Golden Gate NRA - Rancho Corral De Tierra - Montara, CA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 37° 30.714 W 122° 28.985
10S E 545683 N 4151787
Rancho Corral De Tierra is the newest addition to Golden Gate National Recreation Area. At nearly 4,000 acres, Rancho is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the San Mateo peninsula.
Waymark Code: WMEFR9
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/23/2012
Views: 9
Rancho Corral de Tierra was
transferred from the Peninsula Open Space Trust (
POST) to the National Park Service in December, 2011. It was added to the
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This 3,858-acre park above the San Mateo coast is a former Spanish colonial land grant. It boasts miles of winding public trails, important watersheds, diverse wildlife, and, atop 2,000-foot Montara Mountain, a breath-taking 360-degree view from the Bay to the Pacific.
Rancho Corral De Tierra offers key connections between the Coastal Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It consists of two discontiguous areas, the Montara Area and the El Granada Area. The NPS is holding its first public drop-in event for volunteer workers in March, 2013.
Using the NPS park brochure (PDF), one can find several trail heads that start near existing Half Moon Bay and Montara streets and head into the park. I was able to enter the El Granada section of the park in from Coral Reef Avenue.
Trailheads for the El Granada section can be found at:
- Coral Reef Avenue and Sevilla Avenue (the posted coordinates, for now)
- Almeria Avenue
- San Carlos Avenue
- Harbor Drive
Trailheads for the Montara section can be found at:
- Corona Sreet and (Old) San Pedro Mountain Road
- Kanoff Street
- Alta Vista Road
- HiWay 1 at Montara State Beach;
- Current NPS recommendations for access to Rancho, are to park at Gray Whale Cove and hike through McNee Ranch State Park.
Other Rancho Corral De Tierra info: