The mountains are calling!

If you want to experience one of the best views of Pacific around the bay area, hiking Montara Mountain should be on your list. It’s an easy out and back hike that has views all around, and can never disappoint you. Even on a foggy day, you get to see some amazing views within 30 minutes on the trail. There are more than one routes to reach Montara mountain; starting from McNee Ranch State Park, or Montara State beach parking (if you need more mileage), or from the famous Gray Whale Cove Trail parking lot. I have hiked this mountain several times and have started from various trailheads, but most people start from the Gray Whale Cove Trail parking lot which is right on highway 1.

If you start your hike from Gray Whale Cove parking lot, the trail starts right from where you park. You follow the directions for Gray Whale Cove trail and start ascending your way towards Montara Mountain. About half mile or less into the hike you will see an off beat trail that has some steep ascend towards the junction of Pedro Mountain Trail/North Peak Access Road. You can choose to ascend from here, which will be challenging as the trail is slippery and gains quick elevation, or you can continue on Gray Whale Cove Trail. During early spring this part of the trail is bushy and you will need to walk through them to make it. There are some beautiful views of the Montara Beach along this trail until you reach the junction of Pedro Mountain Trail. From Pedro Mountain Trail junction, the trail ascends and gains elevation until you reach the junction with North Peak Access Road. This will make for a good strolling hike and some great views if you are not into hiking, if not you can take a quick break and continue your hike towards Montara Mountain.

From the junction of Gray Whale Cove Trail and North Peak Access Road, you take North peak access road towards Montara Mountain. Be careful not to descend down towards McNee Ranch State park. Within half a mile from the junction, North Peak Access road splits with Pedro Mountain Road which is where the brunt of the hike starts. The trail from this junction has constant elevation gain with no shade. If you are doing this hike early morning you wouldn’t feel the heat, but if you are doing this section on a hot day its tiring. There are no water sources on the trail, so you need good amount of water so you won’t run out. The trail gains decent elevation before you reach flatter ground.

Half a mile from flatter ground, you end up at the junction of Montara Mountain Trail, which will lead you to San Pedro Valley park. Continue on to North Peak Access road as the views of ocean are behind you and are being blocked by the mountains on the right. Before you realize you are almost at the tail end of the hike, when the big power lines are in your vicinity. From Montara Mountain Trail junction, there is not much of an elevation gain, except for a few steep sections. As you approach the power lines, you take a left and get to the top where you can enjoy the views that you hiked for, and take some much needed rest.

The hike back is much more relaxing as you are only going downhill and your feet will appreciate it. The trail doesn’t descend a lot until you reach the flatter section (past Montara Mountain trail junction), where you can catch distant views of Golden Gate Bridge. The next part of the trail is tricky, as the descend gets slippery if you don’t have the right shoes. Though going downhill is relaxing, you need stronger knees to stop yourself from running off the trail. By the time you reach the junction with Gray Whale Cove trail the hike is almost done, and you are in the vicinity of your car. You can either take Gray Whale Cove trail that has a steeper descent, or take the North Peak Access Road towards McNee Ranch State park, and then continue on Gray Whale Cove trail. You can soak in the views while hiking down, and enjoy going to the beach after the hike.

Difficulty – Easy Insanity Level – 1 Distance ~ 10-14 miles Elevation ~ 2200 ft Time ~ 4-6 hours

Directions: Gray Whale Cove Parking Lot – Gray Whale Cove Trail – North Peak Access Road – Montara Mountain Junction – Top of Mountain – Montara Mountain Junction – North Peak Access Road – Gray Whale Cove Trail – Gray Whale Cove Parking Lot