Dog Friendly Fall Day Trip to Half Moon Bay

We took a day trip up to Half Moon Bay the weekend before Halloween to visit dog friendly pumpkin patches in search of a pumpkin for us to carve. And of course, a day trip to Half Moon Bay wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t also include eating delicious seafood, hiking along a coastal trail, and frolicking on the beach.

Celebrate Fall in Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is a coastal town in San Mateo County, approximately a 45-minute drive from either San Jose or San Francisco. While Half Moon Bay is known to the world for Mavericks – a monumental surf break with waves reaching up to sixty feet high – it is also known as the World Pumpkin Capital. Every year starting in September, the town transforms into a fall wonderland covered in pumpkin patches of various shades of orange, red, white, green, and even blue. When it comes to buying pumpkins in the fall, a tradition of ours is to ditch the makeshift parking lot pumpkin patch or supermarket, and head over to Half Moon Bay instead to experience these charming, coastside patches – and to support local businesses. Join us, you will not regret the switch!

This year also marked the 50th anniversary of the infamous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival where you can experience all the pumpkin-flavored goodies imaginable, watch talented pumpkin carvers create “gourd”-geous masterpieces, and witness history being made in a weigh-off of elephant-sized pumpkins. We always have a good time at the festival, but haven’t visited since adopting Kona in 2021 as dogs sadly are not allowed to attend. 

However, outside of the Pumpkin Festival – which is only one weekend out of the year – Half Moon Bay is an incredibly dog friendly town that we frequent often with Kona. To avoid the inevitable weekend traffic on Hwy 92 and general crowds throughout this cozy town, we prefer to drive in before 10am and start off our time in Half Moon Bay with a morning hike.

Morning Hike at Rancho Corral de Tierra

This was our first time at Rancho Corral de Tierra. We’ve been meaning to visit for some time now since dogs are allowed on leash on all the trails, which is rare for a national park property. RCDT is the newest addition to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is not only the most visited national park in the US, but also the only one with designated areas for off-leash dogs when under voice and sight control.

Despite a late start arriving ~11:30am at the small parking lot at Coral Reef Ave & Sevilla Ave, there were still free parking spots available and plenty of residential street parking as well. The trailhead starts at the grove of eucalyptus trees towards the right of the parking lot.

This moderately challenging 3.3-mile loop features a steady ascent through a forest of pampas grass with stunning views of Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Get ready to tackle a steep incline of 850 feet in elevation for the 1.3 mile stretch up Clipper Ridge Trail. The descent down French Trail is also moderately challenging as there are no switchbacks and thus can get slippery. We recommend wearing hiking boots with good grip – it also wouldn’t hurt to bring hiking poles for safety purposes.

Most importantly, make sure to bring lots of water for you and your dog as the trail is not only steep, but also exposed without any shade. However, this hike can still be enjoyed anytime due to the mild year-round temperatures of Half Moon Bay rarely exceeding 65 degrees. The morning we went was still slightly overcast, so luckily the sun wasn’t beating down on us. Plus, we enjoyed the light crowds for a late Sunday morning – we only came across five groups during our 90-min hike, which included one mountain biker speeding downhill as we were hiking up and only one other dog. This was a great introductory trail to RCDT and we’ll definitely come back to explore some more!

Lunch at Sam’s Chowder House

Sam’s is one of our favorite casual spots in Half Moon Bay. It’s a popular destination overlooking Pillar Point Harbor Point that serves sustainable, ocean fresh seafood. Our favorite starters on the menu are the crispy “Maryland style” lump blue crab cake and the New England chowder. And our favorite entrees are the naked lobster roll, salmon burger, and blue crab sandwich – all come with the crunchiest, thick-cut potato chips. 

While Sam’s has a fantastic oceanfront dog-friendly patio with cozy heat lamps, it often comes with long wait times since everyone who visits (with or without their furry friend) wants to sit outside and enjoy the stunning coastal views. Our favorite – and even better – alternative to the patio is to order takeout (usually ready in 20-30 min) and eat at the benches along Pillar Point Harbor Beach, which comes with the same coastal views! Afterwards, we like to take a stroll from the beach to the rock jetty across the Pillar Point RV Park – we always see people fishing off the rocks. Kona, on the other hand, prefers to parkour on the rock jetty and find hidden spots to sniff.

• Barbara’s Fishtrap – Casual seafood with a long line like Sam’s. Join the debate of whether Sam’s or Barb’s is best.
• Gherkin’s Sandwich Shop – Large, specialty sandwiches. Get Dutch Crunch bread.
• Half Moon Bay Brewing Company – Craft beers, cocktails, bar food, and even seafood entrees. 

Farmer John’s Pumpkin Patch

We drove by Farmer John’s for the very first time on the way to our morning hike, and it looked so inviting that we couldn’t resist coming back to explore it after lunch. Farmer John’s Pumpkin Farm is a family-run pumpkin patch that has been in business for over 25 years – a true working farm where they grow everything they sell. Their pumpkins are not only reasonably priced, ranging from $5 (small) to $20+ (large), but also come in many varieties and colors. I guarantee you’ll come across a pumpkin there that you’ve never seen before. They even have hayrides and farm animals on display!

Farmer John’s opens in early-September and the last day to visit is Halloween day. There is plenty of free parking available, whether it’s in their own dirt lot or in the street on Frontage Rd. Best of all, they are extremely dog-friendly – we saw at least six other dogs when we visited, and about half were in costumes like Kona! Farmer John’s even hosts an Annual Bernese Mountain Dog Day (aka Berner Day) where hayrides are free for Berners and their pawrents.

Additionally, Farmer John’s is very active in the local community. They partner with small businesses that sell items like dog treats and unique crafts at the patch, sponsor field trips for students, and provide pumpkins to schools. This is a fantastic family-run business to support!

Easy Stroll Along the California Coastal Trail – Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay & Manhattan Beach

While an upscale oceanside five-star luxury hotel may seem like an unconventional stop for a day trip, the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay offers a relaxing, scenic walk along the California Coastal Trail and access to a relatively secluded dog-friendly beach. 

Many folks probably leave this off their itinerary due to the hefty $50 weekend valet parking fee at the Ritz-Carlton. However, the Ritz-Carlton has partnered with the California State Parks Coastal Commission to offer 25 public coastal access parking spots within its parking garage, as well as an additional 25 spots in the lot on Miramontes Point Rd. We personally prefer parking at the Ritz-Carlton parking garage. To access it, inform the gate keeper that you are seeking public coastal access parking and they will direct you to the garage. At the garage, you will have to agree to the terms and conditions presented on the large screen on your left in order to enter through the gate.

After parking, we like to first check out the holiday display near the hotel front entrance for a great photo opportunity. We especially love the fall display, with beautiful pumpkins of various colors, shapes and sizes meticulously placed throughout.

Then follow this route along the backside of the hotel and patio along the coastal trail for a short, half-mile out-and-back stroll to Manhattan Beach. There are clean, outdoor bathrooms near the public overlook where you’ll see lots of patio chairs facing the coast.

Bob’s Vegetable Stand & Pumpkin Farm

Bob’s is our go-to spot for our annual pumpkin patch visit in October. It is the biggest dog-friendly pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay, and is open in September and October from 9am-6pm. Unlike the other patches, what makes Bob’s so special is how they have lots of pumpkins that are actually still growing on the vine! Plus, it’s further down Hwy 1 and thus generally less crowded than the other pumpkin patches. There is also plenty of free parking in their dirt lot. 

What we like the most about Bob’s is how their pumpkins are the most reasonably priced out of all the patches in Half Moon Bay – a small pumpkin is $3, while a large one is $20. For the last two years, we’ve gotten pumpkins to carve for around $8-10 each. And if you’re willing to wait, the best prices are during the weekend before Halloween. We specifically come to Bob’s for large carvable pumpkins, but they do also have an extensive assortment of decorative gourds and edible squashes near the front of the patch. 

While us pawrents enjoy walking up and down the field in search of the perfect pumpkin and photo op for Kona, her favorite things to do at Bob’s are quite different: rolling around on the stacked hay bales, and intensely staring at the fenced-in farm animals near the parking lot.

This is our favorite pumpkin patch in the Bay Area and is one that we’ll continue visiting year after year!