Montara Mountain CloseUp
Montara Mountain sits between the coastal communities of Pacifica to the north and Montara to the south. Although much of the mountain is still in private ownership, the steepness of its slopes and access problems have kept it free from development and disruption of its natural plant and animal communities.
Although geologically connected to Montara Mountain, San Pedro Mountain is a geographically separate landform to the northwest of the main peaks, and features its own unique environments as the mountain chain meets the ocean at the Pedro Point Headlands.
A good portion of Montara Mountain is in public protection: The Pacifica Land Trust maintains the 235 acre Pedro Point Headlands property at the northwest tip of San Pedro Mountain. McNee Ranch State Park near Montara covers 625 acres on the South and West slopes, and connects to Montara State Beach and Gray Whale Cove State Beach. San Pedro Valley County Park near Pacifica is 1300 acres on the north slopes, and borders on the 23,000 acre SF Water Department Fish & Game Refuge that protects the eastern slopes and the Crystal Springs watershed. Follow the above links for directions to each of the parks. The watershed lands are currently closed to the public, but future plans call for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) to take over management of a ridgeline trail through the property that will have connecting links to San Pedro Valley County Park.
Pedro Point Headlands |
Satellite images here and the other Montara Mountain pages are from USGS data presented on the Multiresolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID) web site.