Secrets to Rancho Corral de Tierra, area’s newest park jewel

Photo: Tom Stienstra, Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle From a rock outcrop, at 1,600 feet near the south ridge of Montara...

Stellar days on the coast this week have provided eye-popping views at the Bay Area’s newest national parkland.

Problem is, except for a handful of locals, it seems no one knows how to access the new park.

Rancho Corral de Tierra, the newest addition to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is a wildland that spans 4,000 acres across the west flank of Montara Mountain. It reaches across the west-facing hills above Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada. The land borders McNee Ranch, part of Montara State Beach, to the north, and the Crystal Springs Watershed, just over the ridge to the east, and beyond north to Sweeney Ridge. That makes it part of a vast contiguous wilderness.

But not many people can figure out how to make a trip work. You won’t find the answers on the Internet, even on the national park website.

There are no designated parking areas. No restrooms. No trail signs. No information billboards. No little boxes with trail maps. The only real help is a trail map (with no distances or elevations) at the GGNRA website. Many who have tried to visit have ended up at the wrong places, confused, and give up.

Yet a trip to Rancho Corral de Tierra can be among the most spectacular anywhere in the Bay Area and Northern California.

I’ve hiked every trail at Rancho. My favorite spot is several miles up the Spine Trail to a small rock crag for trail lunch with a world-class view. You tower over the coastal hills and Pacific Ocean, from Montara to Pillar Point. When you face west, directly below, on the spine of the sub ridge, the San Vincente Creek Canyon plunges to your right, the Denniston Creek Canyon to your left. There have been days when I never wanted to leave.

On foggy days, you often can emerge above the fog deck there, and the pearl sea below is just as beautiful a view as on clear days.

“In the coming years, we hope to add parking, restrooms (and improve trails) and that will take time” and require a series of protocols, said Alexia Picavet at GGNRA headquarters.

Each of the access points requires a different approach. The parking at three sites for access is at the end of roads and is extremely limited. In most cases, you need to park about a mile away, then walk to the trailheads. Outside of locals, most have not been willing to do that or can’t figure it out.

The GGNRA is in the process of developing improved maps that will help identify access points more clearly, along with rules for mountain bikes, said Christine FitzGerald at GGNRA.

Until designated parking is developed, these are the best ways to make a trip work:

Spine Ridge, Moss Beach

Location: Spine Ridge (and the Spine Trail) is located on the subridge that rises above Moss Beach to the south flank of Montara Mountain. At the southern end of Moss Beach, a short distance from Highway 1, the best access is to park along the shoulder of Etheldore Street (near Ranch Road); then walk up Ranch Road to Ember Ridge Stables. Do not park at the stables.

Note: “Please do not pet, feed or approach the horses for your safety and theirs,” Picavet said. “It’s OK to walk past the stables, just don’t pet the horses.”

What you’ll see: From the Ember Ridge Stables, turn right and walk past the stables and you’ll emerge at a small pond (we’ve always called it Pigs Pond). From there, you can see the route that leads east up to Spine Ridge. It starts with a short climb that leads to a hilltop (your first good lookout point), and then continues up a road, eroded in several spots. As you climb, the valleys will plunge below on each side, very dramatic. You eventually reach high on the flank, from where you can turn for a spectacular view of the coast.

Clipper Ridge, El Granada

Location: The best trailhead is at the end of Coral Reef Avenue in El Granada. Do not expect to park here. Parking is available for only a few vehicles, often those of local residents. Another prospect is to park about a half mile away on Sonora. The sure thing is to park at Quarry Park, which is at Santa Maria and Columbus at the south end of El Granada. Then it’s about a mile-plus hike across town to the trailhead.

What you’ll see: From the end of Coral Reef Avenue, the trail/road is routed a short distance to a junction, where you turn right and walk a short distance to connect to the route up Clipper Ridge. As you climb, you’ll see evidence of landscape scars from four-wheel-drives in the 1980s. You eventually will rise high enough that you can turn and feel as though you are towering over Pillar Point Harbor to the west, Half Moon Bay to the south and miles of ocean. The route continues up near the western edge of the off-limits 23,000-acre Crystal Springs Watershed.

Alta Vista Trail, Montara

Location: The trailhead is at the end of Alta Vista Road. There is no parking at the trailhead (you’ll see some adjacent construction by the local water district). Instead, park at Montara State Beach, cross Highway 1, and you’ll see a dirt road; walk up that to San Pedro Mountain Road. Turn up the hill (east) on the Farallon Trail and continue to a junction with the Alta Vista Trail.

What you’ll see: The Alta Vista Trail is the steepest trail in the Bay Area, bar none. No one has reportedly walked it with a GPS to verify specifics yet, but by my estimate is that it climbs about 1,500 feet in less than a mile. There is a lot of erosion, and the park service plans to install steps at several spots. If you make it, you emerge on the Montara Mountain Trail near 1,625-foot Montara Knob, about a half mile from the 1,898-foot North Peak.

Tom Stienstra’s Outdoor Report can be heard Saturdays on KCBS (740 and 106.9) at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. E-mail: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom

If you want to go

Location: In the coastal foothills of San Mateo County, above the towns of Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada.

Cost: Parking and access are free.

Map/brochure: PDF at website.

Trail rules: Leashed dogs, horses are permitted. Mountain bikes permitted on most routes; riders must dismount and walk short distances at a few sites.

How to get there

Alta Vista Trail: From San Francisco, take Interstate 280 south to Daly City and the split on the right for Highway 1/Pacifica. Bear right on Highway 1 and continue south 11 miles (through Pacifica and past Devil’s Slide) and emerge at Montara State Beach on your right. Continue 1 mile to parking for Montara State Beach (adjacent to Outrigger Restaurant). The access for connector trails to the Alta Vista Trail is across the highway.

Spine Ridge: From Montara State Beach, continue south on Highway 1 for 1.2 miles to Moss Beach and Etheldore Street. Turn left and take Etheldore for 0.8 of a mile to Ranch Road on the left. Park along Etheldore and walk up to Ember Ridge Stables and the trailhead/road on the right.

Clipper Ridge: From Moss Beach, continue 2.0 miles to El Granada and Coral Reef Road. Turn left and drive 0.8 of a mile to the end of the road and trailhead. If no parking (likely), turn around and drive 0.6 of a mile to Sonora (parking may be available on your left along Sonora) or continue to the south end of El Granada to Quarry Park (located near Santa Maria, near its corner with Columbus ) .

Contacts: Rancho Corral de Tierra, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pacific West Information Center, (415) 561-4700, www.nps.gov/goga.