🇺🇸 San Mateo (3rd Ave)
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Best directionW
Wind speed15–25kt
SeasonMar – Oct
Skill levelIntermediate
WaterFlat + chop
A South Bay alternative to Crissy Field with its own local kite school, sharing the same broad thermal wind season as the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereWestern shore of San Francisco Bay, 10 minutes south of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) via Highway 101. A car is required; free parking at the end of J. Hart Clinton Drive. The launch has a rocky levee access point with a rubber mat path for safety.
HazardsSharp, slippery mud and jagged rock levees leave little room for launch errors or downwind drift. Not for true beginners — wind is cross-offshore near the launch, water drops off immediately, and a rider who can't hold upwind will drift into the active SF shipping lanes.
Best time of dayAfternoon, April-September, when the regional thermal sea breeze compresses through the Golden Gate gap. Peaks 2-5pm for highly predictable, steady side-shore conditions.