Mussel Rock Beach Park

Pretty and remote beach, but lots of garbage in the parking lot, at the fence line and along the path to the beach. Lots of people sleeping in their cars, and an aggressive, teeth baring coyote that was hard to ward off, at 8am! Though close by, will probably not return.

Not a great place to bring a dog due to coyotes. It’s always a magical adventure coming to this park. You never know what you may find. This place is practically my backyard so I come here relatively often. One evening I was chased out by a family of howling coyotes, their howls boomed and echoed throughout the sea cliffs totally freaking me out and it was kind of fun at the same time. They have this area fenced off for a reason.
Sometimes I’ll come here to drink coffee and gaze into the ocean– only to find several Humpback whales keeping me company. Sometimes You can hear the songs that they sing, it’s quite beautiful. The hang gliders and parasailers also add a mystifying touch.
Another evening I came to watch the sunset, while listening these awesome fisherman playing acoustic guitar and laughing. Wonderful experiences.
Great place for hiking — do not wear flips flops here, ground covered in rocks. If you climb over the rocks down toward the beach with a low tide– there’s a beach. Just be careful of the tide coming in.

wanna update my review. I was type wrong between Dingo and Coyote lol. I met Coyote not Dingo. Sorry!

I have very fond memories of coming here to Mussel Rock Beach throughout my youth. Having lived just a few blocks away when I was a kid, this was the spot for hikes, fishing, or just finding a quiet place to be alone.
The parking lot above has recently been repaved and has plenty of places to park. On a really nice non-​foggy Daly City/​Pacifica day, the view from the top is gorgeous! Great place to watch the sunrise or sunset. The hike down to the beach can be a bit long and some routes can be harder than others. I recommend comfortable shoes for the walk down to the beach. Overall, great place to visit if in the area!

You have somewhat of a hike down to the beach but other than that it has a great view.

Came here with a box of pork bao and some dumplings. Watched the waves crash on the rocks and beach from the parking lot as I ate them and loved the view. Didn’t see any mussels from the parking lot but I bet if I went down to the water they’d be chillin there.

I haven’t even seen the whole stretch of beach, but already I’m in love. I came on a WINDY, on-​and-​off drizzle kind of afternoon in early February. Aside from a group of fishers chilling in the parking lot and one other hiker, there were no other people. It’s easy to feel like you OWN this beach and its beauty.
We found parking at a small lot above a grassy cliff that offers an amazing view of the Bay. It was tempting to think we could spread out our jackets and fly on the strong wind currents, but I wouldn’t risk it on the slope. :P After passing through a chain-​link fence, you can take a gravelly trail down to the beach. You won’t need sneakers. As we began our descent, the view of the surf only got better and better. The beach itself is not your sun-​tan and volleyball kind of beach, but your waves crashing against giant boulders kind of beach. During low tide it’s fun to climb around on the rocks — when you’re done, find a relatively flat one, sit down and close your eyes, and just listen to the ocean’s heartbeat.
There were other trails paralleling the coastline that I’d love to explore and I imagine are a great running route for locals. If you’re looking for a spur of the moment getaway, this is your spot!

Some neat look out points to stare into the distance or get some reading done. Like! A lot.

Great park.
Nice views for a nice walk at the park. Its good if your in shape or want to get into shape. Expect a lot of hills. Keep your dog leashed as there are coyotes. Has free parking.
Its not extremely windy, but its not warm. Don’t expect to get your feet wet unless your willing to climb down an unstable cliff. I wouldn’t want to anyways though considering how close it is to a neighborhood.
You know where their sewers drain, right?

This is a hidden gem in the Daly City/​Pacifica area. I can’t believe I haven’t been here sooner! I went with a friend and the parking lot was empty in comparison to other scenic places in the bay area similar to this one. If you live in Daly City or Pacifica, I highly recommend stopping by here if you get a chance! It’s so serene and beautiful.

I’m so hesitant to write this review. Because I selfishly want to keep this secluded, pristine area to myself! It’s nestled behind a refinement center which can be off putting to some, but getting past that there’s plenty of parking (be mindful of the uneven pavement) and there’s some relatively short hikes around the area beyond the gate.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have amazing views of the coast, and of people who are brave enough to paraglide or hang glide off the coast. It’s also a popular RC airplane/​drone site as well.
If you get closer to the coast, even though the signage says to not go off the edge, you can tell people have gone down the edge and carved a somewhat scrambly approach down to the beach. Not staying you should do it! (Cough cough) but yea. The beach is pretty pristine ;-)
My only quips about this place are minor– the parking lot is in dire need of repair and the trails could be better marked. But that’s soooo minor compared to how amazing this little stretch of beauty is.
So please, if you do go here, 1) don’t tell anyone about it 2) keep it beautiful and clean!

Thought it was very beautiful. Some hobbyists flying airplanes, and people paragliding. It was so pretty with the paragliders there.
Next to the public dump, but luckily only a short part of the walk is smelly.
The walking path can be accessed by opening the metal gate in the chain link fence.

Beautiful park with beautiful, sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and the rugged coastline. I was hoping for walkable paths, but I didn’t see any. The only one I saw was a rather treacherous, steep path. Wearing sandals, I didn’t dare try it. But, the views are great. Very few people here. One downside is it’s right next to a dump. Seriously. Weird.

I once wrote a raving 4-​star review on Thornton State Beach. .. only to find out I wasn’t at Thornton State Beach. I didn’t know where I was, I just knew you get off of 1 at Manor Drive, go north, and pretty soon you’re at an undeveloped wonderland that has not been overrun by either tourists or locals. Actually, you may be able to count the number of other people on two hands at the most.
Welcome to the dump.
I’m actually not kidding. The city dump is next door, and it looks like this was once a landfill. After what happened at Love Canal at Niagara Falls NY, and after Thornton CA was buried by a landslide 60 years ago, this plot of land will never have houses or shopping centers put on it, So it’s beachfront property for all of us to enjoy.
The first few times I went here, several of the trails were treacherous: rocky, sudden drops. There is now a trail wide enough to drive a Chevy truck down. When you get halfway down, you see a beautiful beach. Pretty flowers. From the signs I read and the wind I felt, this appears to be a popular place for paragliders if they get tired of Fort Funston. And bring the dog; off leash? Yet when you look at the cliffs to the right, you see the houses hanging on there, so you’re not that far from civilization.
It’s a change of pace from the usual scene.

Beautiful views of the Pacific from the parking lot, probably why there’s a few «smokers» always chilling out in their cars here. A great place to catch a sunset.
An amazing place to watch paragliders jump off the cliffs and soar into the sky.
If you hike down, you can get to the mussel part of the beach which is really interesting but smelly. If you hang a left going when you head the bottom of the trail, you can find the «hole in the rock” — a small cave that opens out to both sides of the cliff. Be careful when climbing in– it’s wet!
A really fun area to explore, lovely sights and smells. I’ve never seen coyotes there but there are warning signs everywhere, so be weary if you have a small dog.

#500 has got to be dedicated to my backyard.
And what a backyard it is!
It’s a bit of a secret, what with the only sign leading there refering to the nearby disposal site. You’ve gotta be in the know, you know, to know that just past the disposal site is this beautiful, quiet little plot of perfection.
We often go down for walks along the beach, and I’m always astonished at how few people (if any) we run across. I guess the whole disposal site thing throws people off. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t the brilliant idea of locals here as a sort of decoy so that this would never become Rockaway or Maverick’s or Baker or any other beach that can get crowded around here.
There are many short hikes along the water. You’ll find a rocky and a sandy beach, as well as a few tide pools if you know where to look. I have never, ever, seen anyone in the water here, though as a swimmer, I’m tempted. (On the other hand, some surfers told me that it’s a tad «sharky,» an adjective I think I’d best avoid.) There seems to be a paragliding club that meets here from time to time, as, periodically, the sky is filled with people mellowly swinging from giant, colorful kites.
What more can I say? It’s free. It’s beautiful. It’s nearly private, given the paucity of people who frequent it. I adore it.
(Now hopefully, the neighbors aren’t going to TP my house for exposing their well-​kept secret!)

Dropped by to get some fresh air. I wouldn’t really call this a hike, but a look out. I got some great pictures of the coast and water, but I didn’t get the walk I wanted.
Overall, it’s a place to just pass by and get a good deep inhale of fresh air.
Mussel Rock, I gained no muscle but you are nice to look at!

This is one of Daly City’s beautiful gems! Mussel Rock Beach Park’s paths may be rather rocky at times, but even from the small parking lot, there are some unbelieveable and gorgeous views of the beach and the bay. There are people who walk their dogs but it’s recommended that they be leashed at all times.
If you’re looking to get onto the beach itself, then you’ll need to pass a sign that says «Danger, Unstable Cliffs, Do Not Enter». Not that I’d recommend you do that, but I have seen a few individuals actually climb up and down the rocks to get to that point.

Not a bad place for a nice brisk walk, BUT my small dog was hunted by a pack of coyotes at 4:00 pm this afternoon (in total we saw 8 or 9 of them !).
One of them attacked one of my dogs and only released and let go of her because I picked up a large orange cone and started swinging it around and screaming like a total nut ! Ha I won ! But seriously — small dog owners do not let your dogs off leash here !
2 stars for dog friendly !

Re-​post under correct heading as Mussel Rock Beach Park, rather than disposal site.
Mussel Rock Beach Park is kind of like Iceland – isn’t there a myth that Iceland was given such an unappealing name to discourage settlement? To get to the beach/​hiking paths here, you need to follow directions to the Mussel Rock Transfer Station Disposal Site. Yeah, that doesn’t exactly sound appealing, does it?
Anyway, the park here hidden gem. I didn’t know this place existed until I read Ravena F.‘s review a few months ago and I live just up the road – really I don’t even have to use a main road to get here. This is exactly the view I moved to Pacifica for. You can take a long walk down the beach and feel totally isolated. As we walked down the cliff to the beach, we came across a rope to rappel down. If it weren’t for that, you might almost think you were the first person to discover this stretch of beach. ..