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Daisy, Dhananjay, Jessica, Leslie, Michelle, Reza, Weihaw, and I went
to hike Montara Mountain in McNee Ranch State Park near Devil's
Slide.
We parked at Montara State Beach (free parking), just a couple
hundred feet past the trailhead. We then crossed Highway 1 and
started off on our hike.
The storm that had dumped rain on the Bay Area on Thursday and
Friday was now our blessing. It was Sunday now, and the sky was
absolutely clear. Not a cloud in the sky. We could see for miles. The
trail heads up immediately, but we were quickly rewarded with views
down to Montara State Beach and off into the Pacific Ocean.
Near the beginning of the hike, looking southwest toward
Montara State Beach and the ocean.
Then came the first of three killer "ups" as my hiking book refers
to them. Although I'm not sure how they count them. There seemed to
be more than 3. They all sort of merged together. Several portions
were probably a 20% grade. But the hike, taken as a whole, wasn't
that difficult. 1910 feet of climbing (about 10% average grade), and
we were at the top in about 2 hours.
Reza backed by rolling green hills
The first of the killer ups
Along the way there are nice views of green valleys and amazing
views of the entire Bay Area. Mt. Diablo and Mt. Tamalpais were
clearly visible. We had a clear shot of the Golden Gate Bridge --
locals told us this sighting was a very rare occasion. With
binoculars I could easily make out the Campanile in Berkeley, and
what I think was Moffett Field in Mountain View. We also had great
views of the Pacific Ocean and the coast. The Farallon Islands were
visible in the distance. We could see ships, including an increasing
number of sailboats.
The only thing that marred the views at the top was a radio
transmitter tower. It was also a bit windy, but still tolerable in
shorts and t-shirt. After eating lunch, taking pictures, and enjoying
the view, we started back down.
The lizard Reza spotted near the top with his eagle eyes
Along the way we saw a few dogs, scattered mountain bikers,
occasional hikers, a lizard, and a crow.
Heading back down toward the beach
I may also later scan in a panoramic picture I took from the top.
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