The pier spans approximately 1,140 feet from the shoreline, turning at its end to form the L shape that provides additional fishing positions and wind shelter. Built to replace an earlier pier damaged by storms, the current structure is reinforced to withstand the powerful Pacific swells that batter this section of coast. Fishermen cast for striped bass, halibut, lingcod, and surfperch. No fishing license is required on the pier, as California law exempts public ocean piers. On weekends, the pier fills with families, anglers, photographers, and walkers who come for the views and the salt air.

Pacifica's coastline takes the full force of Pacific storms, and the pier has been damaged and repaired multiple times. Winter swells can send waves crashing over the pier deck, and closures during major storms are common. The same energy that makes the pier dangerous also makes it dramatic. Surfers ride the breaks on either side of the pier. Pelicans dive for fish in the surf line. On foggy days, the end of the pier dissolves into gray, and you walk forward on faith that the planks continue. On clear days, the view north along the coast reveals the cliffs of Mussel Rock, the suburbs of Daly City climbing the hills, and the faintest silhouette of San Francisco's skyline.

Pacifica is a small city of roughly 40,000 people squeezed between the Pacific and the coastal hills. The pier functions as its front porch, the place where the community meets the ocean. Benches line the walkway. Cleaning stations serve the fishermen. The parking lot fills early on good weather weekends. The pier is free and open to the public, maintained by the city and by the volunteer efforts of the Pacifica Pier Coalition. It is not glamorous, not famous, not part of any tourism campaign. It is a quarter-mile of concrete and railing, and it connects a small town to the largest ocean on the planet.