Location : Pacifica, CA
Parking : Free parking on city streets
Trail type : Loop
Trail Length : 8.83 miles
Elevation Gain : 566 ft
Difficulty : Easy
Trails traversed : Coastal Trail >Bootleggers Steps > Mori Headlands Trail > Mori Bluff Trail > Rockaway Beach Trail > Rockaway Beach Ave > Nick Gust Way > unnamed trail to Rockaway Point
Post-hike pit stop suggestion : Taco Bell on Pacifica beach has the best coastal views.
This is yet another California Coastal hike that is overpowered with stunning views from end to end. Parking is convenient and street-side at the intersection of Paloma Ave and Beach Blvd in Pacifica.
Start your hike by walking south on Beach Blvd, until you hit Pacific Municipal Pier a couple of blocks down. Make a quick deviation and walk along the pier as you pass fishermen catching crab and fish early in the morning. The pier provides great views of Mori Point and Sharp Park Beach. There are restrooms available on the pier, if you want to make a quick pit stop before going any further on the hike.
Pacific Municipal Pier
Once you are done checking out the pier and clicking pictures, make your way back to Beach Blvd, which will soon intersect Coastal Trail.
Sharp Beach
The views along the sea wall of the Coastal Trail are breathtaking. If you are there in the right season, you may spot a whale or two breaching in the ocean, in the distance. Soon Coastal Trail intersects Bootlegger Steps which in turn takes you to Mori Headlands Trail. Take this short out and back trail to reach an outlook point which once again provides 360 degrees of breathtaking views of the rugged California coastline.
The rock labyrinth at Mori Point
Return to the intersection where Mori Headlands Trail intersects with the Coastal Trail, and continue on Mori Bluff Trail. This is a very scenic trail, but will require scrambling at some points to traverse through some rocky ravines.
Sections of steep incline along Mori Bluff Trail
Steep and narrow ravine along Mori Bluff Trail
Photo ops along Mori Bluff Trail
Mori Bluff Trail soon becomes Rockaway Beach Trail after crossing Calera Creek. The creek is usually very shallow and you can jump on rocks to cross it.
Rockaway Beach Trail soon disappears into sand but it is easy to make your way past the beach, across the parking lot, to the outcrop of a hill to the south of the beach which is Rockaway Point, and your final destination. There are clean restrooms at the bottom of the hill for a quick pit stop. A series of switchbacks take you to the top of the hill, called Rockaway Point. It offers fantastic views of Rockaway Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Couple of benches make this a good midpoint stop for a picnic lunch, before you make your way back to Sharp Point Beach and your parked car.
View of the azure green water from Rockaway Point
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