Tafoni formations — or ‘Swiss cheese rock’ — are beautiful honeycomb shaped sandstone rock outcroppings that are a feature of the tide pools at Bean Hollow State Beach.
Beach scene near Bean Hollow trail to Pebble Beach.
A trail along the bluffs at the south end of the beach goes out to a vista point. Along the north end of the beach is a one-mile self-guided nature walk between Bean Hollow Beach and Pebble Beach offers a close-up look at tidepools, wild flowers, and colonies of harbor seals and shorebirds. Although it has been subject to erosion due to severe storms, the trail is one of the best places along the San Mateo coast to see a largely undisturbed landscape of native coastal plants.
Interpretive signs teach about the area's history, flora and fauna. (Photo: CA State Parks)