Pacifica State Beach is a wide, crescent-shaped beach off Highway 1 in Pacifica. California State Parks describes it as the northern gateway to the coastline south of San Francisco. Wikipedia says it runs about three-quarters of a mile at the mouth of the San Pedro Valley and draws more than a million visitors a year.
Getting there
State Parks gives the address as 5000 Pacific Coast Hwy. Coming south from San Francisco, the lot is just south of Crespi Drive on the right. Coming north from Half Moon Bay, make a U-turn at Crespi Drive. Wikipedia notes that SamTrans route 110 serves the beach from Daly City BART.
The City of Pacifica runs the beach under an agreement with State Parks. Because of that, State Parks warns that it is one of the few state parks that doesn't accept the annual day-use pass.
Surfing
Surfers know it as Linda Mar, after the neighborhood behind it. Wikipedia calls it one of the most popular beginner surf spots in the San Francisco area. The Pacifica Skatepark is across the highway, and the World Dog Surfing Championships have been held here since 2016.
Managed retreat
Wikipedia says the beach was the focus of a habitat restoration program from 1989 to 2005, tied to flood control and restoration along San Pedro Creek. In 2002, working with the Pacifica Land Trust and the California Coastal Conservancy, the project bought and removed two oceanside homes for $2.2 million to restore the beach and estuary. The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association named it a top restored beach in 2005, and Wikipedia calls it one of the first beaches to use managed retreat as shoreline protection. The western snowy plover, a threatened species, uses the beach.
And yes, the Taco Bell on the beach side of the highway, which Wikipedia says is reputed to be the world's most scenic, began in the late 1960s as an A&W.
More Pacifica: Mori Point.