The California Coastal Trail has grown by three miles thanks to the opening of the Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail near Half Moon Bay.
Offering views of a harbor seal haul-out area and secluded beaches, the blufftop trail edges along farmland and an impressive stretch of coastline in San Mateo County.
The dedication of the trail marked the culmination of a 25-year effort by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the California State Coastal Conservancy to create new recreational access along this section of the coast about 45 minutes south of San Francisco.
POST has protected 64,000 acres of open space and parkland in the area and first obtained an option on the 1,270-acre Cowell Ranch in 1986. But funding issues and other problems delayed trail development over the years. The coastal conservancy eventually provided $3 million to complete the trail, which features three bridge crossings and interpretive signs.
The Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail represents another vital step toward the long-held dream of creating a continuous, 1,200-mile hiking route along the California coast. Roughly half of the California Coastal Trail is now complete.
Photo by Ann Duwe, Courtesy of POST
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