San Pedro Valley Park-Weiler Ranch Road Trail
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 600 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, CA 94044, from CA Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway), take Linda Mar Blvd. until it ends at Oddstad Blvd., turn right and then immediately left again on Trout Farm Road to the parking areas.
Starting Point: From the main parking lot near the entry gate, walk past the Visitor Center and look for signs to the Walnut Group Picnic Area, which has trail access to the Weiler Ranch Road Trail (as well as the Valley View Trail and Hazelnut Trail).
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
San Pedro Valley Park information link (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/san-pedro-valley-park
San Pedro Valley Park trails and map link (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/san-pedro-valley-park-trails
San Pedro Valley Park visiting and directions (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/locations/san-pedro-valley-park
Also recommended:
San Pedro Valley Park information link (City of Pacifica):
https://www.cityofpacifica.org/depts/rec_department/parksbeaches/beach_and_park_info_and_rules/san_pedro/default.asp
San Pedro Valley Park trails info (Friends of San Pedro Valley Park):
http://friendsofsanpedrovalleypark.org/trails/
Distance:
There’s a short walk from the parking area to the Walnut Group Picnic Area. From here, distance markers dot the Weiler Ranch Road Trail, with the 1 mile marker at the end of the trail, which has benches along a small loop. It’s 1 mile back on the same trail, for a 1 mile total of mostly flat path.
Considerations:
• The parking area is fairly large. There are two main parking loops near the visitor center.
• There are toilet facilities near the picnic areas and main trailheads.
• Follow health and safety signs, as well as wildlife information signs.
• Poison oak shows up along many trails in the area. Staying clear of poison oak is the best defense, but having a scrub like Technu is also handy.
• As with any Bay Area outing, bring layers. You may be hot in the sun one moment and shivering under fog and a chilly breeze the next.
The trail:
If parking in the main parking lot near the entry gate, walk past the visitor center and bathrooms and find the wooden bridge path that leads toward the Walnut Group Picnic Area. The path opens into a wide field with benches and picnic tables, and a park information sign.
Weiler Ranch Road Trail is a wide, fairly smooth service road type trail. There are minimal inclines on this two-mile round trip in-and-out trail. On the outward leg of the walk, fields open up to the right with brush and trees further off. On the left, the hill rises fairly steeply, and there are patches of eucalyptus and cypress along the way.
Those looking for Valley View Trail and Hazelnut Trail junctions will see trail signs on the left side on the outbound leg of the hike.
There are benches dotted along the trail, facing out toward the open field areas, where we often see deer grazing. The trail also has regular distance markers for runners and walkers, with the 1 mile marker at the turnaround loop where there are more benches.
We saw more than one snake slithering near the edge of the fields close to the trail on our recent walk. There were also numerous California quail families skittering about the fields, searching for food. Where the trail narrows and becomes shadier with brush closer to the edges of the trail, we saw rabbits nibbling. They did not scare easily, but did make an easy escape into the brush when we got too close.
Weiler Ranch Road Trail makes for a pleasant, easy walk, with a snack break midway at the mile turnaround spot. It can be quite hot on a sunny day, so sun protection and water are important. Even on our latest visit when the sky was overcast, it was somewhat warm and humid. There is also a great deal of poison oak mixed in with the plants at the side of the trail, so keep an eye out to avoid touching that.
Those who want to explore San Pedro Valley Park more can try a steeper, climbing hike in San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop.
(San Pedro Valley Park-Weiler Ranch Road Trail Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Around the Bend” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: 600 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, CA 94044, from CA Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway), take Linda Mar Blvd. until it ends at Oddstad Blvd., turn right and then immediately left again on Trout Farm Road to the parking areas.
Starting Point: From the main parking lot near the entry gate, walk past the Visitor Center and look for signs to the Walnut Group Picnic Area, which has trail access to the Weiler Ranch Road Trail (as well as the Valley View Trail and Hazelnut Trail).
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
San Pedro Valley Park information link (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/san-pedro-valley-park
San Pedro Valley Park trails and map link (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/san-pedro-valley-park-trails
San Pedro Valley Park visiting and directions (San Mateo County):
https://parks.smcgov.org/locations/san-pedro-valley-park
Also recommended:
San Pedro Valley Park information link (City of Pacifica):
https://www.cityofpacifica.org/depts/rec_department/parksbeaches/beach_and_park_info_and_rules/san_pedro/default.asp
San Pedro Valley Park trails info (Friends of San Pedro Valley Park):
http://friendsofsanpedrovalleypark.org/trails/
Distance:
There’s a short walk from the parking area to the Walnut Group Picnic Area. From here, distance markers dot the Weiler Ranch Road Trail, with the 1 mile marker at the end of the trail, which has benches along a small loop. It’s 1 mile back on the same trail, for a 1 mile total of mostly flat path.
Considerations:
• The parking area is fairly large. There are two main parking loops near the visitor center.
• There are toilet facilities near the picnic areas and main trailheads.
• Follow health and safety signs, as well as wildlife information signs.
• Poison oak shows up along many trails in the area. Staying clear of poison oak is the best defense, but having a scrub like Technu is also handy.
• As with any Bay Area outing, bring layers. You may be hot in the sun one moment and shivering under fog and a chilly breeze the next.
The trail:
If parking in the main parking lot near the entry gate, walk past the visitor center and bathrooms and find the wooden bridge path that leads toward the Walnut Group Picnic Area. The path opens into a wide field with benches and picnic tables, and a park information sign.
Weiler Ranch Road Trail is a wide, fairly smooth service road type trail. There are minimal inclines on this two-mile round trip in-and-out trail. On the outward leg of the walk, fields open up to the right with brush and trees further off. On the left, the hill rises fairly steeply, and there are patches of eucalyptus and cypress along the way.
Those looking for Valley View Trail and Hazelnut Trail junctions will see trail signs on the left side on the outbound leg of the hike.
There are benches dotted along the trail, facing out toward the open field areas, where we often see deer grazing. The trail also has regular distance markers for runners and walkers, with the 1 mile marker at the turnaround loop where there are more benches.
We saw more than one snake slithering near the edge of the fields close to the trail on our recent walk. There were also numerous California quail families skittering about the fields, searching for food. Where the trail narrows and becomes shadier with brush closer to the edges of the trail, we saw rabbits nibbling. They did not scare easily, but did make an easy escape into the brush when we got too close.
Weiler Ranch Road Trail makes for a pleasant, easy walk, with a snack break midway at the mile turnaround spot. It can be quite hot on a sunny day, so sun protection and water are important. Even on our latest visit when the sky was overcast, it was somewhat warm and humid. There is also a great deal of poison oak mixed in with the plants at the side of the trail, so keep an eye out to avoid touching that.
Those who want to explore San Pedro Valley Park more can try a steeper, climbing hike in San Pedro Valley Montara Mountain-Brooks Creek Loop.
(San Pedro Valley Park-Weiler Ranch Road Trail Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Around the Bend” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
