Pebble Beach at Bean Hollow State Beach

Pebble Beach is the northern beach in Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo County. This is a small cove with pebbly beach sand, excellent tidepools, and tafoni rocks. It’s also the trailhead for a one-mile long nature trail that follows the ocean shore.

The multi-colored pebbles in this beach come from an offshore location and include many different stones including agates, jade, moonstone, and jasper. From a distance the sand looks brown but up close it’s easy to see all of the colors. It is illegal to remove any of the stones big or small.

This location is also known for tafoni rocks which are uniquely textured sandstone with a honeycomb-like holes that have been created through a weathering process.

A self-guided nature trail can be found at the circular end of the Pebble Beach access road. This hiking trail continues along the bluff between Highway 1 and the rocky shoreline for about a mile to Arroyo de los Frijoles Beach, the southern beach in Bean Hollow State Beach.

A stair leads down from the parking area to the rocky south end of the cove. Excellent tide pools can be found in the rocks at the south end. Be careful on these rocks as sneaker waves (waves that are larger than normal) can come crashing ashore.

The small circular parking lot for Pebble Beach is well signed on Highway 1 about 1.7 miles south of the intersection with Pescadero Creek Road.

Address

Cabrillo Hwy
Pescadero, CA 94060

Phone

650-726-8819

Park Name

Bean Hollow State Beach

Owner

State Park

Pet Details

Dogs allowed on leash

Fees

Free parking

Activities

Hiking, Tidepooling, Fishing, Birdwatching

Amenities

Restrooms, Nature Trail, Picnic Tables, BBQs, Tide Pools, Tafoni Rocks

Links

Water Temps
Tide Chart