Peninsula Open Space Trust to buy 195-acre San Gregorio Ranch

Currently owned by a family land trust and located at the intersection of highways 1 and 84, San Gregorio Ranch is also home to a bounty of native species, sandy bluffs and half a mile of coastline, POST President Gordon Clark said. 

“It offers sweeping views in a highly accessible way for people to enjoy and experience the awe and wonder of the magnificent San Mateo coast,” he said. “POST is thrilled about this opportunity to protect a key piece of land in the heart of this critical and threatened area.” 

The land is located directly adjacent to San Gregorio State Beach, which is operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and is a popular destination for beachgoers. 

A yearlong transition period into the sale will allow POST to decide which public agency — including, potentially, the state Parks and Recreation Department — might own and maintain the land in the long run. 

The temporary purchase of natural land for the purpose of long-term ownership by appropriate conservation agencies is a staple of POST’s nonprofit model, and the specific direction still remains uncertain.

“We’ll be evaluating long-term ownership possibilities for San Gregorio Ranch,” Clark said. “[This will] enable us to undertake longer term planning for what future ownership and public access to the property would look like, while also protecting the property.” 

An April 22 press release from the organization did highlight the possibility of using the property to create a safe connection for the California Coastal Trail in the future, given the dangerous nature of biking and walking on the nearby highway. 

Aside from deciding on a direction for the property’s long-term future, the yearlong purchase agreement period will also allow for a “graceful transition” from the property’s current stewardship and give POST time to raise $14 million to fund the purchase and property maintenance. 

“It’s a wonderful example of a multibenefit landscape,” Clark said. 

Currently, visitors — nude or otherwise — can enter San Gregorio Ranch when it’s opened to the public by its caretakers and pay a small fee for parking. Per CaliforniaBeaches.com, a website that provides information on beach access across the state, beachgoers can enter via the first driveway on the ocean side of Highway 1, just north of La Honda, during midday hours on weekdays and daylight hours on weekends.