The reserve stretches from the Montara light station to Pillar Point and includes a three-mile stretch of beach, tide pools, marsh, eroding bluffs and a clifftop trail through cypress and eucalyptus. People lived here around 5,800 years ago.
The state designated it a reserve on August 5, 1969, after researchers and collectors had so heavily used the shore that San Mateo County asked for protection. It was named for James V. Fitzgerald, a former San Bruno mayor and longtime county supervisor. It is owned by the state and run by the county as a park.
The tide pools have long been prized as among the best in northern California. Sea urchins, sea anemones and hermit crabs are common, and harbor seals and sea lions use the beach. The reserve is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
More on this site: the beaches