Sweeney Ridge
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Morton Kunstler/San Mateo County History Museum
In Their Footsteps
Sweeney Ridge bears the footsteps of explorers, soldiers and citizen activists, as
asll as an occasional mountain lion. All who have visited Sweeney Ridge over time
have shaped its history and left their mark. As you follow their footsteps, we hope
you discover what drew people to this magnificent place and why this land was
important to them.
Discovery &
Disappointment
Have you ever been lost, only to discover
something unexpected? Spanish explorer
Captain Juan Gaspar de Portolá , on a mission to
settle Monterey, found himself in that position
atop Sweeney Ridge on November 4, 1769.
Relying on a sailor’s exaggerated description,
Portolá didn’t recognize Monterey even as
he stood upon its sands, so he continued
northward. Lost and ailing, his expedition
eventually scaled what we now call Sweeney
Ridge and saw “...a large arm of the sea…some
sort of harbor there within the mountains.”
Ironically it had taken a land expedition
to find what seafaring explorers never
discovered—the San Francisco Bay. Though
Portolá had become the first European to see
the bay, he realized he had missed Monterey,
and so wrote of his historic day simply: “We
traveled for three hours, the entire road was bad,
we halted without water.” Despite Portolá’s
initial disappointment, the Spanish soon
recognized the value of the region. By 1776 they
had established the Presidio of San Francisco,
which protected the Bay Area for the next two
centuries under the Spanish, Mexican and
American flags.
Map of Father Pedro Font, 1777
Fear Factor
All of us have felt fear at some time. During
the 1950s, Cold War-era fears of Soviet
long-range “Bear” bombers caused the U.S.
Army to develop a weapon to destroy those
planes. Nike anti-aircraft missiles were
deployed across the country, including 11
sites protecting the Bay Area. Nike Site SF51 included a control station atop Sweeney
Ridge and a missile launching site at nearby
Milagra Ridge. By the 1960s, nuclear capable
Nike Hercules missiles stood guard on
this ridgetop. Obsolete by 1974, SF-51 was
abandoned under the provisions of an arms- Soldiers guard Nike missiles. U.S. Army photo
reduction treaty.
Protecting Their Priorities
In the 1970s and 80s, local citizens recognized
new threats to Sweeney Ridge in the housing
developments sprawling up nearby hillsides
and a proposed 8-lane freeway extension
bisecting the ridge. Community activists
organized, signed petitions and voted to
protect this 1200-acre ridgetop. Many of
these same citizen activists now volunteer
to improve wildlife habitat, maintain trails
and lead walks.
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Like their human counterparts, wildlife
explore and defend territories. Here on
Sweeney Ridge the web of life is remarkably
intact: mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats
range in search of rabbits, mice, voles and
shrews, which in turn search for food and
water sources of their own. And all these
creatures find protection in Sweeney Ridge’s
native coastal scrub vegetation. This entire
ecosystem is protected by the National Park
Service. Today, volunteers protect habitat
here against invasive, non-native plants that
threaten this delicate ecological balance by
displacing the native plants on which wildlife
depend.
About Your Visit
Please continue the protection of Sweeney
Ridge by staying on designated trails and
picking up litter. Mountain bikes are allowed
on fire roads, but not on single-track trails.
Dogs on leash are allowed. Fires, camping,
and off-road vehicles are not permitted.
Finally, protect yourself: though Spring
and Fall offer the best weather, wear layered
clothing year round as temperatures can
change rapidly. Bring sunscreen and water.
Finding Your Way
From Pacifica, Sweeney Ridge trailheads are
located at Shelldance Nursery off of Highway
1, and at the east end of Fassler Avenue. From
San Bruno, trails start from the west end of
Sneath Lane off of Hwy 35 (Skyline Blvd),
and from Skyline College Parking Lot C.
Ranging on the Ridge
Mountain lions find refuge on
Sweeney Ridge.
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Cover: Artist’s conception of
the Portolá expedition’s first
sighting of San Francisco Bay
from Sweeney Ridge in
1769.
Site Stewardship Program
(415) 561-3073
www.parksconservancy.org
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Presidio Visitor Center
(415) 561-4323
www.nps.gov/prsf
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Pacifica Visitor Center
(650) 355-4122
www.pacificachamber.com
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