SUNDAY DRIVE

Why Sweeney Ridge: Where can you go in the Bay Area for world-class views at a trailhead with unlimited parking? The answer is Sweeney Ridge, with access from the trailhead at the parking lot for Skyline College. The payoffs are the spectacular views of the Peninsula on one side, of Montara Mountain and beyond to the Pacific Ocean on the other, plus the historic San Francisco Bay Discovery Site.

Location: Sweeney Ridge and the Skyline College trailhead are on the north Peninsula in San Bruno.

Other trailheads: On the east flank, a trailhead/gated road with limited parking is at the end of Sneath Lane in San Bruno; on the west flank, the trailhead for Mori Ridge Trail is near Shelldance Nursery at Vallemar in Pacifica; also on the west flank, the trailhead for Baquiano Trail is at the end of Fassler Avenue in Linda Mar in southern Pacifica. Cost: Parking, access free.

Map/brochure: A PDF of a detailed trail map can be found at www.nps.gov/goga/sweeney.htm.

Hike: It’s a 6-mile round trip with 700-foot total climb to Portola Gate, where the route dead-ends at Crystal Springs Watershed. From the trailhead at Skyline College, the hike climbs to a sub-ridge, then drops and climbs again to a former Nike missile site, now a concrete hulk, and then beyond to the Bay Discovery Site, which has a marker/plaque. You can continue for 20 minutes or so to the locked gate at Crystal Springs. A cutoff descends to the west to Sweeney Meadow.

Views: Eye-popping views can make this Labor Day weekend unforgettable. From the ridge to the east, you get a panorama of the Crystal Springs watershed, with the San Andreas Reservoir to your left and beyond across south San Francisco Bay. To the west, you get a glimpse of the wildlands of the east flank of Montara Mountain and, on clear days, across the Pacific Ocean to the Farallon Islands.

Wildlife: At dusk at Sweeney Meadow (formerly called South Meadow), I’ve seen black-tailed deer, the inevitable bush bunny and, at random, a fox and bobcat.

Dogs: Leashed dogs are permitted.

History: On Nov. 4, 1769, Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola and his team on today’s Sweeney Ridge were the first Europeans to see S.F. Bay. It was an accident. They were lost while overshooting their search for Monterey Bay, but later realized the significance of the find.

Contacts: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, (415) 5614700. www.nps.gov/goga; Presidio Visitor Center, (415) 561-4323, www.nps.gov/prsf; Pacifica Visitor Center, (650) 355-4122, www.pacifica chamber.com.