Sweeney Ridge
Description
Hiking trail access to Sweeney Ridge is available, on the Pacifica side, from the Shelldance Nursery site (Mori Ridge trail), and from the east end of Fassler Avenue (Baquiano Trail). On the San Bruno side, access the area from parking lots #2 and #4 at Skyline College (Sweeney Ridge Trail), and via a paved trail from the end of Sneath Lane in San Bruno (bikes OK).
Ecologically, Sweeney Ridge is an example of Northern coastal scrub habitat, the landscape dominated by coyote bush, yellow bush lupine, and California Yerba Santa—in some places up to 6 to 8 feet high. Access from Sneath Lane provides a 2-mile walk up a fenced hardtop road through this shrubby habitat. The ridgetop itself has quite a bit of California coastal prairie, mostly native grasses with patches of Douglas iris. The ridgetop is also considered one of the best Bay Area lookouts for spring northbound raptor migration, based on studies by the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory.
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Delphinium californicum ssp. californicum.
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Monardella villosa ssp. franciscana
The ridge trail leads to a series of abandoned buildings that were formerly the site of the SF-51C Nike missile control facility.
Fauna
Wildlife at Sweeney Ridge includes hawks, deer, and a plethora of both native and introduced spring wildflowers.
Gallery
References
- ^ Bolton, Herbert E. (1927). Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769-1774. HathiTrust Digital Library. pp. 228–232. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
External links
- Media related to Sweeney Ridge at Wikimedia Commons
- National Park Service Sweeney Ridge fact sheet
- Jef Poskanzer's website of the SF-51C missile structures on Sweeney Ridge
37°36′29″N 122°27′25″W / 37.608°N 122.457°W