Good hiking trails, above tree line it can get hot. Be sure to pack enough water if the weather is hot.

The "waterfall" doesn't really exist. Even after a huge rain, it's barely a trickle. Just fyi in case you going to see that. Also be aware the park is crowded on weekends. read more

The other day I did the entire brooks creek falls trail. It's about 3 miles round trip and about 500ft elevation gain, a greet way to get back into hiking after not doing much of it during the rainy season. I did not expect this trail to be so beautiful. Because of the name I expected it to lead to the top of a waterfall. The trail is actually across from the waterfall but once you've hiked above the forest you get an incredible view of majestic mountains. It's a really unexpected, breathtaking view. I love that this trail is well marked with many benches throughout s the trail ends on the other side with a lovely view of Pacifica and ocean beach. I'm looking forward to the hazelnut trail and the Montana mountain trails as well. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - The end of the trail - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

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Amazing View that's for sure! Not that steep but i enjoyed my trail running while taking pictures :) Watch out for the lion though this is their territory! stay safe and enjoy. read more

You have to pay to drive in. No dogs. Kind of sucks I can't bring my dogs on the trail. Personally I think the fees are to keep poor people out. Sad because there are groups of disabled people who would like to use the park but can't afford the $$. There is rarely anyone in there. Don't know why the county bothers funding a ranger for the park. Waste of resources. The hikes are nice. But if you have to drive to get here, just drive somewhere else. So many hikes coastside you can take without paying the county. read more

I enjoy coming to this secluded park during shelter in place. You can park on the street and walk in if you don't want to pay $6 for parking. I would need to explore more trails read more

This is one of my favorite places to go in the SF Bay Area. It's peaceful, scenic, and an overall an excellent place for a good workout and meditation and thinking. Hazelnut trail is a relatively easy hike (less than 4 miles) that will take about 2 hours and it's usually not crowded. Brooks Falls Trail that leads to Montara Trail (then to the East Peak Trail) is a good one if you want to challenge yourself a bit more. I saw many deer here while hiking on both Montara & Hazelnut trails :-) I also highly recommend hiking here on very foggy days as it can be a surreal experience. read more

Nice valley park in Pacifica. Parking lot has a fee but you can walk in from a block away. Bathrooms are nice. Wasnt very crowded when I was there. But not much of a view from the Valley View Trail. Overall pretty nice if youre close by. We even saw some wild life a long the way read more

A very nice and beautiful park. So glad they do not allow people to bring in dogs, would hate to see the park destroyed by all the people who bring their dogs into parks and not pick up their droppings. The park is out far enough that one does not hear cars and noise from the street. But also close enough one can get back to the city within an hour. read more

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Had a spectacular hike here today. I have lived on the Peninsula my entire life and had never heard of this hidden gem. Upon arriving I paid my $6 for parking to the ranger and was provided a trail map. If one would prefer to skip the fee there is parking on the street and it is a quick walk to the park entrance. There are bathrooms here and garbage cans which is great considering not all the parks have them. The trails are well marked and well maintained. There is a visitor center that I planned on exploring after my hike but I was plain worn out. I took the hazelnut trail which is a loop just shy of 5 miles. I took it counter clockwise as was recommended in other posts which made it about a 2 miles of uphill. I would rate it as moderatly difficult. I think if one is a regular hiker it will be quite easy. The views are beautiful and I even spotted some deer that didn't seem to care about people being around. Overall it was quite enjoyable. Oh and dogs are not allowed. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - From trees to the ocean to the wildlife...just beautiful l. - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

Absolutely love this place. Did a quick 2 hour / 10mi run in the afternoon. The weather was perfect and the water was beautiful. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

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This is my favorite park. It has so many different native plants and they keep it really clean. I love coming here everyone is really nice to. I think it's important for people to understand why its not a good idea to bring your dog here which is probably due to the fact there are mountain lions, coyotes and bob cats. And if you dog sees it chases it somehow gets off leash or pulls the leash out of your hand, these animals will kill your dog. Also I'm happy there are no dogs aloud because that would mean there would be dog shit probably and they would piss on the plants that I like to forage a little bit to eat. It's not the place for dogs. Listen to the rules because your dog could be killed! This place is beautiful. read more

i decided to start the new year with a hike. I went to San Pedro valley park. they charge $6 for parking, and there are about 4 different trails. We took the halznut trail about 3.7 miles. The waterfall was dried out on 1/1/18. the trail was nice. but make sure to wear the right shoes, it was bit slippery and alot of rocks and tree branches on the floor. read more

Beautiful. Just went here today, this park is full of tons of short, scenically unique trails for you to try out. Definitely come here and sample the different trails. Also saw some cute deer and turkey families. read more

First things first (bet you thought I was going to say I'm the realest!!), if you don't want to spend $6 on parking, then park outside of their parking lot. There is plenty of residential parking! I came here on a Sunday morning (10am) for a short hike. There are multiple trails to choose from, so pull up the park map via the link provided here on Yelp. After looking at the map, we decided to take the Hazelnut trail (3.7 miles), which is about 0.7 miles from where you enter the park. Now, I wasn't expecting the park to be so beautiful, but I was in for a nice surprise! There is so much greenery, and such beautiful views- it felt as if I was somewhere far from the Bay Area. With that being said, it makes San Pedro Valley Park- a good place to go if you feel like you need to get away (from the city). I'll be back soon to hike some of the longer trails! :) read more

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The best workout of your life awaits at the foot of any of San Pedro's challenging trails. Although its high level of difficulty is not suitable for most beginners, this little known Pacifica gem is an ideal spot for more seasoned runners looking to maximize their fitness levels in a short amount of time. The Hazelnut Trail is a punishing 3.7-mile ascent replete with switchbacks through dense clusters of trees. If you like having a lot of fast, sharp turns to break up the monotony of your runs, this is the trail for you. My favorite trail is the 2.1-mile climb up Mount Montara, which offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, the Farallon Islands, and mist-shrouded mountains that recall the lush, vibrant beauty of an Irish countryside. Turns on Montara tend to be wide and sweeping, and not quite as steep as those found on the Hazlenut trail. A rocky path in the mountain's midsection can make for unsteady footing; if you have trail shoes, you'll definitely want to wear them here. Avoid this place altogether on warm days, as the heat quickly becomes oppressive and transforms the park's fairy tale charm into something that looks like a scene straight out of Fresno. Fortunately, sunny days seem to be even rarer in Pacifica than they are in S.F. read more

This is one of my favorite hikes in the area, partly due to the views and partly due to the feeling that I am completely out of the concrete jungle and into nature within a short drive from my house. From Bernal Heights, it takes less than 20 minutes from door to trailhead if the traffic is reasonable. I usually take Brooks Falls trail up (I've only seen a waterfall once, however - I think you have to go after a few days of rain), then all the way up to the fire road where you can turn left to go all the way up the peak, or turn right and walk all the way down the other side of the mountain to Montara State Beach via the McNee Ranch State Park trails. To get to the fire road, it's a nice steady incline for about an hour which gets the heart rate up and you're rewarded with increasingly more beautiful views of the ocean, Farallon Islands, Pacifica, San Francisco, Mt. Tam, Mt Diablo and even Montara beach to the south if you continue on when you hit the fire/service road. I usually turnaround at the road and take Montara Mountain Trail back to the car which makes my hike a little under 6 miles total and takes about 2 hours round trip. Tips: +Bathrooms: There are clean bathrooms at the trail head near the park headquarters. +Benches: There are a few benches scattered along the trail to stop, rest, snack, take in the views, etc. +Mountain Lions: A couple of years ago, I'm fairly certain my friend and I saw the tail end of a mountain lion crossing the trail between the brooks falls trail and the fire road. Haven't seen any presence of him/her since, but there is a sign at the entrance of the park warning of sightings, so it's always a good idea to keep an eye out. +When to go: As far as weather goes, this hike is best done on a sunny day without a lot of fog or wind (i.e. not the summer). It can get pretty windy and cold at the higher elevations of this hike and you wouldn't want to miss the views because you're enshrouded in fog. read more

This is a perfectly fine park - the ground-level trail is well-cleared, a one-mile dirt road-type path with a little cul-de-sac at the end. We saw two brown bunnies and a young buck, which were charming. The whole length is girded by a wall of poison oak, though--you literally couldn't turn off onto one of the smaller hill trails without touching the bushes of poison oak, which was everywhere. I'm very allergic, so it simply wasn't an option for me. I kind of felt cheated out of $5, actually--if they would keep the brush trimmed back another 5 feet on the good trails, maybe we could enjoy them, too. 3 stars for a nice picnic area and cute wildlife. read more

Wow. This park has it together. My partner and I reserved the South Walnut Grove picnic area for our wedding. I used to go hiking around here and was pretty familiar with the area when we made the reservation. So I knew the risk we were taking with the potential for cold and fog in late May. The big gamble turned into a big payoff with a warm, full day of sun and a little wind. It could not have been a more perfect site for an intimate gathering of our most beloved family and friends. Everyone remarked on how private and beautiful this site was. It feels open and enclosed all at once, surrounded by green shrubby hills and a wide lawn adjacent to the creek and picnic area. We had our ceremony in the lawn, which was filled with tiny aster wildflowers. In the picnic area, there are 10 seating tables arranged in a semicircle around three serving tables, a nicely centered design. There's little to no shade for the tables, so we came equipped with pop-up canopies, which worked well. The bathrooms are directly adjacent to the picnic area. They're a little dark inside but were very clean and convenient. Another really wonderful thing about this park is the rangers, who were there sweeping the site in the morning, provided us with a big wheelbarrow to carry supplies from the parking lot, lent us tools to set up, directed the catering trucks for us, and came by mid-day to pick up trash, all with a friendly demeanor. They take real pride in keeping things immaculate and in making sure we had everything we needed to enjoy the park. We most certainly did. read more

Great park for both hiking and running. Great location if you live in the city, it's like 15 minutes away. It was quite warm when I went, so got some good sweat. There are quite a few spots that are especially cool and windy, which is super nice on a warm day. $5 entrance fee is very reasonable, but the map is almost impossible to read. Anyways, you won't get lost. Great view on top of the mountain trail, you can see the coast line of pacifica, beach, and houses. read more

Such a fantastic park nestled into the mountains of Pacifica. My family and I came here on a weekday afternoon, and the parking lot had ample parking spaces. We took the Montara Mountain Trail (one way because of COVID) up and then looped around with the Brooks Creek Trail. The views were amazing and there were several lookout points with benches along the way. All trails were relatively quiet and the air was super fresh. Would definitely recommend! read more

Fantastic trails! My husband and I came here two weekends in a row after discovering this gem of a park :) If you're looking for a peaceful, easy loop - just take the trail that starts from the street it's two-miles roundtrip and all flat ground. The valley-view hike is a twisty-turny trail to start off with, but it's a steady climb to the top and not too hard. Our fitbits gave us 58 floors by the time we reached the top. An awesome 3.7 mile trip with amazing views of the park and Pacifica is the Hazelnut trail. The was much steeper than the valley view trail and to gauge the difference - we had 115 floors by the time we hit the peak. Our next trail is going to be the Montara State beach trail - 10 miles roundtrip! Ambitious, but I think I can do it :) happy trails! read more

This past Saturday was my second time coming here doing a three-mile loop hike coming the Brooks Falls Trail and the Montara Mountain Trail, which is written of and published in certain Bay Area hiking books. I admit despite the recent rains, Brooks Fall was not spectacular by any means. From the view bench (which still puts you remotely across the canyon from the falls) it appears as just a single narrow plume. However, the noise of the water coming down is still pleasant to the ears. Nevertheless, I rate this as a great hike, especially it's not too far of a drive from San Francisco. Despite the high temperatures that day, much of the hike was under shade which reduced the heat exposure. For me I go up the Brooks Falls trail first and then came down the Montara Mountain trail, which gave me around 500 feet of elevation gain for hiking guide. At the high point of the hike, which is at the intersection of the two trails, there's a bench providing a very nice view looking over town towards the ocean. There is also a very nice bench on the Brooks Falls trail at the spot looking at the falls. The falls is only seasonal, but I realize this hike could be worthwhile coming for even during other times of the year. There are also other trail options that haven't been explored. Also, for me, I can usually find parking on the street within a block from the park's entrance so I can just walk in and save the $6 parking fee. read more

Great local park for hiking. We usually home at Mori Point at Sharp Park. Until we accidentally came across this hidden gem. Trails are well maintained, park is clean. Filled with eucalyptus groves, manzanita trees and ferns galore. Beautiful view of Linda Mar Beach at the top of Brooks trail. Many birds, butterflies, and lizards. Entrance fee of $6.00. Plenty of parking. Park also has a lot of picnic areas and BBQ with water and electric hookups and close by restrooms. Streams and small bridges too. Definitely becoming one of our new regular parks to visit. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - Brooks trail. - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

Great place for running! We parked outside the park to save ourselves the $6 parking fee. Im sure the homeowners don't love it, but there is plenty of street parking right outside the entrance. As always BE COURTEOUS while parking in front of someone's home. I just ran a trail race at this park and absolutely loved the terrain! The trails are a good steady climb and have majestic views of the coast. The surrounding vegetation is quite unique too. At one point you're running through shorter bushy plants and then through a eucalyptus grove. The fresh ocean breeze keeps you cool while your in the sun. Watch out for the banana slugs. They are everywhere! I would advise people to run with trail running shoes or something comparable. You need the grip to stay up. The bushes and tress drop small round seeds that can be dangerous! Overall- Loved this park! read more

A recent move to Pacifica introduced me to SPVP - a very nice park with 5 - 7 separate trails. The trails are mostly cleared and well-posted. The Brooks Falls trail (2 mi) is mild incline, and the sights along the way are sweet - partially in fern-lush shade and partially in full sun. A six-point buck stepped onto the trail about ten paces ahead of me one morning. We both survived. I should report...about Brooks Falls - There is really no fall. You may hear rushing or falling water, but unless there's been an epic deluge recently, you won't see the waterfall. The Montara Trail is significantly more challenging than Brooks. Heading up from the main trailhead, the ground is muddy. It is a better hike if you want to work hard. There are some great views and a few well-placed benches if you allow yourself to sit... The Hazelnut and Valley View are my favorites. Valley View is a monotonous succession of switchbacks, but I hike it occasionally because it's in full sun, and I like the warmth. I also enjoy the population of deer that wander around nibbling. Living in a protected area makes them unafraid. Hazelnut challenges my stamina more so than the others, and it has personality. Valley View is about 2 miles; you can easily add Hazelnut on (4.5 appr); and sometimes, I'll tack on the super easy Brooks Falls (2) for a nice hike - accessible, one-stop-shopping hike site :) The bathrooms are very clean and well-maintained, and there is a Volunteer shop with informative kiosks. Park at the church on Oddstad next to the Park to save the fee if you like. read more

I don't even know where to start with this review. My friend and I come here about 4 days out of the week. We have been hiking the Hazelnut trail- a treacherous 3.70 hike with beautiful scenery, woods and all. We have been slowly but surely making our way up the mountain which we FINALLY completed today. I feel so accomplished. Next on our agenda, the Brooks trail. I here there is a neat little waterfall somewhere in between. Overall, this park is a great place. The trails and park are well maintained. It's great for outdoor parties with children seeing as there is a TON of space. The back of the valley is so spacious that its rare to bump into people on the trail. 5 stars :) read more

Went on a Sunday morning and took a 2 hour hike. There are a bunch of trails for all all levels. I'm woefully out of shape but was able to make it up one of the shorter ones round trip. read more

I consider this place my secret park since very people know about (even the ones living in pacifica!) and most parts of it is usually empty. The main dirt trail is usually where about 75% of the people will be. It's a half mile long loop trail that's good for running or biking. Very often you will see deer up higher on the hill playing and eating. It's really cool cause there only 50 feet away. Sometimes they'll come onto the trail (which can be a little scary but if you keep your distance they'll go away). My favorite trail is the one leading to the waterfall. It not a very long trail and if your not a regular hiker or get tired easily there are tons of benches where can relax. read more

We used to hike this park often when we lived in Pacifica. Now I hike here while vacationing in the Bay Area. This year I hiked twice. The first was Brooks Creek trail to Montara Mountain trail and Mountain Road to the peak. That was a tough 1700 foot assent but well worth the effort. The views along the trail and at the summit were worth the pain and burning lungs. The second hike was the Hazelnut trail then back along the Weiler Ranch trail. Much of the upper part of Hazelnut is shrouded with poison oak so be careful and stay on the trail. We love this park due to proximity to where we used to live. And even if much of Pacifica is foggy this area is generally fairly warm and sunny. Obviously for the best views on the trails try to pick a sunny fog-free day and you'll have vistas of northern San Francisco, the bay, Montara, Half Moon Bay,and Mount Diablo (if you go all the way up to the summit of Montara Mountain). read more

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I loved this place to hike - the trail footing is very stable and I find the climbs very gradual. You can do the shorter Montara to Brooks Creek Trail or a longer Hazelnut Trail (with option of Valley View Trail which is more exposed. It's not too crowded and during covid times, they've blocked entrances to make the loop trails one-way (I saw a handful of people disregard those signs though). It's $6 for parking, there is a parking attendant. The bathroom and facilities seem very clean and well kept. I chose to park out the residential street nearby and walk up. There is excellent signage throughout the park. I arrived at 10am and the parking lot wasn't particularly full, but by 11am it seemed to have filled up. Quite green (in January) and trails have plenty of shade and decent views over Pacifica. I saw a lot of families, and it does seem like an easy and convenient place to get some outdoor exercise and air for all ages. read more

I enjoy this park very much. As mentioned several times, this place has little to no crowds. Also, the trails can be somewhat boring. If you want to have a trail to yourself, then come here. I used this place for my ironman training workouts. I would run up and over hazelnut trail. It was also my performance marker....I would time myself...give me a glance into my performance gain. Pop on ipod, sun glasses and go for it. people are nice...dont forget to say hi as you pass them up. cheers! read more

Easier trail for beginners. A book we said indicated the Hazelnut Trail was 6.1 miles and 3 hours long. The hike started off moderately difficult, mostly uphill the first mile to mile and a half. Then after we reached the peak (no sign or indication), but a bench, there was a beautiful view of the ocean. Then out of no where we just kept descending for a while and realized we wouldn't be going uphill anymore - somewhat of a relief! By the time we hit the bottom we had hiked 3.7 miles according to the sign. We still had to hike 0.5 mile on a rubble road to get back to the parking lot. Overall, a great hike for beginners because most of it is downhill. Plus, lots of shade and breeze which was nice! The park also has a BBQ area to hang out, if interested. $6 to park a car. Park closes at 8pm. read more

I am glad that people enjoy this park. This land was my grandparents ranch from the early 1930's until the late 1970's. Taken by eminent domain for the water rights because of the two springs that run through it. I still enjoy visiting, but it is obviously bitter-sweet. read more

Yesterday was the firat time that i'd ever came here, and i use to live in Pacifica...anywho there is a first time for everything. The weather was great, and although we only hiked up one mile, it was great! Lovely, beautiful, scene views! They have a picnic area as well. Def plan on coming back soon for some more hiking! read more

San Pedro Valley Park - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

Pacifica is a little out of the way for me, but this is a good destination when it's too hot to hike in the south bay. As we say, visit Pacifica, enjoy ALL the weather! There is a day use fee, but most people seem to park at the church next door to the park entrance and walk up to avoid the fees. We've done a few trails here - trout farm to Books Falls (waterfall loop), valley view and up Montara mountain (although we didn't go all the way because it was foggy and we weren't going to get a view). Trails get pretty narrow with vegetation closing in up above the falls turnoff so I suggest long pants if you are sensitive to plant contact or fear poison oak/ivy. Brooks Falls is seasonal - both times I've heard it falling but haven't been able to actually see it since I tend to visit during the dry season. At 207 feet it's the tallest waterfall in San Mateo County and I hope to see it someday. There are lots of well-placed benches to sit and enjoy the fine views or have a trail lunch. I always appreciate a good trail bench (hiking tip: stopping is as important as starting!). read more

One of the best parks in this whole region, IMHO. First, the weather here seems to have its own magic - no matter how foggy it is along the beach, from Rockaway Beach in P-town to the Outer Richmond, this pocket near the Terra Nova section is always sunny and warm with enough touch of sea breeze to keep you from overheating. Second, good, reasonably clean bathrooms at the trailheads for amazing convenience. Third, the trails are gorgeous, well-maintained and well-marked. They can be easy-to-moderate in level of difficulty (haven't yet taken the longest, Hazelnut, however), with awesome, varied views of the mountains, valleys, ocean and town. I take Mayhem and Tornado, my two young dudes, hiking here regularly, and they love it (especially when we go downhill), no trouble navigating it. Never too crowded and the folks we do encounter are always pleasant (probably because they're enjoying this little slice of No Cal paradise as much as my sons and I are), especially the rangers and maintenance crews. Totally worth the parking fee to keep this gem going! read more

This was a gorgeous hike! Take the Mount Montara Trail up to the top of Montara Peak - about a 7 mile round trip. There is some back-tracking, but you can mix it up a little with the Brook Creek Trail. On top there is a great view of the entire peninsula. With a good enough camera, you can snap a picture of the Ocean to the Bay with everything in between. There is very little shade, though, so pack lots of water for the summer heat. If you're feeling particularly organized, bring a lunch for the picnic areas in the park. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - Southward view from the North peak - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California

I came here a few times to hike. I went on Brooks Creek Trail a few weekends ago right after a rain. It was muddy but i had quite a unique experience. Not a lot of people go on that trail probably because it's a narrow trail and not exactly the easiest. I was surrounded by very dense shrubs and tall trees; the civilized world seemed thousands of miles away. Throughout an hour long hike, I only bumped into 2 other hikers along the way. I could hear water from the creek or the waterfall during the first half of the hike. Not so much toward the second half. At the peak of the mountain, you can get a good view of a waterfall. I highly recommend Brooks Creek Trail inside san pedro valley park. read more

Great views above the cloud line (I guess the clouds were low that day). Cool weather for hiking - generally windless on the side of the mountain away from the wind, but quite windy near the top. Challenging (intermediate) 3-4 mile trails with elevation. read more

San Pedro Valley Park - just above the cloud line - Parks Near Me - Pacifica, California