Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Moss Beach, San Mateo County, CA
- Size
- 41 acres Source
- Managed by
- San Mateo County Parks
About Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
A rocky seashore with tide pools full of algae, crabs, sea stars, and other intertidal life. Source
This rocky seashore hosts a living community of marine life that is of great interest to visitor and naturalist alike. A variety of algae, crabs, sponges, seastars, mollusks, and fish make their homes in the inter-tidal; that area between low and high tide. The Reserve is set aside to protect this complex but fragile community for us and future generations.
Know before you go
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve covers 41 acres in Moss Beach, San Mateo County. 3 named trails add up to about 0.9 miles inside the park; the longest is Bluff Trail at 0.5 miles, and Bluff Trail has the most up and down (about 100 feet). Mapped trails range from 38 to 99 feet in elevation. OpenStreetMap shows 2 parking areas, plus 1 restroom and 1 drinking fountain. The closest mapped bus stop is Etheldore Street & California Avenue, about 690 feet from the park.
Facilities
- Drinking Water
- Historic Site
- Restrooms
Facility details: OpenStreetMap
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at a glance
- PParking · 2
- WCRestrooms · 1
- WDrinking water · 1
- Named trails · 3
© OpenStreetMap · CPAD · About this map
Trails
| Trail | Mapped length | Elevation | Surface & uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff Trail | 0.5 mi | 100 ft up & down38–99 ft | No bikes |
| Dardanelle Trail | 0.2 mi | 28 ft up & down44–73 ft | UnpavedBikes |
| Cypress Trail | 0.2 mi | 21 ft up & down61–84 ft | No bikes |
Getting to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve by bus
- Etheldore Street & California Avenue · 690 ft from the park
- Cypress Avenue & Cabrillo Highway · 820 ft from the park
- Airport Street & Los Banos Avenue · 870 ft from the park
- Etheldore Street & Vermont Avenue · 930 ft from the park
Stops within a quarter mile of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve; confirm times with the transit agency.
Compared with nearby parks
Among the 7 other parks in this guide within 10 miles, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is number 7 of 8 by size at 41 acres. 5 nearby parks have more mapped trail mileage than its 0.9 miles.
Closest places for what Fitzgerald Marine Reserve doesn't list:
- Playground: Junipero Serra Park (7.9 mi)
Rules & reservations
Official park page- Dogs
At Fitzgerald Marine Reserve: coastal trail only, on leash, under the Dogs at San Mateo County Parks. Source
Map & directions
200 Nevada Ave. Moss Beach, CA 94038
Nearby parks
Straight-line distanceContinue exploring
San Mateo County parksSources & verification
Last verified: Oct 15, 2026- California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) 2026aname, county, agency, access, acres
- Dogs at San Mateo County Parksdogs
- San Mateo County Parks park pageofficial_url, address, description
- Park hours pagehours
- OpenStreetMap facilities and trailsfacilities.drinking-water, facilities.historic-site, facilities.restrooms, trails
- U.S. Census Bureau place boundariescity
- OpenStreetMap: parking, restrooms, water, trailheads, trail lines, and bus stopsvisit
- Terrain Tiles elevation (USGS 3DEP), sampled every 20 m along OpenStreetMap trail linestrails.elevation
- Official park page (introduction excerpt)intro