The hike to the North Peak of Montara Mountain has been on my list of hikes to do for a few years. This oceanside summit looked to offer wide open ocean views throughout, and I was pretty excited to finally try it! At only 7 miles and under 2,000 feet of climbing, this moderate trail is an excellent option if you’re looking for ocean views within a short distance of San Francisco! Plus, how often do you get a summit hike at a state beach?!
Miles/Elevation:
7 miles
1,807 feet vertical gain
About Montara State Beach:
Montara State Beach is a state beach between Half Moon Bay and Pacific California in the Bay Area. Known for its surfing and fishing, Montara is known as one of the cleanest beaches in the area.
While it may be best known for the beach, a part of Montara State Beach is called Montara Mountain, or McNee Ranch. A northern branch of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Montara Mountain isn’t technically a mountain, it’s only about 1,800 feet high, but it is quite dramatic!
McNee Ranch, the inland section of Montara State Beach, has some excellent hiking trails. In addition to just hiking around Montara, trails here connect to other nearby parks as well, including San Pedro Valley County Park, and Rancho Corral Tierra. Montara Mountain itself is the centerpiece of McNee Ranch, and most of the moderate and tough trails lead up towards the summit.
Getting To The Trailhead:
The trailhead for the Montara Mountain trail is at the Gray Whale Cove Trail Parking Lot. It shows up pretty clearly on Google Maps, so it shouldn’t be too tough to find. Located on Highway 1 on the coast, the parking lot is about 25 minutes from San Francisco, and 50 minutes from San Jose.
Most will likely take I-280 to either Pacifica or Half Moon Bay, and then head towards the parking area on 1. The parking lot is about 10 miles north of Half Moon Bay and 4 miles south of Pacifica.
There is no fee to park at the Gray Whale Cove Trail Parking Lot.
Montara Mountain North Peak Loop:
Starting Off:
From the parking lot, you’ll want to take the obvious trail that is visible from your car. This trail is on the south side of the parking area. There is another trail that leaves from the northern side of the parking area up the hill by the port-a-potties, but to complete this hike as described, take the obvious southern trail!
Portola Redwoods has an incredible Redwood hike nearby!
The trail begins climbing immediately, but it isn’t too steep or too long. You’ll climb maybe 50 feet away from the ocean, then turn around and head back towards the water. After a couple of minutes, you’ll encounter the first intersection of the hike. Turn left onto a faint trail that goes literally straight up the mountainside and get ready!
The Obnoxiously Steep Part:
I call this the obnoxiously steep part because I think using the word trail would be a bit too generous. This obviously is used as a trail, but it’s basically just some worn down parts of the foliage that people walk up.
It’s not smooth, there’s holes everywhere, it’s covered in loose dirt, and it’s honestly terrible to hike on. I would legitimately feel unsafe hiking down this “trail” so definitely start your hike with this climb.
Purisima Creek Redwoods is another great park just outside Half Moon Bay!
You’ll climb about 400 vertical feet on this poor excuse for a trail until the next intersection. Take it slow because it is really steep. You’ll wear yourself out trying to climb this too quickly. Imagine a literal stairmaster, but instead of flat steps you’re on steep, slippery, packed, sand!
Old San Pedro Mountain Road:
After the ridiculous opening climb, you’ll eventually crest a ridge and emerge at an intersection with an old gravel road. This road is Old San Pedro Mountain Road. The rest of the trail to the summit is on gravel roads like this. They go uphill the entire way, so don’t relax too much!
Turn left at the intersection to continue up the mountain. The first part of the gravel road is also really steep, but not as steep as the obnoxiously steep part! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the worst part about hiking in the Bay Area is the amount of fire roads you encounter, and all of those fire roads seem to just go straight up the sides of mountains!
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
The views once on the fire road are fantastic pretty much the whole time. You’ll have had ocean views since you got out of your car, but once on the mountain road the views of the hills open up. You should be able to see the summit of North Peak now. If you can’t tell what it is, look for the biggest hill!
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
Keep climbing on the road. You’ll walk past a few intersections with smaller single track trails, but to reach the summit just keep climbing on the road!
Eventually however, you will reach a fork in the road. Old San Pedro Mountain Road turns left here, while North Peak Access Road branches right. Turn right!
North Peak Access Road Up:
Now that you’re on the North Peak Access Road, you have no more turns to make to reach the summit! The walking doesn’t really change from the other road though, lots of climbing, lots of views.
The incline actually picks up for a bit to start off on the North Peak road, but after the first ¾’s of a mile, it calms down and becomes a pretty gentle climb. There isn’t really all that much to say about the hiking here. It’s on a road, which isn’t overly exciting, and it pretty much just goes up!
I will say that the views continue to get better as you go up. The views of the Pacific get even more panoramic, you get closer to the high peaks in front of you, and eventually when you reach the ridge, you’ll actually get views looking inland!
Again, stay on the road, and don’t turn off onto any of the trails that join up. Eventually, you’ll see the radio equipment at the summit, which means you’re close!
As I approached the summit, I realized that the actual summit was fenced off, and I wouldn’t actually be able to get to the top. It’s not a huge deal, it’s not like the views would really be any different, but it’s kind of a bummer all the same.
Again, the views are excellent, or at least I assume they are! One of the constants of the Northern California Coast is fog, and I was dealing with plenty of it when I did this trail. I was optimistic that it would break at some point, but it never did, and I spent the whole hike under a gloomy, grey, blanket. Oh well, hiking is an outdoor sport, and outdoor sports deal with weather!
Beautiful summit views of the Pacific… Maybe not today.
North Peak Access Road Down:
From the summit, the hike down is along the same road for the first two miles. The downhill hiking here is nice because the dirt roads make for quick and easy progress, and you’ll be looking at the Pacific the whole time!
Continue back down the North Peak Access Road for about 2 miles, and then look for a small single track trail branching off to the left. The road takes a hard right turn, and on the left the small trail you are looking for heads into the bushes. This is the Upper Fly Amanita Trail. Turn here!
Upper Fly Amanita:
I honestly don’t know how to pronounce Amanita, but this part of the hike is definitely the best hiking! The trail is singletrack which is just better than walking on old fire roads, and you descend quickly through forest, rare on this trail!
Unfortunately, the single track only lasts about a quarter of a mile, and then you’ll be back on roads. Very sad. However, the Fly Amanita Trail has one last send off for you.
At the intersection with Old San Pedro Mountain Road, there’s a bit of a drop off in the trail to navigate. It’s steep, made of dirt, and covered in loose dirt that will definitely not support you, so going straight down is definitely risky. I elected to head down the left side, which I thought would be easier, but it didn’t really go as smoothly as I had hoped! However you get down, hop onto the road and keep hiking downhill!
Old San Pedro Mountain Road:
Back on Old San Pedro Mountain Road, you’ll slowly descend towards the coast. This part of the road is really gentle, and at times it hardly feels like you’re even going downhill. This lower section is also much more wooded than the upper portions of the mountain, so you get a bit of diversity of landscapes through here as well.
As you approach Highway 1 and the coast, you have to navigate a bit of a confusing set of intersections. Your goal is to get onto the Gray Whale Cove Trail which takes you back to the trailhead, but it’s not abundantly clear how to get to it.
You can turn right and hike over a small knoll. This is probably the shortest option, but I didn’t go this way so I can’t vouch for it. The primary way to get to the Gray Whale Cove Trail is to follow the bend of the road left, and then turn right. You’ll now be walking straight towards the coast, and will then have to take another hike to head north on the Gray Whale Cove Trail!
Gray Whale Cove Trail:
The final ¾’s of a mile back to the trailhead is along the Gray Whale Cove Trail. This a nice and gentle end to the day’s hike, as you gain essentially no elevation, and you lose maybe 100.
Again, views of the Pacific are excellent, and views looking inland are pretty nice too! This is the only part of the loop where you get anything like up close views of the ocean. You’re still about 200 feet above the waves, but you can pretty clearly see the beach and the cliffs!
The only downside to this final stretch is the road noise. You’re basically walking right above Highway 1, and it’s quite busy through here. Expect there to be a lot of cars on the road, and expect those cars to make noise! Despite the noise, this is a nice, relaxed, scenic, end to the hike!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 8/10
I did this hike in pretty dense fog, so I didn’t have the big views that you would expect. Honestly, without the views this hike is more of a 7, but I’m going to give it an 8 because I think good weather would really change it. You could argue that views warrant more than an 8, but the trail quality in spots is really bad, and most of it is on fire roads, not the most exciting hiking. Also, you can’t actually get to the summit, bummer!
All things considered, definitely a trail worth checking out just outside San Francisco!
Pros:
- Huge views
- Easily accessible
Cons:
- Most of trail is on fire roads
- Infrastructure at summit
- Washed out and steep trails
Alternative Hikes:
Harkins Ridge, Craig Britton, Purisima Creek Trail
Purisima Creek to Grabtown Gulch to Borden Hatch Mill Loop
When To Visit Montara State Beach:
Montara is a place you can visit all year long, and you could get great weather any day of the year, or you could get rough weather any day of the year! That’s kind of the great thing about the northern California Coast, and the terrible thing! You’ll get amazing days in winter, and you’ll get nasty days in summer!
I would mostly say the best time to visit is a day calling for clear weather in Half Moon Bay or Pacifica, but to be more general, spring or fall are probably the best times of year to visit. Summer generally brings lots of fog, and winter brings rain and storms. Fall especially is a beautiful time to visit, but anytime of year, check the weather, and look for sunshine!
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