McNee Ranch State Park (North Peak) 2015-12-15

Martini Creek at Montara beach

Apollo and I were back at McNee Ranch State Park to do the North Peak hike just couple of days after our Gray Whale Cove trail hike. I had parked at the Martini Creek parking lot of Montara State Beach and walked the couple of hundred yards to the trail head on the inland side of Hwy 1, crossing Martini creek that ends at the ocean.

We headed towards the mountains by the North Peak Access Rd, a wide fire road. In a short while, we passed the ranger's residence on the left and Ocean View farms that we'd stopped by couple of days ago on the right. The trail starts climbing steeply right away as you gain about 400 ft. in the next 1/2 mile.

N Peak Access Rd meets Old San Pedro Mtn Rd and for the next 3/4 of a mile, both of them share the same section of the trail that is a paved black top road in repair. The grade also eases a bit providing a bit of respite from the steep climb earlier.

Old Pedro Mtn Rd winds its way up offering excellent views of the Montara beach and the Pacific ocean. Old Pedro Mtn Rd breaks off to the left, heading towards Pacifica. N Peak Access Rd continues ahead as a dirt road resuming its relentless climb.

Pacifica - Marin coastline

Over the next mile, the trail gains nearly 600 ft. About 2.5 miles into the hike and at about 1300 ft. elevation, you will come to a nice landing on the right. If the views of the ocean was great until now, it becomes simply breathtaking from this point on. 

Pillar Point, HMB Coastline

It was a picture perfect day today. The sun was shining bright, there wasn't a cloud in the beautiful azure sky with visibility stretching to several miles. From the landing, Half Moon Bay (HMB) airport, Pillar Point and ocean south of HMB was clearly visible with the water glistening against the bright sunlight. On the north side, Devil's slide, Mori Point, Pacifica, Sweeney Ridge, Golden Gate, San Francisco and Marin coastline was clearly visible. 

As we walked ahead, the road passed through a couple of rocky sections in the mountains where the trail was literally laid out on rocks. It was a sunny and clear day, but definitely wintry and with the wind picking up in the upper elevations and temperature dipping to mid 40s, I missed having one more layer of clothing.

Oakland, East Bay

A third view of the bay opened up around here, Oakland, bay bridge, Oakland harbor and Mt. Diablo spread out before me. The top of the north peak was also getting near with the radio antennas and communication devices standing tall at the summit, officially measuring 1898 ft.

East Bay, Mt. Diablo

The summit offers 360⁰  views of the bay, but not from one particular spot. A fourth view of the peninsula wrapped up the final view quadrant, with San Mateo bridge, Dumbarton bridge and the east and south bay in that quadrant. 

It was a slow and arduous climb taking an hour and forty minutes to reach the top, but the experience was well worth it. Complimenting the sheer pleasure of the climbing was the incredible 360⁰ views, particularly from upwards of 1300 feet. The radio antennae were the only blemishes coming in the way of thse views. Apollo and I made the descend in about an hour, jogging along sections with easy grade. 

Two pieces of advice. Choose a clear sunny day for this hike. How well we could see Farallon islands, 27 miles into the ocean was a measure of the great visibility we had today. There are no printed maps available at the trail heads. However, if you follow the directions to N Peak Access, you simply cannot get lost - every single intersection is labeled making the trek fool proof. I took a picture of the area available at the trail head and have colored the N Peak Access in purple for those who'd prefer to have a printed map with them.

More incredible pictures from our hike.
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