Half Moon Bay State Beach Campground

We rarely make reservations to camp in California Beach Parks, as they are usually filled up weeks or even months in advance. While meeting up with some friends in Half Moon Bay we happened along the campsite and simply enquired if they had an open site for the night. They did, and we ended up staying for 2 nights due to a cancellation.  It never hurts to ask!  

The campsite is a nice quiet stretch of grass, live oak trees, and beach shrubs about 30 vertical feet above the Pacific beach shoreline.  While you get away from the blowing sand, you get to hear the pounding ocean at night. I can’t imagine a more gentle lullaby, frankly. The sites themselves are a little close quarters, but all provide just about enough space for a long camper and a tow/towed vehicle as well.  For a small camper like us, there’s even enough room to have a friend visit. 

The sites offer electrical and water hookups, additionally there is a dump station just as you exit the camping area. Showers and flush toilets are available, but also used by all the beach goers in the area, so you know what they look like....never clean.

The town of Half Moon Bay offers pretty much everything you need in terms of restaurants or grocery stores. Riding your bike, or walking along the path toward town for a well-earned brunch should definitely reach the top of your to-do list while you’re there.  We had brunch at Mavericks Creparie and dinner at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.  Both are absolutely fantastic!

Beachcombing, sunbathing, swimming, horseback riding, and skim boarding during the warmer months also are great ways to fill up the day. The beach path goes for miles in either direction so you can get some exercise off of the main roads.

Campsite Review: 2/5 Stars

Half Moon Bay State Beach – Francis Beach Campground State Beach Phone # (650) 726-8819

I find it a little disappointing just how close the campsites are to each other here, meaning you’re not going to get anything close to a secluded camping experience. The facilities were dirty/sandy (although you are right on the beach), probably because not only are they being overused by day trippers to the beach and the many campers. Although, they do have coin-operated hot showers available (2 minutes per quarter). They really do pack in the 50+ sites here although there are 3 walk-in sites with great views over the beach and of the ocean, which are separated from the RV (up to 40’) mad house, but then you’re right by all of the day use people and even more out in the open as there is literally no coverage at all. The RV sites have electric hook-ups and there are shared water spigots (not hook-ups).

All of these are reservable by phone at 1-800-444-PARK (7275) or online at www.reservecalifornia.com/ ($35 for tent, $56 or $65 for RV and a $7.99 online fee)

Dogs are allowed at the campsite on leash, but not on the beaches here at all (Although horses are… Guess only one animal per “beach”). If you want a dog friendly beach go just a little south to Poplar Beach where the doggos can roam free off leash and have a blast.

The State Beach Park itself is very tiny. $10 to park, there’s a small visitor centers, beautiful beaches, nice scenery, not a lot of vegetation. From here you have access to the 4-ish mile long Half Moon Bay coastal walking/bike trail which runs right through the back of the campground and into the “park”, and of course there are ~4 miles of sandy beaches to enjoy. Should you need connectivity there is actually (unsecured) wi-fi provided by the park and adequate cell coverage!!

For me personally the campground only gets 2/5 stars :

Overall, remember that while you have great access to the beach and the campground is pet friendly you’re definitely, not exactly going to get a remote camping experience and the dog beach is a little way away. The facilities are a bit dirty and jam packed and could be a little better maintained.

Gear Review: 4/5 Stars

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I sometimes get the opportunity to test out products and what I got to use during this trip as a day pack during this trip was Ethnotek’s Setia 20 Liter backpack. While listed as a laptop backpack I used it to store my snack, water bladder/bottle and other first aid type items. I used the laptop pouch to hold the water bladder and ran my tube out the side. Worked perfectly!! For being a compact backpack, I really liked that it has both padded shoulder straps with a slide adjusting sternum strap and the raised lower back padding which made for a comfy fit and allowed a bit of airflow.

I also like that it’s water resistant and contains a hidden built-in rainfly, not that it has rained once since I’ve moved out to Northern California, but it is foggy and a bit damp first thing in the morning. The top zippered pocket in the top hood is the perfect size for items which you’ll want to have easy quick access to like; IDs, credit cards, extra sunscreen, etc. The main pocket is easily accessible via either the drawstring at the top or the side zipper so you can grab things out of the bottom without having to root around through everything in the pack. I do appreciate the laptop compartment, but for a more urban commuter bag I think this would be better utilized with additional pockets to separate out your work items and as a day-pack I think the laptop sleeve would be better utilized as a water bladder holder if there was a slot to pull the tube through.

The only real drawback I had with this gear was that the side zipper doesn’t have a lock of sort for security. I like that there are the 2 zippers, but I think that having some sort of webbing across the zipper so that you could place them both on that side making it a little more difficult for someone walking behind/beside you to just unzip the side and pull out items. This added security isn’t really needed if you’re out hiking, but if you’re commuting in a large city or on crowded public transportation could really save you from losing some valuables.

Overall, I give the bag 4/5 stars. I really love the company’s mission of keeping culture alive by creating high quality laptop and travel bags that feature ethically sourced handmade textiles. The back is extremely comfortable and has a ton of great features, but I think there are just a few minor tweaks which would make it truly unsurpassable.

Backpack’s Features:

· Water resistant 840 denier ballistic nylon main bag fabric

· Built-in handmade textile paneling. Exterior & interior.

· Left side zip gusset pocket for water bottle & quick-grab accessories

· Back-right side zip pocket to access main internal compartment volume

· Main compartment can also be accessed by its large drawstring cinch top

· Main compartment is sealed with a buckle clipped top hood

· A zipper pocket is built into the top hood for easy access storage

· Padded shoulder straps with slide adjusting sternum strap for comfortably fit while wearing

· Built-in rain cover tucks into and can be removed from the bottom of the bag’s back panel

· YKK® zippers

Getting there: Easy from anyplace in the bay. The 92 into Half Moon Bay tends to get a lot of traffic as it's only 1 lane each direction. The beach is right off where the 92 and PCH meet up and is super easy to find. Campsites: The campsites are close to each other, your not going to get a 'secluded' camping experience here. The facilities were kinda dirty, probably because they are overused by day trippers to the beach and not just campers. The sunset, beautiful. The stars, scarce with the fog and ambient light from all the surrounding cities. Dogs are allowed at the campsite on leash, but not on the beaches here at all. If you want a dog friendly beach go just a little south to Poplar Beach where the pups can roam free off leash and have a blast. The Park: Tiny. Beautiful beaches, nice scenery, not a lot of vegetation. What to do: If you want to swim, surf, or just watch the sunset this could be the campground for you. If you want to hike, be alone in nature, or have a secluded experience then go someplace else like Big Sur. There was a LOT of trash on the beach when we were there (beer bottles, red solo cups, bonfire wood/ash). I'm sure this is an isolated incident of some assholes trashing the beach to party, but it should be noted.