Pillar Point Bluff
Managed by County of San Mateo Parks Department
221 acres4.7 mi of trail
Jean Lauer TrailRoss' Cove TrailPillar Point Bluff TrailFrenchman's Reef Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Pillar Point Bluff Trail (POST)Website ↗
Photo: Sallyrob at English Wikipedia · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Moss Beach
30% of Moss Beach’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Moss Beach, 5.5 per square mile of land. 30% of Moss Beach’s land is conserved, about 433 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #11 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
433 acres · of 2.2 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
5.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
427 ac
159 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.7 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is Moss Beach?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Moss Beach have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Moss Beach is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #11 of 847 in California. All four inputs put Moss Beach near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Moss Beach’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails5.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land159 acres of park per 1,000 residents (427 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)#11 of 847
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Pillar Point Bluff, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rancho Corral de Tierra
Managed by National Park Service
166 acres4.4 mi of trail
San Vicente Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Nature preserve
51 acres1.1 mi of trail
Bluff TrailDardanelle TrailCypress Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Pillar Point Bluff221 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · County of San Mateo Parks Department
DirectionsRancho Corral de Tierra166 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsFitzgerald Marine Reserve51 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary6 acres · National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Montara State Marine Reserve5 acres
DirectionsMoss Beach Park2 acres
Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area1 acres
Who protects it
433 conserved acres
30% of Moss Beach’s land. Who manages Moss Beach’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County262 ac
National Park Service170 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 223 acNational Recreation Area · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 39 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillar Point Bluff Local Other or Unknown | County | 223 | Open |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 170 | Open |
| Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Local Conservation Area | County | 39 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Moss Beach
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Moss Beach
Mavericks Beach
DirectionsRoss Cove BeachIn Pillar Point Bluff
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Moss Beach
Moss Beach Park PlaygroundIn Moss Beach Park
DirectionsScenic views in Moss Beach
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
9 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.2 miHorses · 3.5 miUnpaved · 4.3 mi
San Vicente Trail1.3 mi
Jean Lauer Trail1.1 mi
Ross' Cove Trail1.0 mi
Pillar Point Bluff Trail0.8 mi
Bluff Trail0.5 mi
Frenchman's Reef Trail0.4 mi
Dardanelle Trail0.3 mi
Cypress Trail0.2 mi
Ocean Boulevard0.1 mi
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
California Coastal TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Point Montara Light StationDistrict · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Moss Beach: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 58 | 60 | 61 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 61 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 5.8 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 69 °F). 5.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Moss Beach →
Next door
Moss Beach and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Beach | 30% | 5.5 | 159 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Montara | 53% | 3.7 | 333 | 99%+ | A+ |
| El Granada | 59% | 3.2 | 340 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Moss Beach
Where can I hike in Moss Beach?
The longest trail networks: Pillar Point Bluff, 4.7 miles; Rancho Corral de Tierra, 4.4 miles; Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Moss Beach is conserved land?
30% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Moss Beach’s trails?
Pillar Point Bluff and Rancho Corral de Tierra don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Moss Beach?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: California Coastal Trail.
Is there public land near Moss Beach?
14,574 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Moss Beach or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 427 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Moss Beach have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #11 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Moss Beach neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →