High on the ridge south of Montara Mountain moss-covered trees moistened by the coastal fog line the trail south towards Scarper Peak. The hike is a long one, winding up from Granada on the Pacific coast though Rancho Corral de Tierra, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, through the dry chaparral and pampas grass and into the cool of the forest. The deep green covering of the ancient oaks is mysterious and mutes the sounds of the road far beneath. It’s a tranquil walk south to the highpoint of the ridge. The actual summit is a bit anticlimactic: a small FAA radar station, fenced in, with no view of the ocean. But it is the forest itself that is the highlight of the hike. And thanks to the efforts of conservationists it now preserved and protected.
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Acquired by: Peninsula Open Space Trust
Agency: Golden Gate National Recreation Area (pending)
Location: Rancho Corral de Tierra