Bay Area Hiker: Ridge Trail, San Bruno Mountain

Ridge Trail, San Bruno Mountain County and State Park, San Mateo County

In brief:
4.15 mile out and back along a ridge just south of San Francisco.

Distance, category, and difficulty:
4.15 mile out and back is moderate. Trailhead elevation is about 1250 feet and most of the hike lingers around 1100 feet. However there are quite a few short hills along the ridge. Total elevation change is 880 feet.

Exposure:
No shade anyway along this hike.

Trail traffic:
Light.

Trail surface:
Rocky dirt fire road.

Hiking time:
About 2 hours.
Season:
Nice any time, exceptional in spring.

Getting there:

• From southbound US 101 in San Francisco County, exit #429B Cow Palace/Third Street. Drive south on Bayshore about 2 miles, turn right on Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and drive uphill about 2 miles to the park entrance on the right side of the road. Once in the park, follow Radio Road uphill to the end of the road.
• From northbound US 101, take Exit 426A toward the Cow Palace and drive north on Bayshore Boulevard; then turn left onto Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. Drive uphill about 2 miles to the park entrance on the right side of the road. Once in the park, follow Radio Road uphill to the end of the road.
• From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit #50 Mission Street, then take Market to Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and drive east to the park entrance on the left side of the road (it's about 3 miles from 280). Once in the park, follow Radio Road uphill to the end of the road.

GPS Coordinates* for Trailhead:
Latitude 37�°41'8.10"N
Longitude 122�°26'4.84"W
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)

Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, restaurants, and stores available to the northeast on Bayshore near Geneva, and to the west near I-280. No camping.

Trailhead details:
$6 entrance fee (self-registration if kiosk is unstaffed). Maps available at the kiosk. Parking for about 20 cars. Restroom and pay phone available near the park entrance on the north side of Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. No designated handicapped parking spot, and trail access is blocked for wheelchairs. There is no direct public transportation to the park.

Rules:
This trail is technically open to equestrians and hikers only (however I've never seen a horse up there). No dogs. Park is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (may close earlier in winter).

The Official Story:
CSMP's San Bruno page
Park office 650-992-6770

Map Choices/More Info:

• Map from SMCP
• Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula (map) is a good guide (available from Pease Press).
• Bay Nature article about San Bruno Mountain

Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page

I had been hiking on San Bruno Mountain for about 20 years, but somehow I had overlooked the ridge. It's hard to excuse the oversite -- the ridge running southeast from the summit area is massive and visible from nearly every San Francisco hill. But I never could get enough of the mountain's north slope and hiked it nearly every time I visited San Bruno.
    Last year I decided to remedy my lapse. My ridge adventures made me giddy and completely enchanted my son. The fire road is now his favorite local trail; he says it feels magical. I have to agree. In less than 1/2 hour we transition from our SF neighborhood to a quiet trailhead. Once we start hiking we savor incredible views and delight in the variety of plants. Something is in bloom nearly ever visit. In the past year we've enjoyed watching the weather change by the minute, from fog to sun and back again. And although the ridge is so close to so many people, the trail is lightly used and very peaceful.
Hiker returning uphill to the trailhead     Start from the gate at the edge of the parking lot. The wide fire road descends straight away. Look for coast rock cress and San Francisco wallflower blooming along the trail in March. At 0.1 mile, the hiking-only section of Ridge Trail breaks off on the left, skirting the hilltop on the way to meet Summit Loop Trail. That segment is worth a side trip, but for now continue straight on the fire road. Note the manzanita on the right, growing as a low groundcover. The trail bends right and drops sharply through coastal scrub. Wildflowers, perhaps due to fog moisture, thrive here. You might see iris in winter and loads of cow parsnip and paintbrush in spring, in shades from red to orange to pale peach.
    The steep drop continues, pauses at the bottom, then rises to a hilltop cloaked in coyote brush and other coast scrub shrubs, including ceanothus, coffeeberrry, and sagebrush. Great patches of hummingbird sage nourish local and migrating hummers. As the fire road continues southeast, it rises and falls, making this trail a good choice for runners or exercise. Without trees, views are unobstructed -- look for Bay Area landmarks, including Mount Diablo, Montara Mountain, and many other major and minor peaks. The fire road passes under high-tension power lines and continues along the ridgeline. Guadalupe Quarry is downslope to the left, but visible only from a few spots. One hilltop is notable for a small rock formation -- my son and I labelled it Craven Rock, for nearly every time we've hiked here there have been ravens and/or crows either sitting on the rock or flying nearby. Several times we also noted scat from coyotes or bobcats, which surprised me, because I've only ever seen one coyote on San Bruno, and very little scat on Summit Trail.
    Trailside vegetation shifts to grassland and in May owl clover, California poppy, and clarkia dot the golden hillsides. Half-mile markers continue to chart your progress. The fire road passes under a second set of high-tension power lines. At 2.1 miles, the trail begins to descend sharply to the east -- this is the turn around spot. Retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

Total distance: 4.15 miles
Last hiked: May 5, 2015