easy
Activities
Bean Hollow Information
This short, dog-friendly trail along the surf is the perfect place for a coastside adventure.
Watch for:
Keep an eye on the ocean to look for dolphins, otters, harbor seals, and migrating gray whales in the spring and late fall.
Hiking Details for Bean Hollow
Distance: 1.6 miles out and back
Elevation change: 250 feet
Hiking time: Less than an hour
Trail surface: Packed sand
Best Season: Year round
Managing agency: California State Parks
Parking lot location: Click here for directions
Overview: On really hot days, a trip to the beach might be in order to fully escape the summer heat. From Bean Hollow State Beach, follow an iconic section of the California Coastal Trail along the rugged San Mateo Coast. One day, this regional trail will span the entire state, from Oregon to Mexico.
If you’d like to head down to the beach, check out the tide chart and plan to go at low tide (anytime below 1’) for best tide pooling and beachcombing. Developed stairs connect the trail to the beaches.
Bean Hollow Photo Gallery
More About Bean Hollow
Bean Hollow State Beach—formerly known as Arroyo de Los Frijoles—once marked the southern end of Rancho Butano, which also included Pebble Beach to the north. When it was sold to Loren Coburn in the 1890s, a businessman in San Francisco who moved to the Pescadero area in 1872, Coburn built a large hotel on the bluff above Pebble Beach. Coburn hoped to make it a popular destination for vacationers taking the planned Ocean Shore Railroad from San Francisco. However, after the 1906 earthquake, construction on the railroad ceased and the hotel closed permanently.