Moss Beach clings to a low bluff above the Pacific, a scatter of houses, cypress trees and fields on the San Mateo coast between Montara and Half Moon Bay. It is a small, quiet place, often wrapped in fog, where the sound of the surf is constant and the air smells of salt, seaweed and eucalyptus. For many riders, it is a first taste of the wild coast just south of San Francisco.
The real treasure is at the shoreline: the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, where a broad, flat reef is exposed at low tide, revealing pools full of sea anemones, crabs, sea stars and other creatures. Harbour seals often lie on the rocks, and the bluffs above are covered in cypress and wild flowers. Check the tide tables and go at a minus tide to see the most. Up on the cliff, an old roadhouse dates back to Prohibition, when rum-runners landed whisky on the beaches below for the speakeasies of San Francisco.
South of Moss Beach lies Pillar Point, with its harbour, its radar dome and, offshore, Mavericks, the famous big-wave surf spot where giant waves break in winter and the world's best surfers come to ride them. To the north, Highway 1 passes Montara, where an old lighthouse has become a hostel, and enters the twin tunnels that now bypass the crumbling cliffs of Devil's Slide.
The riding along Highway 1 is relaxed rather than technical: gentle curves, ocean views and farms, though the road can be busy with tourists and the fog can make it cold and damp. The better curves are inland. Highway 92 climbs over the hills from Half Moon Bay toward the Bay, and Highway 84 winds through the redwoods to La Honda, while Skyline Boulevard runs along the ridge above. The Mount Hamilton ride takes you east across the Bay to the long, winding climb to the Lick Observatory and the remote Mines Road beyond, while the Napa ride heads north to the vineyards.
Moss Beach has a few places to eat, but for fuel and supplies, head to El Granada or Half Moon Bay to the south. Weekends bring heavy traffic on Highway 1 and the roads over the hills, so an early start is best. Dress warmly, since even in summer the coast can be cold, and enjoy the tide pools, the cliffs and the endless sound of the sea.