California State Route 35

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State Route 35
Defined by S&HC § 335, maintained by Caltrans
Length: 53 mi[1] (85 km)
South end: SR 17 near Redwood Estates
Major
junctions:
SR 84 in Woodside
SR 92 near San Mateo
SR 1 in Daly City
North end: SR 1 in San Francisco
State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 34 SR 36 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic
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State Route 35 in the U.S. State of California, generally known as Skyline Boulevard, is a 2-lane road running along the western ridge of Silicon Valley in California. It runs from Highway 17 to San Francisco at State Route 1. It provides scenic views of both the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Silicon Valley Metropolitan Area, Half Moon Bay, and San Francisco Bay. Because of its high elevation and location it is one of the few places on the Bay Area's southern peninsula from which the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean are both visible at the same time. A notable feature of Skyline Boulevard is historic Kings Mountain in Woodside. Skyline Blvd. offers views of Half Moon Bay as it summits Kings Mountain.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[2] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System[3].

It was originally designated State Route 5, but this was changed with the creation of Interstate 5 in 1964, to avoid confusion.

Skyline Boulevard stretches through the Santa Cruz Mountains, here near Palo Alto
Skyline Boulevard stretches through the Santa Cruz Mountains, here near Palo Alto

Contents

[edit] Route summary

The highway begins at the junction of Summit Road and State Route 17. It follows Summit Road up until Bear Creek Road, which bears Route 35 for a few miles until Skyline Boulevard is reached. It bears the name Skyline Boulevard for a majority of its route along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west of Silicon Valley, passing cities such as San Jose, Saratoga, and Palo Alto. The road reaches its highest elevation near Sanborn Skyline County Park at about 3,000 ft (914 m). The ridge that the road follows forms the border between Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. However, the boundary is so irregular that the road weaves in and out of the two counties. As a result, most of the crossings are unmarked and the mile posts are not particularly accurate.[citation needed]

The ridgetop portion of the route ends at the junction with State Route 92,[4] because this northern area of the Santa Cruz Mountains is a protected watershed owned by the San Francisco Water Department. Highway 35 is co-routed with SR 92 for 2 miles (3 km) east, descending towards Crystal Springs Reservoir, which it crosses on a causeway, and then joins Interstate 280 northbound for 6 miles (10 km). However, on the southbound side, Route 35 exists as a separate road to the west of the freeway between Bunker Hill Dr. and Route 92, as there is no connector road between 280 South and 92 West.

Route 35 departs from 280 at the southern end of San Bruno, running to the west of the freeway, regaining the ridgetop separating South San Francisco and Daly City from Pacifica.

It crosses State Route 1 in Daly City and in San Francisco, Skyline Boulevard ends and the highway briefly continues along Sloat Boulevard until it reaches its terminus when it intersects Highway 1 again at 19th Avenue.

As old highway maps show, State Route 35 was originally designated State Route 5. The number was changed in the 1964 renumbering.

[edit] Recreational use

The popular Skeggs Point turnout north of SR84.
The popular Skeggs Point turnout north of SR84.

Because of its scenic views and winding roadway, Skyline Boulevard and surrounding roads see substantial recreational motoring and bicycling use. Many sports cars and motorcycles can be found congregating near the intersections with State Route 9 and State Route 84, particularly on weekends. Mountain bikers are also commonly found at the many trailheads along the road.

Several public open spaces border on Skyline Boulevard, including Sanborn County Park, Windy Hill, and the Purisima Open Space; both the latter are parts of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Numerous hiking trails originate from parking lots off Skyline in these open spaces.

Whenever there is snow on the road's higher elevations, like most recently in March 2006, many people take their families up to see and play in the snow, and therefore, many of the parking lots at regional parks are packed with cars.

[edit] Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at some county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
County Location Postmile
[5][6][7]
#[8] Destinations Notes
Santa Clara, Santa Cruz
SCL R0.05-17.12
R0.05 SR 17San Jose, Santa Cruz
2.87 Bear Creek Road
14.10 SR 9Big Basin, Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz
San Mateo
SM 0.00-31.54
3.21 Alpine Road, Page Mill Road
Woodside 10.52 SR 84
16.22 Kings Mountain Road, Tunitas Creek Road
23.04
92 5.19
SR 92 west – Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz South end of SR 92 overlap
92 7.19
L21.72
SR 92 east to I-280Belmont, San Mateo, San Francisco, San Jose North end of SR 92 overlap
L22.76
280 R12.32
I-280 south (Junipero Serra Freeway) – San Jose South end of I-280 overlap
See I-280 (exits 34-41)
San Bruno 280 R19.28
R23.04
I-280 north (Junipero Serra Freeway) – San Francisco North end of I-280 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
Daly City R28.69 54 SR 1 to I-280Downtown San Francisco, Pacifica, Santa Cruz Signed as exits 54A (north) and 54B (south)
30.83 John Daly Boulevard – Westlake District
San Francisco
SF 0.00-3.16
Great Highway – Beach
1.83 Sloat Boulevard
2.12 Sunset Boulevard Interchange
3.16 SR 1 (19th Avenue)

[edit] Other landmarks

For most the of the route, State Route 35 offers vistas of both Silicon Valley's skyline, and also the Pacific Ocean. One such vista point, Skeggs Point, is between Kings Mountain and SR84. The route passes through many of the wildlife refuges along the ridge of Silicon Valley and other parks:

A number of streams originate near Skyline Boulevard, flowing to both Pacific Ocean and the Bay. Among the bayside streams are San Francisquito Creek, Redwood Creek, and San Bruno Creek.

[edit] References

[edit] External links