Discovering Our Sanctuary: Gazos Creek Beach

By Pete White, Beach Watch Volunteer monitoring Gazos Creek Beach
Published: April 2007

Gazos Creek sunset. Credit:Sunil Veluvali

Fifty miles south of San Francisco, along the majestic Highway 1, lies Gazos Creek Beach.  This beautiful stretch of coastline is home to over a hundred species of birds.  Chinook salmon and steelhead trout run up the creek each season and harbor seals haul out on the rocky shores.  It is a beach that we need to protect and a place that every ocean lover should visit.

The beach itself is a surveyor’s delight. It is characterized by a variety of habitats and, consequently, a diversity of species.  Over the past three years, Sanctuary Beach Watch volunteers have recorded 108 bird species in the area.  Gazos Creek itself attracts freshwater species such as Common Merganser and Mallard.  In the marsh that borders the stream, there are Common Yellowthroat and Marsh Wren.  On the broad sandy swaths of beach are many Sanderling and Whimbrel. 

The numerous rock outcroppings awash at high tide attract Wandering Tattler, Surfbird and several other species of “rock piper.”  Over the open ocean, Sooty Shearwaters and Common Murres are often diving in the water.

Franklin Point, the southern boundary of Gazos Beach, serves as one of two haul-out areas for harbor seals.  The harbor seal is one of five pinnepeds that volunteers have noted along the beach.  Out beyond the surf, sea otters, bottlenose dolphins, humpback and gray whales can be spotted.

The Beach

Gazos Creek Beach has few visitors. Those that do come tend to stay near the beach access point near the parking area.  An exception is the fair number of nude sunbathers who find seclusion in the beach’s remote areas.

During summer months, few beaches along the San Mateo County coast are as deserted, as pleasant or as interesting as Gazos Creek Beach.  With just the cries of birds and the crashing waves, it is a perfect place to go for a walk.  During the winter months, the beach's rocky outcroppings are more exposed, blocking access to some sections, particularly the northern section.

The History

Gazos Creek Beach even has a tragic past.  On January 17, 1865, the ship Sir John Franklin was sailing north through a thickening fog.  Suddenly the lookout reported, “breakers ahead.” But it was too late, and the Sir John Franklin hit the rocks of Middle Point with driving force, drowning 13 crewmembers. 

In the years that followed, Middle Point was renamed Franklin Point to commemorate the tragedy.  The victims were buried in a small cemetery at the base of Franklin Point.  Today their resting place is marked by a short boardwalk that protects the graves from erosion. 

Getting There

Gazos Creek is approximately two and a half miles south of Pigeon Point Lighthouse and three and a half miles north of Año Nuevo State Park.  A small parking lot located across the road from the only gas station marks the beach access. 

Protecting Our Sanctuary

By supporting FMSA, you are helping us monitor and protect this precious beach.