Montara Mountain (McNee Ranch)
Montara, San Mateo coast · near Montara · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 7.6 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,900 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round · Best on clear, non-foggy days (fall/winter after storms)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Free (McNee Ranch, an undeveloped unit of Montara State Beach). Dogs prohibited on trails. Park at Gray Whale Cove / Montara SB lots.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Sea-to-summit climb from the ocean · North Peak (~1,898 ft) 360° panorama · Coastal chaparral · Granite outcrops
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Parking at the small Hwy 1 pullouts fills fast and is easy to miss northbound — the Gray Whale Cove / Montara State Beach lots are the reliable option. Carry all your water.
The guide
One of the biggest sea-to-summit climbs on the Peninsula, gaining nearly 1,900 feet from Highway 1 to Montara Mountain's North …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Montara Mountain (McNee Ranch) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.558, -122.5133