La Honda (Spanish for "The Sling")[5] is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 4.3 square miles (11.0 km2), 99.65% of it land, and 0.35% of it water.

Sometimes the marine layer is too low to reach the hills, leaving the lower elevations foggy or overcast while the mountains enjoy clearer weather.

On some winter nights, similar thermal inversions trap cold air in the valleys, leading to frost, with higher elevations remaining generally milder.

The Ohlone lived in San Mateo County for at least 3,000 years prior to European arrival and had more than 40 communities in the region.

[13] In 1862 John Howell Sears purchased 400 acres and settled in La Honda after his prior residence in Searsville was sold to the water company due to the decline of lumber and flooding issues.

[14] The escapades of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters are documented in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which describes the wildly painted school bus, 'Furthur',[15] driven by Neal Cassady, who had been the hyperkinetic driver in Jack Kerouac's On the Road.

The La Honda house where Kesey's adventures became famous—one mile (1.6 km) west of Apple Jack's Inn—has been faithfully restored after years of neglect and a near-catastrophic flood in 1998.

The town hosts the La Honda Fair & Music Festival every June, and holds an annual Fourth of July picnic at Play Bowl.