Pacifica State Beach is a crescent about 0.75 miles long at the mouth of the San Pedro Valley. It is a state beach managed by the City of Pacifica under an agreement with California State Parks, and more than a million people visit each year.
Between 1989 and 2005 the beach was the focus of a habitat restoration tied to San Pedro Creek flood control. In 2002 two oceanside homes were bought and removed for $2.2 million to let the beach and estuary recover, an early use of managed retreat. The beach is habitat for the western snowy plover, a threatened shorebird, and has hosted the World Dog Surfing Championships since 2016.