reason that the beach was so quiet is that Highway 1 is washed out at Devil's Slide, just north of Moss Beach, preventing San Franciscans from hopping down quickly.

A few comments for the pregnant mamas: It's probably not a great idea to walk on the tidal pool rocks too much unless you feel surefooted and have a companion to hold your hand, or at least your child. I walked on the area closest to shore but did not venture further out onto the breakers. They looked wet and sharp, and I am FAT (these days) and off-balance. And the access to the North beach required that I scoot down the rock on my bottom, which I was not ashamed to do, although my non-pregnant friend could climb it in a step or two.

This outing did not qualify as a hike for me, but it was great to be outside, be warm, hear the ocean and let the kiddo run down his battery.