The Cowell-Purisima Trail, located just south of Half Moon Bay, is a picturesque 3.6-mile path along the California coast. As part of the ambitious California Coastal Trail project, it offers visitors a unique blend of ocean views, farmland vistas, and natural beauty, as well as access to the remote Cowell Ranch Beach.
Ocean view from Cowell-Purisima Trail, photo by Justin Knowles
The trail features a gentle grade and is mostly wheelchair accessible, with a compacted granite surface for most of its length. In the middle section of the trail, there is some steep terrain where the trail crosses Purisima Creek. This section is not recommended for wheelchair users.
Visitors can park at either the northern or southern trailheads. The northern trailhead provides access to Cowell Ranch Beach (managed by California State Parks) via a stairway about half a mile from the parking lot. This is the only beach access from the trail, as the rest is restricted to protect sensitive wildlife.
The trail showcases two distinct ecosystems: shoreline with open ocean on one side and coastal scrubland mixed with agriculture on the other. On any given day, you might observe the diverse wildlife such as harbor seals, hawks, or pelicans, and in the spring there are beautiful wildflowers.
Stairs leading to beach, photo by Justin Knowles
Natural Features
The Cowell-Purisima Trail boasts a rich variety of natural attractions making it one of the more enjoyable coastal walks in our county. Harbor seals are a highlight, often seen lounging on the protected beaches, which is one of the reasons for restricted beach access. These beloved creatures spend time both in the water – for feeding – and on land – to rest, molt and birth pups annually in March-April.
The trail is also a great place to spot birds. Seabirds like gulls and brown pelicans soar overhead, while grebes and sea ducks bob in the waves. Along the shore, sanderlings and plovers can be spotted. The fall brings an influx of migrant seabirds.
Gray whales can be observed during their migration, heading south in late fall to early winter and north in early spring, making it an excellent land-based whale-watching spot.
The bluffs above the beaches feature a resilient coastal scrub community, including sages, grasses, yarrow, and coyote brush. This landscape is interspersed with agricultural fields growing artichokes, Brussels sprouts, pumpkins, peas, and beans. The diverse ecosystem supports various wildlife, from seed-feeding birds like finches and sparrows to larger predators such as hawks, owls, and kites.
Agricultural lands along Cowell-Purisima Trail, photo by Justin Knowles
History
The Cowell-Purisima Trail area has a rich history spanning thousands of years. Midway along the trail near Purisima Creek was the site of an Ohlone village, potentially inhabited for up to 10,000 years. While no visible remnants exist today, the site was documented during the Portola Expedition in 1769. There is an effort underway to create an Ohlone-Portola Heritage trail, a 90-mile trail that would follow the route the Portola Expedition covered to reach the San Francisco Bay.
Upstream from Purisima Creek lies an old cemetery, the last remnant of the once-thriving coastal town of Purissima. Founded in the 1870s by Henry Dobbel, a German immigrant, the town flourished until the 1920s when economic hardships from crop failures and a decline in logging forced residents to relocate to present day Half Moon Bay.
The trail parallels what was once the route of the Ocean Shore Railroad, an early 20th-century project aimed at connecting San Francisco to Santa Cruz. One of the stops was the town of Purisima. Though never fully completed – the railroad only went as far as Tunitas Creek – it operated from 1905 to 1920, bringing thousands of passengers down the coast from San Francisco. The 1906 earthquake damaged the tracks and then, due to financial difficulties and the rise of automobiles, the railroad eventually went bankrupt in 1920.
The trail is named after Henry Cowell, a successful 19th-century businessman who owned the ranch the trail now crosses, as well as other properties throughout California. Cowell made his fortune in lime kilns and acquired the ranch to raise exotic breeds of cattle, horses, and angora goats. The property was put on the market in 1985 to help raise funds for the Cowell Family Foundation.
In 1988, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) acquired the Cowell family ranch, protecting it from development. The trail was built through a partnership between POST, the California State Coastal Conservancy, landowners, and farmers. As of February 1, 2021, San Mateo County Parks manages the trail, ensuring its preservation for future generations to enjoy.