We were in Half moon bay and wanted to check the harbor. There is plenty of parking , few restraunts , restroom and place to buy surfing stuff. Pet are allowed. We just came by to take a walk around the Harbor. You can buy Fish and live crabs here. It was pleasure watching people kayaking and Private boats sailing and around the Sunset the Harbor looks beautiful. read more

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After a very nice leisurely Lunch, at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, we walked over to the Pillar Point Harbor. It was fun and relaxing to look at the boats, watch some of the dock-side fish sales, and watch our fellow travelers meander through their day. Life is good. read more

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Ok. Time to update my review. Again, this is the place I come to relax and enjoy the nice ocean breeze. I usually come fishing or crabbing here at the jetty. The view is amazing especially In the mornings when I get here before the sunrise. And when the sun sets. This place can get crowded on the weekends and parking will be a pain to look for. I come here for recreational fishing and crabbing and have great luck and success. The view is amazing just to watch the waves crash and take in the view. Come here relax and go to the local restaurants and enjoy a bite to eat. read more

Half Moon Bay's harbor is pretty small, but it's the only one between Santa Cruz and San Francisco. It's practically in my front yard, and I consider myself lucky. This is a great place to walk, fish, eat, drink, and even shop. Maverick's Surf shop is now at the harbor, after relocating from Princeton. I hope the business is better here! You can also kayak at Pillar Point Harbor. Beginners can paddle around the inner harbor, and the more adventurous can leave the harbor and head towards Surfer's Beach. Either way you go, it's fun and you get a decent workout. The main downside is that the swimming is not good here. Both the inner and outer harbor are polluted. Too bad, because otherwise it would be a great place for a dip on the three or four hot days we have here each year. read more

A nice beach, a little dirty, but there are a few places to wash off after playing in the sand. Puppy friendly and they even have a dog baggie station in case you forgot your own. The waves aren't too big, so my little pup wasn't scared of them and had a lot of fun! read more

Pillar Point Harbor - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

This destination is a great day trip. Drive down the coastal highway from the City down Devil's Slide, and before you know it, you're here. It's about a 1/2 drive for us. The harbor is located in the town of Princeton. We especially like coming during the height of the local Dungeness crab season that starts right before Thanksgiving. Just call the harbor master hot line for a daily update prior to driving down. You can hear the morning update as to which boats will have crabs and/or fish for sale right off the boat. We've been down twice in the last couple of weeks to buy live crabs. It's a great experience, and you're supporting the local fishermen. Just bring a cooler. They'll bag the crabs for you in large plastic bags. FYI - ask the fish monger how they prepare their crabs too. You'll get the lowdown on how to cook the crabs. read more

Buy Fresh Dungeness Crab, Sushi Grade Salmon on the boat walk a few feet up to the store and have them cook and clean the Crab for you "Wham Bam, Thank You Mam". $2.00 a crab to cook and clean. Grab a Bloody Mary and some Breakfast at Ketch Joanne. Bait for some fishin'. Kayak in the calm harbor. Listen to some Live Music and drink some local Beer at the Half Moon Bay Brewery. Go to Barbara's Fish Trap for a great seafood restaurant atmosphere. OPL Bar to do that all night party. read more

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Came here to get some fresh crabs and was not disappointed. There's a parking lot with a little shopping strip mall which means after you pick your seafood you can have a little bit of lunch. Masks are required! I saw some people forgetting their masks and even when they walked up to the harbor they were told to return to get their masks. There's plenty of boats to choose from. Everywhere seemed about the same price- $9/lb. many of the crabs were very fat and juicy. We ended up picking some crabs and told the guy we wanted the biggest ones and we weren't disappointed. The crabs were huge! They were incredibly heavy, placed in a plastic bag and good to go! Just as a warning: bring some cash in case you don't have Venmo! Many of these places only take cash or Venmo. It's definitely a great experience and fun to enjoy with your family. We cooked the crabs and they were so delicious! My family and I were not disappointed by the food or the price. We'll definitely be coming here whenever we want to get some fresh seafood. The fisherman we spoke to and bought from mentioned they are there regularly and also get other things like salmon when it is in season. He gave us a business card so we can text and see what they're up to in the future. Will definitely be coming back to get more fresh seafood from them!! read more

Dogs are allowed on leash here. I have heard that officers like to go out and give tons of citations if dogs are found off leash. Sigh. Very,very nice and friendly people around. Why only 2 stars? There were TONS of dead animals on the beach. At least 10 bird carcasses and 1-2 dead fish. Gross, gross, gross. read more

Apparently this is THE place to get crab... And I was a sad sad Vicky when all these other people walked by with nice big plastic bags filled with mean fiesty crustaceans. We were 15 minutes too late on procuring some goodies. We took a nice stroll on the pier and chatted with the harbormaster... and got a good lesson on dungeness crab and great tips for our next trip. Must visit this place again! :) read more

The stories about huge killer waves at Maverick's led us to Pillar Point Harbor (pre-tsunami time, of course). The warning sign that said "Deadly" was a nice touch. But by the time we got there, it seemed that the show was already over and the waves had already settled for the day. So instead, the hubs and I a romantic walk on the beach (don't judge me), saw a starfish, hiked over slippery rocks, and brace yourself for the cheese...we watched the sunset. Over the ocean. We made out a little too. We parked in a free little dirt lot and since the beach is somewhat off the beaten path, there weren't a lot of people around. The views of the ocean and the marina are absolutely gorgeous. Even the rocks are pretty. I think we found our new favorite spot by the bay... read more

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Unfortunately, salmon season is over. But crab season starts next Thursday! Going to have to come back to walk down the dock and buy crab straight from the boats for $3/pound. Parking is a total non-issue here. Found it right away, didn't see any signs for a charge or anything. Walked all the way down looking at the various boats and the view of the water. Friendly folk working here. Going to have to look up fishing trips and kayak rentals next time we come in- this seems like a great accessible and clean place to go for all of your watersport needs. And then, stop by Sam's on your way home! read more

Not the prettiest, but youre able to go fishing off the rocks. Met a 13 year old who was out fishing by himself. He was so educated and knew what he was doing. He offered to give me crabs as a souvenir and was offering them to other people. This was his way of relaxing. It's nice to know there are still people like this young guy out there in the world. The local fishermen catch big crabs in which they sell to tourists who visit the area. This place is definitely a tourist trap. The food in the surrounding area is not that great. Theres places to rent kayaks and go out in the water. You will see people surfing in the surrounding areas. Bikers and furbabies are welcome! read more

A quiet, easy walk along the water in Half Moon Bay. Part of it is concrete but once you get to the ocean side, you will need to walk on the sand. It's very serene especially during low tide. I know many visit this area to look at the tide pools. Take in the fresh air, say hello to other walkers.... count the countless bunnies you'll see and be warned there are a lot of dog walkers and some are without leashes, but most dogs are pretty tame and keep to them selves. read more

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must go for Dungeness crab fresh off the boats & have them cooked & cleaned for you right nearby

If you never tried deep sea fishing...the best place to start at would be at Pillar Point Harbor. I had a great time even though all of those who went with me threw up over board due to sea sickness. I had a blast! Each person who go on board for rock fishing get to keep max. of ten (10) fishes. If you don't have a pole, bait, or fishing license you can rent them for a day. ($18.00 for all three) I paid a total of $ 73.00, this included all of my rentals. This is a good trip to take with friends who don't get sea sick easily and the best time to plan a deep sea fishing trip would be on a week day. The weekends are to crazy. After you catch your fishes they will clean or fillet the fishes on the way back for $ 7.00 extra. Wear lots of warm clothing it even gets cold in the summer. Next time I want to try salmon fishing over there. Should be awesome! And I'll keep you ya'll posted about my next trip! read more

I love their holiday spirit!! I posted some pictures of the decorated boats that I took, all for your enjoyment. I will be looking forward to next year's display. I hope that the band will be playing their holiday music again next time! I did not find the roasted chestnuts-darn!! Maybe next year?? read more

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Been here twice. First time was years ago with my beau to kayak and again later with the family this past weekend to attempt to see the NEGATIVE TIDE that Mercury News announced. There are a few parking lot. Parking lot A has 2 hour slots, Parking lot C has spots for boat trailers. Overall, we were able to look out onto the water and have a nice lunch. We came here thinking this was the place to watch the NEGATIVE TIDE...but found out from the visitor center that it was going on 3 miles from here---at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. Either way, glad we were able to stop here for lunch. read more

It was the day of crab sale yesterday after the long wait. We did a short get-away trip to the Harbor to purchase 10 freshly caught crabs and it was delicious read more

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The harbor master leaves a message board saying who has what for sale, from Rock cod to crabs, I came here during a Monday and there were only 2 boats selling crab. One that was selling for $4 lb was sold out by 1pm and the other boat selling for $3 lb crabs were on it's death bed. We came here crabbing for ourselves off the pier, and didn't catch a thing. The nice smell of diesel from all the boats in the dock, the water was so shallow, maybe 8 ft under the pier. read more

Beautiful little stop just North of Half Moon Bay. Mavericks Surf Shop is located hear. read more

Pillar Point Harbor - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

One of my favorite excursions that I've been on since I've been in the bag that's harbor is a very pretty place very relaxing with great views about a hostile here and it was very clean the kitchen was very nice yeah you were surrounded by ocean and stars and it was just a wonderful experience I will definitely be going back read more

Drive from Bay Area early Saturday morning is a breeze and love the rolling hills and dense tree cover. Once you are there the fresh fish off the boats is a hit or miss. I get Wild king salmon here and it is always fresh. Could use less crowd for a marina but parking can be tricky sometimes. read more

We were intrigued about being able to buy fresh, live fish right off the boat. We were not disapointed. We got there about 12 noon, and there were still some boats with signs letting us know what was fresh and alive and still available, too bad we didn't have our cooler and ice! Great restaurants nearby and the mall. Try The Wine Bar for a great relaxing afternoon. Also the Italian Cafe for some great gelato. Nice walk, short pier. And if you want to burn even mor cals, there's the kayak station camped out nearby. read more

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Winter is upon us! (Well, as much as the Bay can boast, anyway) But the real reason to celebrate is that it's crab season! Are you looking for a lower body infestation? Well, avoid the markets and Chinatown, where the prices tend to get expensive. Instead, make a trip down to Half Moon Bay and to Pillar Point to snag them right off the boats themselves! It's an adventure all its own. My family loves the boat "Irene", and we always call ahead to reserve our lot before they all sell out. I highly recommend you do this too. The last time we were there, there was a HUGE line waiting for the little snappy suckers with another boat, and some folks had to go home sans crustaceans. So sad. Plus, if you call ahead, you might even be able to pre-order the bigger ones. Definitely worth one little phone call to the boat. Then grab your cooler, stroll down the docks to your chosen boat, and fill the tub up. Usually the boats will give you a small discount for bringing your own tub. After you load them in the back of your truck, spend the rest of the morning soaking in the sun's rays with some local chowder and grub. You'll be in good hands then. Trust me. read more

We decided to make crabs for Thanksgiving, rather than turkey. The day before, we went to Pillar Point Harbor to ask if anyone was going to be around on Thanksgiving day. We found a guy, placed our order and came back the next day to get our angry crustaceans. We got 10 so the 11th was free. They were delicious but it was entirely too much crab for the size of our family. We put up a good fight but the crab won. read more

This place always reminds me of family trips when my dad would drive the family from the countryside all the way to the coast to buy fresh seafood, and so that my sister and I could eat soft-serve ice cream at Pillar Point Harbor. The place still smells like the ocean, sea salt, and fish, and you can on certain days walk right up to the fishing boats and purchase fish and crab directly from the fishermen. You can even go around to different boats and compare varying prices and quality if you have the time to walk around the harbor. Most fishermen are reasonable though, prices are pretty much standardized , and wherever you go, you can get something fresh for supper. They'll even tell you when and where they caught your future dinner :) read more

We went here yesterday to get some fresh crab off the boats after reading other yelp reviews. The key thing: call the fish phone at 650-726-8724 before you go! Every morning the harbor master leaves a message on the machine telling you what's available for sale off of the boats. This is key during crab season! There were about 5 boats selling crab. We went with the "which boat has the longest line, they're probably good" method of picking one to buy from. Crowd-sourcing at its finest! If you are squeamish about cooking your own crabs or have a long drive home there is a place near the parking lot that will cook and clean them for you for a fee. I'm not sure how much since I decided I wanted the satisfaction of doing it myself at home! Make sure you have a bucket and wet towel to keep the crabs moist if you want to bring them home alive and cook them yourself. read more

This will be a short review. If you want to buy the freshest fish and crabs you have to buy your seafood here. It comes right off the boats and the competition keeps the prices low, especially at the end of the day when they really fight for YOUR dollar. Bring a ice-filled cooler though to haul your food home. If you ask, many of them will cut the fish up into fillets for you. If not, try some other boat until you find someone who is willing to provide the service. It has such a great feel, with all the boats, fisherman, docks and birds. Even if you don't decide to buy anything, you will still be able to have a neat, day out among the salt air adventure. Pillar Point Harbor is a winner on many fronts. (This review does not cover the beach, just the dock and dock related activities) read more

Best place to find seashells in Half Moon Bay. Make sure you bring a bag to put them in! 1. Drive past the harbor and follow streets toward Mavericks Point 2. Park at he parking lot just to the left of the gate that keeps you from getting close to the Air Force installation above Mavericks Point. 3. Walk out to Mavericks point (-25 mins each way, restrooms / port-a-potties at the trail head) 4. There are oodles of small to medium seashells at Mavericks Point Welcome to Mother Nature's free souvenir shoppe! Note: Keep an eye on the ocean. There are occasional sneaker waves and high tide can trap you away from the main beach. Happy Shelling read more

Beautiful Harbor HMB! Wish we could have stayed longer to browse, eat, and shop. We heard that Ketch Joanne would have been a marvelous place to eat but by the time we made it to the Harbor, we were well on our way back to the valley; next trip for sure. Clean, beautiful and definitely "where the action is" in Half Moon Bay. read more

I love this place. I always go here when I need to clear my mind. It's absolutely beautiful. Half Moon Bay is a great area and it's incredibly therapeutic if you decide to go just for a few hours. read more

I love going to the mavericks contest every year. This harbor is beautiful. I highly recommend checking out the mavs scene. Lots of young surfers and familys come every year. It smells like the ocean, sea salt, and fish, you can on certain days walk right up to the fishing boats and purchase fish and crab directly from the fishermen. You can even go around to different boats and compare varying prices read more

Well we loved it for the dog park qualities here and the pretty harbor scenery. And the trip out to the end was pleasant enough, until we started smelling something rank and malodorous. Holy **** what the heck was that smell? Yee Gads! It smelled like sulfurous rotting seaweed. There on the beach were indeed piles of wet seaweed that had come to the place where the old seaweeds come to die--the seaweed graveyard that stinketh to high heaven. And this lovely site pretty much caused us to high-tail it the other way and retreat ("Run away! Run away!"). The locals said that it is not normally like this but (hey!) we were just visiting, and may do so again IF the sea breeze goes OUT to sea and away from us. read more

One of my favorite places to launch a kayak. The harbor is usually calm and give s you a nice opportunity to warm up before heading out the opening into the mysterious beyond of the reef where you may discover anything from nice ripples or big surf. (Or nice surf) There's a little beach inside the harbor and you can jump over the jetty to another beach with or without your boat depending on what you're there for. read more

I love this place! I always forget how to drive here but I find it somehow. It's a great place to do a mini walk/ hike, and at the end of your path is a large rocky beach full of seashells. I'm a science geek at heart, so I always check the tide schedule before going. Bring a California tidepool/marine life book with you so you can identify all the organisms. When it is low tide you can jump across the reefs and check out all the marine life (sea anemonies, seastars, red/green/brown algae, limpits, sea snails, fish). Be careful walking in the tidepools cuz there's tons of "Ralfsia" an red alagae that grows on the reefs/rocks that looks like sludge that is very slippery. My favorite algae is "Iridiscia" (blue green and shimmery when the sun hits it). You can see the typical "Macrocystis" washed up shore. If you go different seasons of the year, it's neat to see some of the organisms no longer there and have been replaced with others. I've eated the mussels (mytlius californicus), the goose barnacles, limpits & sea urchin roe raw from these tidepools, tasty but if you are allergic to shellfish like I am, don't do it. When you get tired of tidepooling, just take a 5 min drive south to Half Moon Bay and eat on the pier read more

Bring your bikes to ride trail along coastline. Absolutely gorgeous, easy ride for the whole family. read more

Pillar Point Harbor - Sunny 75 #forthewin - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Went here a right after a long weekend with some family members. It was my first time. Was very quiet and we only saw one sign that indicated fresh seafood was available for purchase. As we walked down the pier we saw some sea lions frolicking in the water. We enjoyed seeing all the fishing boats and their equipment. Weather was sunny too! Would like to come back on a day when it is fully up and running. Also noticed there was a family fishing off the pier. Looked like fun! read more

Came here to buy some crab, thinking we would pay less here then at the store. Found many of the boat selling crab, so we paid $7 a lbs thinking it was a good deal. Next day I went to ranch 99 and saw the crabs are $6.99 lbs for live crab. They had shrimp, salmon and abalone for sale too. Note wholesale price for crab are $3.00 a lbs. read more

Pillar Point Harbor - 1.5 to 2 lbs - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Great place to paddle. The harbor is large enough that you can have a good time without going out, or you can head out for more adventure. Restrooms at the launch ramp, a great food just up the back or across the road! The beach near the boat ramp is great for kids and lounging around, the N beach across the way is great if you have a dog. If you kayak fish there's lots of rock fish along the breakwater and further out. If you don't have a depth finder there is a great little GPS chart for smartphones that shows the bottom structure for half moon bay here: https://www.avenzamaps.com/a/v23sejd read more