‘Breathtaking’ Bay Area beach once owned by Chris Isaak to open as public park

A picturesque oceanfront property with a popular beach in San Mateo County, once owned by rock singer Chris Isaak, is opening up to the public next week. 

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The 58-acre property, named Don Horsley County Park at Tunitas Creek Beach, is scheduled to open on Monday, Aug. 17, and will be the county’s first new park in more than a decade, the County of San Mateo said in a news release Thursday. Located on Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Pescadero, the property has been under construction for nearly a decade after it was sold by a trust associated with Isaak to the Peninsula Open Space Trust in 2017 for $5 million, SFGATE previously reported.

The “Wicked Game” singer had owned the property, which is surrounded by 100-foot sandstone cliffs, since 1998 before it was purchased by the trust. 

“From the moment we saw this property in 2017, we knew we had to jump on the opportunity to preserve this special place. It is our close public-private partnership with the County that has turned the ambitious vision we sparked more than nine years ago into a reality,” Gordon Clark, president of the trust, said in the news release. 

In recent years, the beach attracted crowds for wild all-night raves, parties, fireworks and at times, massive trash pileups, according to the Mercury News. The beach was also difficult to access and some people were even reportedly living at the beach, according to the San Francisco Chronicle (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms).

According to the county, visitors would often use a “network of unofficial trails” to reach the beach. 

Jeneane Crawford, a spokesperson for San Mateo County Parks, told SFGATE that because the beach wasn’t managed prior to the park project, there was environmental damage and poaching of wildlife. Now, rangers and a natural resource team will be on site, which she described as a “huge win for protected species” on the property.

The 1-mile stretch of the beach will have restrooms, amenities and bluff-top parking for up to 80 vehicles, according to the release. No lifeguards will be on duty at the beach, the county said, urging members of the public to take precautions when it officially opens. There will also safety equipment on site to help with water rescues, Crawford added.

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The total cost of the project was approximately $24 million. The park is named after Supervisor Don Horsley, who helped spearhead the initiative, and county officials described the project as a “breathtaking new park.”

Part of the park restoration also included making sure the property is “environmentally sound,” the county said in its news release.

“This site features sandstone bluffs with a history of landslides so stabilizing the bluff was key. Because of that, as well as issues related to the adjacent creek, tides, and sea level rise, we conducted geotechnical studies that were important in creating the park’s design,” Crawford said.

The park, which won’t have an entrance fee, is expected to be open year-round, with closing times that will vary depending on the season, the county said. Officials don’t expect to schedule any seasonal closures unless there is an “emergency situation” or if facilities need repairs, Crawford said.

This story has been updated to add information from San Mateo County Parks’ spokesperson.