The Epicenter Of San Francisco's Great Earthquake Is A Breathtaking Hidden Beach Where Paragliders Soar The Air

It was a quiet April morning in 1906 when San Francisco was rocked by one of the deadliest earthquakes in U.S. history. The quake tore through the San Andreas fault, just off the coastline south of one of the world's most iconic cities. Mussel Rock Park, a quiet beach with hidden trails and paragliders soaring overhead, is believed to be the closest land point to the epicenter of the great San Francisco earthquake. The park is located just north of Pacifica, the highly rated surfing town home to what's considered the world's most beautiful Taco Bell. 

Mussel Rock Park sits right at the point where the fault line passes between the ocean and the land. There is something surreal about standing on that hidden beach, your feet in the sand that marks one of the most significant geological intersections on the planet. On the day of the earthquake, the ground around Mussel Rock shifted around 20 feet, and it is still moving at a much slower pace today. You can get a feel for the force of the great San Francisco earthquake at the city's California Academy of Sciences, in a simulator designed to look like a classic Victorian house.

Like much of the north Pacific coastline, the landscape here is made up of craggy cliff faces with steep drops that tumble down to the beach. The centerpiece and namesake of this park is Mussel Rock itself, a towering triple-story rocky outcrop that has been formed and sculpted by erosion over millennia. Geologically speaking, Mussel Rock was once part of mainland California, slowly shuffling its way into the ocean as a result of the shifting tectonic plates along the San Andreas fault.

Between the 1960s and 1970s, Mussel Rock was used as a trash dumping ground for San Francisco. While those days are long gone, paragliders still nod to its past by calling it "The Dumps" — now one of the most popular paragliding locations in the country. The site features seven separate launch points (Tomcat, Green Monster, Lemmings, Jungle, Walker, The Perch, and Coyote) along a cliff that rises 640 feet above sea level. The site offers incredible Bay Views and, on clear days, glimpses of San Francisco. But the wild winds and thick fog can be complex, making Mussel Rock a paragliding site best left to experienced fliers. With rough water and high tides, risks include being blown back into the cliffs or making a forced water landing, where strong rip tides make conditions dangerous.

Located just south of Daly City, California's unsung coastal city of beaches, shops, and parks, Mussel Rock Park is about 13 miles from downtown San Francisco. Those arriving by car can park in the designated lot at the end of Westline Drive. It's a large lot, but it does fill up on weekends. The park is also accessible by public transport, using a combination of any southbound BART train to Daly City, followed by the 110 bus – an hour-long journey that costs a total of $6.30 each way. 

To get to the beach from the parking lot, head north to follow one of the paths that traverse the cliffs towards the shore. The first beach you will encounter is more rocky than sandy. A sandier stretch can be found further north, but reaching it might mean clambering over some unstable, eroding cliffs.