Additional Photos from the Ridge: You can check out additional Sweeney Ridge photographs and the street art we found at the Nike Radar Station in our Multimedia section.

By Roy Morlidge / Beat Staff Writer

On some days the weather can be so hot that hiking Sweeney Ridge in San Mateo County’s coast mountain range can be exhausting. On others, the wind and fog make it impossible to see very far in front of you. But on those California days when the weather is perfect, a hike up historic Sweeney Ridge will reveal to you the San Francisco Bay Area in all its glory.

There are many trails that go up Sweeney Ridge, but the California Beat recommends the Sneath Lane Trail as your starting point. Located conveniently at the end of Sneath Lane, the trail is paved for hiking and bicycling. Parking is available at the start of the trail. Another good place to start is from Parking Lot number 2 at Skyline College which begins as a hiking path only. Parking there may not be easily available.

Whichever trail you take will eventually lead you up to the main Sweeney Ridge Trail that’s located at the very top of Sweeney Ridge. It is along this trail that you can find some pretty interesting historical landmarks as well as great views of the Bay Area and, unexpectedly, some of the most beautiful artwork.

Sweeney Ridge’s main claim to fame in history occurred on November 4, 1769. This is the date that Capt Gaspar de Portolá first discovered the San Francisco Bay. You can find a stone monument marking this occasion along the trail. Unfortunately much has changed since that day but you can’t help but imagine what the view would have been like without all of the development of today’s times.

Erected just across from the Portolá monument stands another one to commemorate an important person in Sweeney Ridge’s history, Mr. Carl Patrick McCarthy. According to the monument, Mr. McCarthy would personally bring 11,683 people up to this point on Sweeney Ridge.

In addition to serving as a memorial, his monument also stands as a geographic compass of sorts which points the various geological landmarks which you can see in the distance. To the east you can see Mount Diablo rising up over the East Bay. To the North the peaks of Mt. Tamalpais while to the west looking out to sea, depending on the weather, you can see out towards the Farallon Islands.

Nearby to this location, you can also find a lone bench looking out over the ocean. On a good evening, this bench serves as an excellent place to catch the sunset. Just be careful hiking back down in the dark as it will get dark before you get back down to the parking area.

Another place to visit on Sweeney Ridge takes hikers back to the days of the Cold War. In the 1950’s, the United States Army established a Nike missile radar control station on the ridge. Closed down in 1974, the buildings that once made up this station are still standing today, though some are fairing better then others.

Some notes of caution. While you can freely wander around through some of these buildings, be very carefully where you walk. There are lots of rusted and sharp pieces of metal lying around which can easily injure those not paying attention. Also many of the roofs have collapsed and probably will continue to collapse in the future. In any event, given the remoteness of the location, it may be quite a while before you can get help if you get hurt.

On the lighter side, one thing that you will notice about the ruins is that there is graffiti everywhere. One building in particular rendered us at the California Beat completely speechless and, even now as I write this, I struggle to find a way to describe it. The colors and amount of time and energy hat was put into this work is astounding and I can safely say that this is some of the best examples of graffiti art work that I have ever seen.

Sweeney Ridge by far has become a favorite of the California Beat. The first time we tried to hike its trails; we were beaten back by fog, wind and cold. However the beauty and history that can be found at its top was well worth hike.

Online Resources:

Multimedia: More Stunning Photography from Sweeney Ridge

Google Map: Sweeney Ridge in San Mateo County

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: Sweeney Ridge