Looking for a fall afternoon getaway? Check out Half Moon Bay!
Hi there, welcome back! Happy October – I can’t believe it’s already fall. I’ve managed to hold back on the fall cooking until today (I made a vegan butternut squash, rosemary, and kale casserole tonight!), but I’m giving myself permission to go full-on pumpkin spice now 🙂 It may not feel like fall in California (I’m looking at you, 90 degree weather!) but that doesn’t mean that we can’t do some fun activities. I took a quick day trip to Half Moon Bay with my mom last week, so keep reading to learn about what I recommend doing there!
It’s easy to feel restless with all of the COVID-19 restrictions, and this is why my mom and I decided to drive down to Half Moon Bay —we wanted a quick respite from the monotony of distance learning and work. Half Moon Bay is only 30 miles (about 40 minutes without traffic) from San Francisco.
1. Visit a sunflower field.
The reason that we went to Half Moon Bay in particular was because I saw a video of its sunflower fields online. I’ve never been to a sunflower field, and sunflowers are my mom’s favorite flower, so I thought that it would be a perfect outing.
We visited Andreotti Family Farm, a family-owned farm that has been around for over ninety years. In addition to a you-pick sunflower field, they have a pumpkin patch each fall. My mom and I brought our own clippers, donned our masks, and paid the $10/person entrance fee (which included 5 sunflowers for each of us!) and then got to work searching for the prettiest, fullest sunflowers we could find. We went at the end of the season so the field wasn’t as full as I’d imagined, but we were still able to find 10 beautiful flowers! The field is closed as of now but the pumpkin patch is open, and I would highly recommend visiting the sunflower field next year if you can.
2. Stop by the beach.
After our sunflower excursion, my mom and I went to the beach. Mind you, this is not a “bikini and sunbathing beach”—California beaches are cold, and the weather in Half Moon Bay in the fall is in the 60-70 degree range – but the sand was soft, the water was beautiful, and the sun did peak out for a bit! There are tons of beaches along the road, so you can stop at any of them, but we went to Montara State Beach.
3. Go for a hike.
In the evening, we went on a short hike, starting at the Montara Mountain (Top of Mountain) Trailhead. The trailhead is about a 2-minute drive from the Montara State Beach parking lot. You walk through the forest for a couple of minutes, then there are a number of trails that open up after that. We took a left when the trail opened up and took a very mild route part of the way up the mountain. The view was amazing—we could see a panorama of the ocean, the residential areas, and even some farmland.
Half Moon Bay has lots of other incredible hikes. Here is a guide to some popular trails.
4. Watch the sunset.
As the sun was setting, we stopped at the Gray Whale Cove State Beach parking lot, crossed the street, and took some photos of the beautiful sunset. It was a perfect end to a short, much-needed adventure to Half Moon Bay!
Final Thoughts
Half Moon Bay is a wonderful beach town and the perfect spot for a day trip from San Francisco. Although the sunflower fields are only available in the fall, Half Moon Bay is a great place to visit year-round.
All of these activities were coronavirus-friendly, as there were few people around, most people (including us, of course!) wore masks, and we were outside. As much as I want to get back to “normal” life, it’s so important that we continue to follow COVID-19 precautions to keep ourselves and our communities safe. With that being said, I hope that you are staying happy and healthy and finding new places near your hometown to explore! See you next time!
