San Pedro Valley Park — Attraction in Pacifica

I’ve visited this wonderful Pacifica park in previous years for hiking. I’ve enjoyed most of the trails, which are well marked and maintained. A map is available both on the website and at the park. Entry is $6 per vehicle but I have an annual pass that has been well worth the donation (includes entry to many San Mateo County parks). Today’s pictures are of hiking Old Trout Farm trail to Brooks Creek Trail, connecting with Montara Mountain Trail up to the summit of Montara Mountain. The trail up to Montara Mountain leaves San Pedro Valley Park, entering McNee Ranch State Park above Montara Beach. These switchbacks become more narrow with looser rocks, but is a doable ascent with proper shoes (and poles, if available to you). The trail connects with Montara Mountain Road. To the right descends to McNee Ranch. To the left ascends to the radio tower and to a trail along the ridge. I climbed up to the radio tower and retraced my steps, following the Montara Mountain Trail back to the parking lot....

Well maintained county park with plenty of parking. There is a $6 fee for the parking, but that often means available spots well into late morning. I hiked using the Hazelnut trail and the Valley View trail for a 6 mile loop. The Hazelnut trail rose about 700 ft in elevation to 1000ft. The trail was surrounded by thick brush and some trees with clusters here and there. At no point was the trail too difficult. I would rate it as moderate with plenty of switchbacks. There are various nice views of the surrounding valleys and off to the Pacific. There was not a great deal of foot traffic and I never saw any horses or biking but those are allowed. The ranger at the gate was super friendly and offered me a map for navigation. I would recommend this park for families and picnics. The loop I hiked only took me a little over 2 hours, but set aside 3 just in case. At the end I saw 5 deer having a picnic of their own which was a nice cap to a...

San Pedro Park is a hidden gem nestled in Linda Mar Valley. Lots of variety in trail difficulty from the gravel 1 mile Weller Ranch "out and back" it's nice to add the short loop of Valley View for a little extra. Hazelnut trail is a really beautiful and well maintained loop, at almost 6 miles its a great hike to do with a friend. Brooks creek to Montara Mountain trail is a bit steeper and more rugged the higher up you hike, once you get to the top of Montara mt trail make a left on the fire road that leads to Montara summit, at almost 2000 feet above sea level it's hard not to get spectacular views of the whole bay area, on a clear day you can see Mt. Diablo (east bay) and Mt. Tamalpias...