Pacifica is the last proper coastal town before San Francisco, a long strip of fog, surf and low houses squeezed between the Pacific and the steep ridge of the Coast Range. It is a place that feels slightly overlooked, which is part of its appeal. The beach at Linda Mar is one of the Bay Area's best-known surf spots, and on a gray winter morning you can watch wetsuited figures bobbing in the breaks while commuters stream by on Highway 1.
For riders, the real story here is the road. For decades, Highway 1 south of Pacifica crossed the cliffs at Devil's Slide, a notorious stretch where winter storms sent the pavement into the sea and traffic closed for weeks. A pair of tunnels opened in 2013 and now carry the highway through Montara Mountain, with a tidy view of the sea at either end. The old road was kept as a quiet bike and walking path, and you can still stand where the cliffs fall away beneath you. The result is a much calmer ride, though the tunnel exits expose you to crosswinds and fog.
North toward San Francisco, the Great Highway and Skyline Boulevard offer long, fast curves above the surf, and in the opposite direction the coast road to Half Moon Bay is a classic. Come early on a weekday if you can, because summer weekends bring a slow line of cars, and the fog tends to hold on until midday. Wear a warm layer even when the Bay is hot.
Pacifica has everything a rider wants after a long day: gas stations along the highway, taquerias, a pier for fishing and a handful of coffee shops that open early for the surfers. Sharp Park's golf course, designed by Alister MacKenzie, sits right on the waterfront, and the wetlands behind it shelter a rare snake and a rare frog that have tangled the course in local politics for years.
If you are riding north from here, the road eventually rises over Fort Funston's dunes, and the city's hills come into view. It is a fine end to a coastal day, even with the traffic.