Sweeney Ridge
Pacifica / San Bruno (GGNRA) · near Pacifica · SF Bay Area
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 4.4 miles
- Elevation gain
- 900 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round · Spring wildflowers, fall for clear ocean-to-bay views
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- Free GGNRA; small lot at the Sneath Lane gate. Leashed dogs allowed.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- San Francisco Bay Discovery Site (1769 Portolá monument) · Ridge-top ocean-and-bay panorama · Coastal scrub · Wind-swept grassland
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The Sneath Lane approach is the gentlest and best-signed; bring a windproof layer even in summer — the ridge can be 15°F cooler than the trailhead.
The guide
A steady paved-then-dirt climb to the ridge where the Portolá expedition first sighted San Francisco Bay in 1769, marked by sto…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Sweeney Ridge — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.6093, -122.4472