San Gregorio State Beach
Encyclopedia
San Gregorio State Beach is a beach near San Gregorio
, California
, USA, south of Half Moon Bay
. Part of the California State Park System, the beach lies just west of the intersection of State Route 1
and State Route 84
. San Gregorio Creek
widens to form a small freshwater lagoon in the park behind a sand berm, or barrier beach, which typically blocks the mouth of the creek, forcing the creekwaters to flow underfoot as they seep into the Pacific Ocean
. During the rainy season the creek often cuts through the sand berm and flows directly into the ocean. Historically the creek was a coho salmon
spawning site and the Department of Fish and Game
is considering restocking it with coho to improve the salmon fisheries south of San Francisco
.http://www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/coast&ocean/winter2002/pages/ebb.htm
Park facilities include restrooms and picnic tables. Dogs are not permitted on the beach, as it has been identified as potential nesting habitat for the endangered (official status "threatened") Western Snowy Plover. North of the main beach is a nude beach (private property) that charges a fee to park in their parking lot north of the park's lot that provides closer access.
A stone marker with a plaque commemorates (now missing) the three days Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà
's expedition camped at the beach to rest and treat their sick in 1769, during his first (failed) attempt to reach Monterey Bay
. They would go on to discover San Francisco Bay
instead. The site is registered as California Historical Landmark
26.
It is one of the cleanest in the state.
San Gregorio, California
-History:Named after Pope Gregory I , San Gregorio was a booming town in the 1850s, when wealthy San Franciscans would travel to the San Gregorio House by stagecoach to enjoy fishing, hunting, sea bathing, and boat races. The building still stands, but is no longer a functioning hotel. However, the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, south of Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
. Part of the California State Park System, the beach lies just west of the intersection of State Route 1
California State Route 1
State Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
and State Route 84
California State Route 84
State Route 84 is a split-section California State Highway consisting of two sections. The first section is an east–west arterial road running from San Gregorio to Menlo Park, across the Dumbarton Bridge through Fremont and Newark and ending at I-580 in Livermore. The route overlaps the...
. San Gregorio Creek
San Gregorio Creek
San Gregorio Creek is a river in San Mateo County, California. Its tributaries originate on the western ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains whence it courses southwest through steep forested canyons...
widens to form a small freshwater lagoon in the park behind a sand berm, or barrier beach, which typically blocks the mouth of the creek, forcing the creekwaters to flow underfoot as they seep into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. During the rainy season the creek often cuts through the sand berm and flows directly into the ocean. Historically the creek was a coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
spawning site and the Department of Fish and Game
California Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
is considering restocking it with coho to improve the salmon fisheries south of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.http://www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/coast&ocean/winter2002/pages/ebb.htm
Park facilities include restrooms and picnic tables. Dogs are not permitted on the beach, as it has been identified as potential nesting habitat for the endangered (official status "threatened") Western Snowy Plover. North of the main beach is a nude beach (private property) that charges a fee to park in their parking lot north of the park's lot that provides closer access.
A stone marker with a plaque commemorates (now missing) the three days Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
's expedition camped at the beach to rest and treat their sick in 1769, during his first (failed) attempt to reach Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
. They would go on to discover San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
instead. The site is registered as California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
26.
- Considered a self-registered fee area, although there is a kiosk which is staffed during summer months
It is one of the cleanest in the state.
See also
- Half Moon Bay State BeachHalf Moon Bay State BeachHalf Moon Bay State Beach is a stretch of protected beaches in Half Moon Bay, California. It includes:* Francis Beach,* Venice Beach,* Dunes Beach, and* Roosevelt Beach ....
, for further information on history and wildlife of the local area. - California State BeachesCalifornia State BeachesThe beaches listed below are along the coastline of the state of California. Beaches are listed in order from south to north.- San Diego County :* Border Field State Park* Imperial Beach* Silver Strand State Beach* Coronado Municipal Beach...