An archaeological survey in 1969 revealed shell middens at Mori Point, evidence of pre-Columbian Native American habitation. Francisco Sanchez received Rancho San Pedro in 1839, encompassing much of present-day Pacifica. The kitchen built to feed ranch workers eventually became the Mori Point Inn, managed by Steve Mori as early as 1910. During Prohibition, the Inn operated as a well-known speakeasy. A nearby establishment at the Francisco Sanchez Adobe reportedly functioned as a restaurant on the surface and a speakeasy and bordello clandestinely. The Inn remained in operation until 1965, after which the hillsides were used for motorcycle racing.

Limestone from the adjacent Rockaway Quarry was used as track ballast for the Ocean Shore Railroad and to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. A 1938 Dorothea Lange photograph shows a fishing village at the base of the point with the quarry visible in the background. In 2002, the property was purchased at auction and donated to the federal government, joining the GGNRA. By 2005, two ponds had been dug to restore habitat for the California red-legged frog, hoping to establish breeding colonies and attract the endangered San Francisco garter snake. In spring, the ridge explodes with wildflower displays that draw hikers from across the Bay Area.

In April 2015, a 48-foot sperm whale washed up on the beach below Mori Point. A necropsy ruled out common causes of death. Three weeks later, a 32-foot female humpback whale beached just a quarter mile north on Sharp Park Beach, bearing injuries consistent with a ship strike. Both whales were buried on the beach. The bluff itself offers panoramic views of the peninsula coastline, from the Pacifica Pier to the north to the headlands stretching south. Trails connect the ridgeline to Sharp Park Beach and to the California Coastal Trail. The point feels remote despite being minutes from suburban Pacifica, a scrap of wild coast where the twentieth century's speakeasies, film stunts, and motorcycle races have given way to something quieter and more fragile.