Milagra Ridge Hiking Trailhead — Attraction in Pacifica

I visited Milagro Ridge in the evening. The sun hid behind the low hanging clouds, leaving me just a few warm rays over the cold leaded ocean face. The wind filled with ocean fog blew strongly, as fresh and powerful breath of giant laying under the geen hills. The ridge is formed of a number of hills, covered with resilient cobby bushes and grasses. The middle of April is marked with modest bloom of dozen local herbs.

I walked from the entrance near Skyline College to the summit of the Ridge highest hill and got there at the owl light. Big black crow accompanied me gazing. I felt he was waiting while I stumbled and crushed my head on stones.

From the overview point, I observed the rocks of Pacifica, hills of Daly city, and mountain in South San Francisco.

The summit is hundreds yards high, and here you can see how the area is wired.

On the western slope, you may see the remains of the artillery battery that protected the San Francisco Bay entrance.

On the eastern slope, there should be the Nike missile site, but I got cold, so I left it for the next visit.

There was just one company of heroes besides me at that time. Guys came from Tahoe and Sacramento for serfing and eventually got to the top of the hill.

The flock of big black crows accompanied me on my way back in silent...

Echoes of two past wars are still present on Milagra ridge, and can be easily identified on this short hike above Pacifica. Thankfully the military emplacements don't detract from the beauty of the park, nor do they obscure the excellent panoramic coastal views which make this short hike a worthwhile experience.

Gun Battery 244 served the San Francisco Bay as part of the area's World War Two defenses, primarily to defend against the Japanese threat in a post Pearl Harbor world.

In stark contrast to this is the cold-war era Nike Missile Site SF-51L which was introduced to defend against the new technologies of the jet age. The site has long been decommissioned, and most of what remains of the base lies underground and inaccessible. For those wishing to see more of a Nike missile bases, you only need to travel another two miles to Sweeney Ridge.

As with any northern peninsula hike, be sure to check the weather before setting out as these coastal hillsides are not exactly a stranger to low clouds and fog. Parking can be a little tight too, since there's only room for around 5-6 cars. More parking can be found on the street outside the park but this would add an extra half-mile to your hike.

Another parking area and trailhead to Milagra Ridge is available at the end of Connemara Drive...

Grew up across the gully. As a kid, I had a great view of the missiles being raised once or twice a month from our living room window. Use to hike over to the base as kids up to the fence. Finally, after all the years, I made it to where the missiles were stored. Brought back a lot of fond memories. Sad to see the machine gun bunker was taken out. But ammo storage bunker was still there. View changed with all the homes built in the gully and down the ridge. Loved the view of my old high school pier and beach. I found it funny. You can't hike where we use to as kids. But you can now hike where it was restricted. Time...