San Gregorio State Beach is a broad California coastal park where beach, creek, and wetlands meet the Pacific near San Gregorio and Half Moon Bay. Its defining feature is San Gregorio Creek, which forms a small freshwater lagoon behind a sand berm and reaches the ocean differently with seasonal conditions. Historically a coho salmon spawning site, the creek has figured in efforts to rebuild runs south of San Francisco. The beach is also known for its cleanliness and for habitat that supports the western snowy plover, shaping visitor use. The site also holds early California significance as a campsite of Gaspar de Portolà’s expedition in 1769 during its failed search for Monterey Bay.