Montara Mountain - Saddle Pass

Montara Mountain has two main peaks in the Park. The main and highest peak (1899 feet high) is North Peak which I hiked on a clear sunny day. The other peak is Saddle Pass which is only 924 feet high. Since it was a very foggy morning I decided on the Saddle Pass hike today.

The hike starts at the same limited parking lot on the east side off Highway 1. From the parking lot you can hike toward the Rangers Residence or take the cut-over trail toward the Gray Whale Cove trail.
The cut-over trail provides the best views of the Montara Beach area. Along this trail you can hear the waves crashing on the beach.

After turning right on to the Gray Whale Cove Trail, you will soon be on the Old Pedro Mountain Road. The trails are VERY well marked and in good condition.
The old Pedro Trail Mountain Road is similar to the North Peak Access Road -- it was a former paved road that has slowly eroded away leaving a decent trail surface.

The trail intersects with the North Peak Access Trail, if you stay to the left you will travel on a rarely used trail around one of the hillside peaks. After this it will meet up again with the North Peak route and finally veers off to the left. This final intersection is well marked, but make sure you follow signs for "Old Pedro Mountain Road - Pacifica".

The top of Saddle pass is not marked, but you will see a single trail marker and some power towers nearby. For the BEST view from the top of Saddle Pass, take a unmarked trail toward the ocean. Pictured here:

This very narrow trail will lead to a clearing (below) where you have an great vantage point to see the Pacific. Obviously on this day, it was too foggy to see anything.


More Photos

Basics:
Area - McNee Ranch - Montara State Park
Trail - Old Pedro Mountain Road
Length - 6.4 miles out and back - Moderate Hike (900' Elevation gain)
Trail - Out and Back-style, dirt trail/paved road, some stops along the way. Very well marked and maintained.
Dogs - Some
Bikes - Yes - this is a popular bike route to/from Pacifica
View - Most of the way
Getting There - Google Map North of Montara on Highway 1
Fee- None, free parking (two parking lots)
Weather - It can be very foggy during Summer
Other Trails - the other main hike is to the North Peak. The Montara State Beach is located on the west side of the highway.

Montara Mountain - McNee Ranch Hike

This was the best hike I have done thus far this year. Its a long uphill hike, but on a clear day it provides for the best views of the Pacific Coast and the Bay Area that you can get.

This is one of the Best Hikes in the Bay Area in my book. But go EARLY to avoid the mountain bikers.

The Hike is called the Montara Mountain North Peak hike, along the North Peak Access Road. The trail is located within the McNee Ranch, which located within the Montara State Beach. There are a couple different ways to start this hike, the first option is the Limited Parking area located on the East side of Highway 1, after the Montara Beach main parking area. The second parking lot to the north on Highway 1 is bigger and has beach access.


The trail is well marked, and it starts right from the Highway, leading past a Rangers Residence. The North Peak Access Trail is more of a dirt road for the first section. This is an all purpose trail with Bikes, dogs and horses allowed. After passing the Ranger's house, the trail starts up -- and it is fairly steep.


On the way up there are a couple different trails to get some great views of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, there is a connection trail (the Grey Whale Cove trail) that leads to the larger parking lot.
There are some wildflowers and wildlife along the way, but this hikes biggest asset is the View! The view was great since this was a fogless day the day after a Spring storm. This area is very prone to fog during the summer/early fall.

On the way up to the top you get views of Pacifica, San Francisco and the Marin Headlands. You can even see the Golden Gate Bridge from a number of stops along the way.


The Trail goes from Dirt to pavement to rock cut out of the mountain. Its a very interesting trail surface near the top.

At the top, you can access some great views from the San Francisco Watershed gate.

For the best view, head up to the Communication Tower access road (currently covered in Black gravel). Around the highest tower, you will find a small unmarked path leading to a clearing at the very top of the North Peak. Here you have 360 views of the Bay Area and the Pacific Coast. On this day I could see Mt Diablo, The Santa Cruz Mountains and all the way to Mount Tam to the north.
On a clear day you can see down the Pacific Coast toward Santa Cruz.


The way down is very easy, since its almost 99% down hill. This was a very enjoyable hike and had the best views of any hike I have done.

More Photos

Also - I highly recommend the book Peninsula Trails by Jean Rusmore (Wilderness Press) -- The Fourth edition is very up to date.

Basics:
Area - McNee Ranch - Montara State Park
Trail - North Peak Access Road
Length - 7.8 miles out and back - Difficult/Moderate Hike (1800' Elevation gain!)
Trail - Out and Back-style, dirt trail/paved road, some stops along the way. Very well marked and maintained.
Dogs - Some
Bikes - Yes
View - This trail is ALL Views
Getting There - Google Map North of Montara on Highway 1
Fee- None, free parking (two parking lots)
Weather - Only do this hike on a CLEAR day
Other Trails - there are other trails within this park. The Montara State Beach is located on the west side of the highway.