Planning a visit to San Francisco? Looking for a fly-in destination with a beach, the quiet of a small town, beautiful scenery, and gourmet dining? Maybe you would like to find a fly-in destination that's cooled by moist ocean breezes. Perhaps you're looking for a romantic spot to celebrate a grownup getaway weekend. Any of these desires can be fulfilled by turning the nose of your trusty airplane toward Half Moon Bay Airport.
Half Moon Bay Airport and the attractions nearby seem a world away from the speedy hustle and bustle of San Francisco and the South Bay area. This dichotomy is made more amazing when one realizes that the airport at Half Moon Bay is only eight and a half miles from San Francisco International Airport. A modest mountain range lies between the two airports and separates the hurry-up, cell-phone, SUV-driving world of the east from the pickup-truck, let's-talk-a-spell coastal fishing and farming world to the west.
The airport lies between open farmland and the seashore. Four diverse hamlets spread up and down the highway offer something for almost everyone.
Chamber of commerce pamphlets refer to the area as Coastside. The largest town in the Coastside area is Half Moon Bay, located six miles south of the airport; Montara is two miles north. Along this eight-mile stretch are sandy beaches, two championship golf courses, pampering bed-and-breakfasts, sport fishing, horseback riding, shopping, nature preserves, eating establishments to satisfy every palate and pocketbook, and a great airport.
The airport
Half Moon Bay Airport is located under the San Francisco Class B airspace. When approaching Half Moon Bay along the coastline from the south, the floor of the airspace is 6,000 feet mean sea level lowering to 5,000 feet above the airport, so VFR flights up the coast from the south can easily avoid San Francisco International's airspace. Arrivals from the north and east will need to be cleared through San Francisco's airspace because of low Class B airspace floors and the proximity of controlled airspace for the Oakland International, San Jose International, and Palo Alto airports to the east.
Half Moon Bay Airport is uncontrolled, with a 5,000-by-150-foot paved runway. Regional flight schools often send student pilots to the airport to practice their touch and goes, so be sure to monitor the CTAF (122.8 MHz) for updates on airport traffic.
The traffic pattern lies to the east of the runway, and prevailing winds most often dictate right traffic to Runway 30. Maintenance and self-serve avgas are available on the field.
The Three Zero Café, located on the airport and open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., has been voted by locals as having the best breakfast on the coast every year since it opened in 1995. Helpful hints from the owner, Mark Smith, and his staff will aid any first-time visitor. For more information, see Smith's company Web site ( www.3-zero.com).
Fog
Coastal fog is a fact of life at Half Moon Bay Airport and must be taken into account when planning flights to and from the airport. Watsonville, although 45 miles south, is the nearest coastal weather-reporting airport. The automated surface observation system (ASOS) there is on 132.175 MHz. A phone call to Three Zero Café (650/573-3701); to West Coast Aviation (650/728-3323), the FBO on the field; or to the airport office (650/573-3701) is the most reliable method of getting up-to-date fog reports. There are published GPS instrument approaches to both ends of the single runway. During summer months the fog will generally burn off by noon, leaving beautiful blue skies above.
Getting around
If walking is your strength or if you've packed a bicycle in your airplane, plan to park at the tiedowns on the unused taxiway east of the south end of Runway 30. From there it's a short walk or ride on airport property to a small footbridge that leads to Princeton-by-the-Sea, a small village on the edge of Pillar Point Harbor. Local roads and paths give walkers and bicyclists plenty to do.
Fishing or crabbing is good from the town pier. Traveling along the north side of the bay gives access to a local beach after passing Pillar Point Marsh, home to many bird and wildlife species.
The Coastside trail starts south from the harbor and continues down the coast past the four beaches of the Half Moon Bay State Beach. This trail is ideal for walking or biking. Self-propelled fly-in guests can also head north two miles from the airport to the towns of Moss Beach and Montara. Hiking at McNee Ranch State Park, visiting Point Montara Lighthouse, and checking the natural wonders of the coast at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve are a few of the local activities.
If you want to take on the 45-minute drive up Highway 1 to San Francisco for a cultural event or just putz around for the day in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, or need a car for local travels, Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Half Moon Bay can fix you up and will deliver the car to the airport. Reservations are required. Call 888/838-5668.
If you don't feel like driving, let Coast Cab Company (650/738-8000) take the wheel. If you're "stylin'," California Pacific Limousine (650/726-2664 or 650/738-5668) will be happy to help you.
Accommodations
Innkeepers on the Coastside have converted a number of older local buildings into comfortable bed-and-breakfasts. Goose and Turrets (650/728-5451) in Montara, The Cypress Inn (650/726-6002) in Miramar, and the Old Thyme Inn (650/726-1616 or www.oldthymeinn.com) or Zaballa House Bed and Breakfast (650/726-9123), both in Half Moon Bay, all occupy pre-1908 buildings.
Local motels include the Harbor View Inn (650/726-2329), Pillar Point Inn (650/728-7377), and the Half Moon Bay Motor Lodge (650/726-6301). Pickup from the airport can be arranged by calling ahead.
Dining
There is a lot of good dining on Coastside, with fresh seafood being a mainstay of many menus. Mezza Luna (650/728-8108), featuring seafood and homemade pasta in the historic Princeton Inn, is an easy walk from the airport. Off the north end of the airport is Moss Beach Distillery (650/728-5595). There's reportedly a ghost that inhabits the distillery building.
Up and down the highway are Italian, Mediterranean, French, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Mexican, and California cuisine restaurants. In addition, five or six local restaurants claim steak and seafood as their menu headliners.
A call to the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce at 650/726-8380 or a visit to their Web site ( www.halfmoonbaychamber.org) will provide more information on the location and variety of dining on the Coastside.
Local attractions
The James Johnston house, a circa 1855 home in the New England saltbox style, is preserved in Half Moon Bay on Higgins Purissima Road. Further up the same road are the Purissima Creek redwoods. Built in 1911, the Half Moon Bay Jail was later converted to a historical museum that is open in the afternoons for guided walking tours.
Huck Finn Sportfishing (800/572-2934) and Riptide Sportfishing (888/RIP-TIDE) offer fishing trips for salmon, albacore, and rockfish. Rates vary but count on spending $50 per person for salmon, $40 for rockfish, and $100 for albacore for all-day trips. Private charters are available. During winter months, both companies leave the fishing gear behind as they take out parties to watch the whales swim south to their breeding grounds off Mexico.
Both Sea Horse Ranch (650/726-2362) and Friendly Acres Ranch (650/726-8550) are located a mile north of the town of Half Moon Bay and rent horses to riders of all skill levels. Guided trips are available if desired. For those who prefer self-propelled travel, Half Moon Bay Bike Rentals (650/712-4499) is located adjacent to the Sea Horse Ranch.
Half Moon Bay Airport is located very close to a major metropolitan area but seems a world away with its cool ocean breezes, easy pace of life, and quiet scenery. That alone makes the area worthy of a fly-in trip. When fliers can get all of the above, plus fine dining and seemingly endless recreation options, it's only natural to plan a trip to Half Moon Bay.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
Related Articles
