Mori Point Webcam – Pacifica’s Rugged Headland and Surf

The Mori Point Webcam looks south along the shore of Pacifica, California, from a mast in the Sharp Park beach area toward the dark cliffs of Mori Point. Red tile roofs and trees fill the left foreground, a beachfront road with angled parking runs down the middle, and a seawall railing separates a wide strip of sand from the surf. The open Pacific takes up the right of the frame, and the headland closes off the far end of the beach, with rocks scattered offshore below it and more hills fading into the distance. Big swells roll in white along the shoreline, and walkers follow the raised path toward the point.

About Mori Point

Mori Point is a headland of about 45 hectares (110 acres) at the south end of Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica, a city of 38,640 people (2020 census) on the San Mateo County coast between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. The point has been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 2002, when the land was bought at public auction and donated to the federal government. On its north side it meets the Laguna Salada marsh and Sharp Park Golf Course, a municipal course that Alister MacKenzie designed in 1931, whose green edge shows on the left of the frame.

The land is named after Stefano Mori, an Italian immigrant who bought it with his family in 1888 to farm. It had been worked as a limestone quarry before that, and limestone from the Rockaway Quarry later went into the track ballast of the Ocean Shore Railroad. The family’s business eventually became the Mori Point Inn, which stayed open until 1965. During Prohibition the inn ran as a speakeasy, and its quiet stretch of coast made a handy landing spot for smuggled Canadian whiskey. One seizure in 1923 netted 24,000 cases worth $2,000,000. The steep stairway to the top of the bluff, finished in 2007, is nicknamed the Bootlegger’s Steps after that trade.

The camera belongs to Chamberlin Nature, a photographer who shoots in and around Pacifica and streams four 4K cameras from one antenna mast in the Sharp Park beach area, alongside a personal weather station. This is the south-facing view. The other three look north to the Pacifica pier and west across Sharp Park Beach.

Weather and Climate at Mori Point

Pacifica has a mild, foggy coastal climate with small swings between the seasons. Averages from the town’s NOAA weather station for 1991 to 2020 put January highs at about 14.5 C (58 F) and lows around 7 C (45 F). Most of the yearly 810 millimeters (32 inches) of rain falls between November and March, when winter storms can turn the waves on camera into wide bands of white water. Spring is wildflower season on the point, with April highs near 18 C (64 F).

Summer is cool rather than hot. July highs average about 21 C (69 F), and the fog that often settles over the coast at night and in the morning brings drizzle and can blank out Mori Point completely. The warmest weather arrives in early autumn: September is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 C (72 F), and October still averages about 21 C (70 F). On clear autumn afternoons the low sun lays a band of glare across the water on the right of the frame.

Things to Do Near Mori Point

The obvious outing is the one on screen. The raised path that runs south along the top of the beach, past the golf course, ends at Mori Point, where the Bootlegger’s Steps climb to the top of the bluff. From there the National Park Service describes views reaching from Point Reyes in the north to Pedro Point in the south. Trails loop across the headland and down past the ponds dug on its north side in the mid-2000s for the threatened California red-legged frog and the endangered San Francisco garter snake. The park service lists parking for the point on Mori Point Road and Bradford Way.

Behind the camera to the north stands the Pacifica Municipal Pier, officially the Reverend Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier. It was built in 1973 to carry a sewage pipe out to sea and doubles as a fishing pier: on July 8 and 9, 1995, anglers landed more than 1,000 salmon from it. South of the point, out of the camera’s sight, lies Rockaway Beach.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

The same mast carries a camera aimed north at the pier, and the California coast has more beach views further south.

• Sharp Park Beach Webcam
• San Francisco Webcam
• Santa Monica Beach Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Mori Point located?

Mori Point is on the Pacific coast in Pacifica, San Mateo County, California, at the south end of Sharp Park Beach. Pacifica lies between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, and the camera’s operator puts the Sharp Park area about 15 minutes south of San Francisco.

What can you see on the Mori Point Webcam?

The camera faces south, over red tile roofs, a beachfront road with angled parking and the seawall promenade with its picnic tables, to the surf on the right and Mori Point’s cliffs at the far end of the beach. Hills and another headland fade into the distance beyond the point.

Is the Mori Point Webcam on Mori Point itself?

No. It is mounted on an antenna mast in the Sharp Park beach area, north of the point, and looks south along the shore toward it, so it shows the whole headland from a distance rather than the trails on top.

Does this webcam show the Pacifica Pier?

No. The pier is north of the camera, behind it. The same operator runs separate cameras pointed north at the pier, and one of them plays on our Sharp Park Beach webcam page.

Can you see Rockaway Beach from the Mori Point Webcam?

No. Rockaway Beach sits on the far, southern side of Mori Point, so the headland blocks it from view.

What is the weather like at Mori Point today?

The live picture is the quickest check for fog, rain and surf, and the operator keeps a weather station on the same mast. Pacifica averages highs of about 14.5 C (58 F) in January and 22 C (72 F) in September, the warmest month, with foggy summer mornings and most rain from November to March.

Where do you park to hike Mori Point?

The National Park Service lists parking on Mori Point Road and Bradford Way. You can also walk in from the Sharp Park beach area along the raised path on the left of the camera’s frame and climb the Bootlegger’s Steps to the top of the bluff.

Can you watch the Mori Point Webcam at night?

Yes, the stream runs around the clock. After dark the streetlights along the beach road and a cluster of lights on the hills to the south stay visible, while the surf and the headland mostly disappear until morning.

Source: Chamberlin Nature