Pomponio State Beach is located just 12 miles south of Half Moon Bay. This beach is a scenic haven where miles of gently sloping, sandy shores meet the base of towering sandstone bluffs. Visitors can enjoy the sights and sounds of a small, tranquil lagoon and the roaring surf of the Pacific Ocean. The beach is equipped with basic amenities, including picnic tables and pit toilets, making it an ideal spot for a day trip.
The sandy beaches at Pomponio are usually offer more space than nearby San Gregorio, although they do become narrower and are sometimes submerged during high tide. Pomponio Creek often forms a sandbar at its mouth during the dry summer months.
The beach and the creek are named after Pomponio, a Native American from the Yokut-speaking people of the San Joaquin Valley. Pomponio became a symbol of resistance against the mission system. He and other Native Americans from the missions were involved in trading stolen mission horses, a network that extended from the Yokuts to the Paiute and Shoshone peoples in northern Nevada and beyond. Pomponio’s story, marked by his resistance and eventual capture and death at the hands of the Spaniards in 1824, adds a rich historical layer to the beauty of Pomponio State Beach, making it not just a destination, but a journey through California’s diverse natural and cultural heritage.
