Sweeny Ridge - Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Sweeney Ridge is a hilly multi use area of ridges and ravines between San Bruno and Pacifica, about a 25-minute drive south from San Francisco. The ridge's 1,200-foot-high summit, covered with coastal scrub and grassland, slopes down to the bay on one side and to the Pacific on the other, and it's from this vantage point - now known as the Portola Discovery Site - that Europeans first set eyes on the San Francisco Bay. Wildlife at Sweeney Ridge includes hawks, deer, and a plethora of both native and introduced spring wildflowers. Take in views from this site, including the Farallon Islands, Mount Tamalpais, Point Reyes, Mount Diablo, the Montara Mountains, and San Pedro Point, that are directed by a nearby granite monument. National Park Service