Sweeney Ridge

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Sweeney Ridge, a 1,200-acre (5 km²) national park in Pacifica, California is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Historically, the ridge was the location of the first recorded viewing of the San Francisco Bay by a European, as part of the Portolá Expedition on November 4, 1769. Hiking trail access to the park is available from the Shelldance Nursery site, for the Mori Ridge trail, from the east end of Fassler Avenue for the Baquiano Trail, and from the lot #2 and lot #4 of the Skyline College for the Sweeney Ridge Trail. Access is also available on foot and bicycle through the Peninsula Watershed of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission from Sneath Lane in San Bruno.

Ecologically, Sweeney Ridge is a superb example of Coastal Scrub habitat, the landscape being dominated by Coyote Bush, Bush Lupine, and Coastal Sage—in some places up to 6 to 8 feet high. Access from Sneath Lane provides a 2-mile walk up a fenced hardtop road through this lush shrubby habitat. The ridgetop itself has quite a bit of wind-shorn Coastal Prairie with patches of iris species. The ridgetop is also considered one of the best Bay Area lookouts for spring northbound raptor migration, based on studies by the GGRO.