History of Tunitas Creek

Tunitas Creek is a 6.6 mile-long stream in San Mateo. Tunitas is Spanish for "little prickly pears."

The creek starts at an altitude at close to 2000 feet and flows to the pacific ocean at Tunitas Creek Beach.

​Fun fact - Steelhead trout have been found in the creek.

The first European land exploration of Alta, California, the Spanish Portola Expedition, traveled along the coast on its way north, camping near today's San Gregoria, from October 24 to 26, 1769. On the return journey to San Diego, the party camped near Half Moon Bay on November 16, and at Tunitas Creek on November 17. Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi noted in his diary: "This morning broke very cloudy, and as soon as we started on our way it began to rain, and in the whole three leagues [about 7.8 miles (12.6 km)] that we traveled it was falling on us. We halted on the banks of a deep arroyo."

The name "Arroyo de Las Tunitas" appears on the diseños (claim maps) of both Rancho San Gregorio (1839) and Rancho Canada Verde (1838) because it was part of the boundary between them.

Tunitas Creek Beach is enclosed by 100-foot (30 m) cliffs. The cliffs just north of the creek outflow were the site of "Gordon's Chute", a ramp for sliding farm goods from the top of the cliffs to ships anchored below. Constructed in 1872 by Alexander Gordon, the chute was destroyed by a storm in 1885; eyebolts remain in the cliff-face.

The beach was formerly private, with a house on the cliff top, and was owned from 1998 to 2017 by a trust of musician Chris Issak. The property, comprising 58 acres (23 ha) was then purchased by the Peninsula Open Space Trust, who transferred it in 2020 to San Mateo County. In 2023, the county approved a project to create a public park, scheduled to open in 2024 after construction including creation of trails, parking, restrooms, and a ranger station.