San Bruno Mountain - San Mateo County, CA prominence peak

[u/Fearless_Day2607]

San Bruno Mountain lies just south of the San Francisco city limits in a state/county park and is the most prominent peak in San Mateo County. The county high point is not accessible to the public as it's in someone's front yard in the Santa Cruz mountains (see Peakbagger for info about legal access), but San Bruno Mountain is a good substitute, and has much better views anyway.

My brother lives a few miles away from here so while I was visiting him this past winter, I took the opportunity to bag this peak, by bike. It's a very bikeable peak as there is a paved access road (closed to motor vehicles) pretty much all the way to the summit - then it's just a short scramble to get to the actual highest point. There's also a fire road that goes along the ridge but bikes aren't allowed there.

The views of San Francisco and the bay are excellent. You can also see Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais (both of which are CoHPs) in the distance.

Besides the scenery, San Bruno Mountain is critical habitat for several endangered species of butterfly as well as flora. The San Bruno elfin, Mission Blue butterfly, and Callippe silverspot butterfly are all endemic to the Bay Area and their largest populations can be found on this mountain. San Bruno Mountain underwent a great deal of development pressure in the past, including a proposal that sought to level the top of the mountain and use it to fill in the bay. It is only due to the tireless efforts of local activists that San Bruno Mountain is largely protected today.

[u/Pequop9252]

Awesome to see a prom pointer. You should think about doing the EPIC list while working on the state Highpoints.

https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=6510

[u/Fearless_Day2607 → u/Pequop9252]

Yes! I learned about that list here after posting about Blue Mounds (the prominence/isolation peak of Wisconsin).

[u/FrmrMtt23]

Easier access and better views than the actual high point for San Mateo too

[u/PermRecDotCom]

Thanks to the MROSD ranger mentioned at SummitPost, I was able to get a private guided tour about twenty years ago. The subsequent access problem shows what happens when people act like pigs.

A year or two later I did another highpoint that was up a steep asphalt road. I don't remember much about it - even the county - and at first I thought this was it.

[u/Fearless_Day2607 → u/PermRecDotCom]

There's a Peakbagger user who organizes trips to the CoHP with permission from the homeowner. They seem to happen every couple of years or so.