Welcome to Destination Pacifica

Milagra Ridge, 239 acres of National Park Service open space in Pacifica and part of the 119 square mile Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is a place of breathtaking views and diverse resources. The hiking is mostly level and mostly paved. This was once a site of a Nike missile complex and today it is one of the last remaining habitats for two federally endangered butterflies.

Surrounded by human development, Milagra Ridge is an island of protected habitat for native plants and animals. It is small in size, an isolated location, and recreational appeal places stress upon the natural processes and threatens the long-term integrity of the park. Threats to the land, including urban development, off-trail use, and the widespread growth of non-native, invasive plants, have led to the endangerment of two butterfly species on Milagra, the Mission Blue Butterfly and the San Bruno Elfin Butterfly. Milagra Ridge is located just off Sharp Park Road. Take College Drive north ¼ mile to the trailhead. For more information on Milagra Ridge, call the Fort Funston Ranger Station at (415) 239-2366.

Sharp Park Golf Course is located at the intersection of Highway 1 and Sharp Park Road. It is an 18 hole public golf course and is known as being very affordable. Par is about 72 for men and 74 for women. The total yardage is approximately 6,200. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at Sharp Park Restaurant and lounge. There is a golfer special Monday through Friday from 6AM to 10AM which includes breakfast, green fee, and power cart. The phone number for the starter is 650-359-3380. You may contact the restaurant by calling 650-355-7900.

At the Pacifica Pier, the fishermen have a whole different way of thinking. You just show up with your rod, buy your bait at the shop at the foot of the pier, and hope that luck is with you. Often enough, it is. Pacifica Pier is the only place in the Bay Area, and on the California Coast, where you stand a decent chance of catching salmon without boarding a boat. The price is right, the chances are fair, and this is one place where you definitely aren't going to get seasick. The pier is located in the Sharp Park area of Pacifica, about 15 miles south of San Francisco. On premium days, when the baitfish move in, as many as 200 salmon can be caught. About 30 to 50 is more common. Most salmon are in the 6 to 10 pound class. So take a walk along our most famous pier and catch a salmon or two. For information, call (650) 355-0690.

It really was a case of starting out "selling seashells down by the seashore." Hard to believe this incredible business began on San Francisco's Union Street selling Tilandsias in shells. They moved to Pacifica to expand their bromeliad collection. About the same time they met an orchid grower from Florida and went with him on collecting expeditions to tropical rainforests. Still collecting bromeliads, their attention turned to the propagation of rare and endangered orchid species as well as easy to grow at home varieties. A magnificent rainforest display highlights their orchid and bromeliad collections. The nursery is located at the trailhead for Sweeney Ridge, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Traveling south on Hwy. 1, #2000 is on the left (east) side of the road. It is just north of Vallemar Station. Open Saturday & Sunday 10am - 5pm. For more information, call (650) 355-4845.

San Pedro Valley County Park is nestled in the Northern end of the Santa Cruz Mountain Range in the foothills of Pacifica. The park's 1050 acres includes the narrow valley along San Pedro Creek's middle fork and the steep ridges draining the south fork. San Pedro Valley has a significant place in early Bay Area history as the site of Indian villages and the site of Gaspar de Portola's camp from which his scouts climbed the ridge to get their first view of San Francisco Bay. Park trails offer a number of easy, level strolls and some vigorous climbs to the ridges above the valley. The creeks furnish about 10% of Pacifica's water supply. The park is open on weekends and holidays 10am to 4pm and is staffed by volunteers. No dogs please. The park is wheelchair accessible and is located at the end of Linda Mar Blvd. off of Highway 1.

Sweeney Ridge is one of the most spectacular vistas in the Bay Area. Many Novembers ago, way back in 1769, explorer Gaspar de Portola first viewed San Francisco Bay from this spot, and they say his neck still hurts. It is just a 40-minute walk from the trailhead at the Skyline College campus, or from the end of Fassler Avenue. Sweeney Ridge provides remarkable glimpses of varied geography, including three of the largest mountains in the Bay Area. To the north is Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, to the east is Mount Diablo, and south is Montara Mountain, just below is Pacifica, from Mussel Rock to Pedro Point, where the ocean appears like a giant lake lapping at the beach. To the west, the Farallon Islands jut out from the Pacific Ocean, and looks within the reach of a short swim-they are actually 25 miles away.

It is a lighthouse in miniature, short and squat. Point Montara is located on a high rocky point, a very impressive setting. The grounds include an old barn, formerly used to store oil, that has been converted into a meeting or party facility. Adjacent coastal Victorian buildings accommodate a youth hostel. The lighthouse is open from 7:30 am to 10:30 am and from 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM. It is located at 16th Street and Highway 1 in Montara @ (650) 728-7177.

The Sanchez Art Center has become one of the Bay Area's finest new cultural attractions. It is located on Linda Mar Blvd, a mile and one half from Hwy 1. Exciting art exhibits change every five weeks in each of the 3 beautiful galleries, which are open weekends from 11 to 4 PM. Call (650) 355-1894 or (650) 359-2978 for exhibit information. The art center is also home to the Art Guild of Pacifica, 19 artist studios and a splendid Concert Hall sponsored by the Pacifica Arts and Heritage Council. You can call (650) 355-1882 for concert information.

The adobe of Don Francisco Sanchez, built in 1846, immediately transports you into old California. This is a Spanish-style adobe building of classic early California design, authentically refurbished rooms filled with historic furniture, clothing, and tools from the days of Spanish rule of California. You can tour this restored adobe, now a state historic landmark, and view relics of the Ohlone Indians as well as the artifacts of the Spanish rancho days. It is open Tuesday and Thursday 10am - 4pm; Saturday and Sunday 1pm - 5pm. The site is located at 1000 Linda Mar Blvd., about one mile east of Highway 1. (650) 359-1462.

McNee Ranch, California's newest park, is only 15 miles away from San Francisco, and can provide the Bay Area's best lookouts from the top of Montara Mountain. McNee Park is located on the San Mateo Co. coast between Montara and Pacifica. Most of the trails are actually long-abandoned ranch or county roads. The trails follow the San Pedro Mountain until it connects to the Montara Coastal Range. On a clear day, the Farallon Islands-30 miles away can look close enough to reach out and pluck right out of the ocean. For more information call (650) 726-6238.

When you go tide pool hopping, you either look close enough to see all the little sea critters playing their wars and games, or you see nothing. There is no better place to do that than at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, although there are rocky tidal basins all along the Northern California coast. In almost every pool there is all manner of life, from little hermit crabs to a bright blue sea anemone to little sculpins swimming about. One lesson the rangers teach quickly here is to look, but not touch. The problem is that adult starfish average 15 to 25 years old, and when one is taken, another doesn't magically replace it. This area is also a favorite for scuba divers, abalone pickers, and plain ol' beach-walkers. For more information call the Fiztgerald Marine Reserve at (650) 728-3584.

The Pacifica Visitor Center at 225 Rockaway Beach is also a partner with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and The Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. Some of the destinations located in the GGNRA are Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point, and the Presidio of San Francisco.