Pacifica is renowned for beaches, ocean views and fog. But there’s another side of this town south of San Francisco worth checking out. Take a detour away from the water and drive inland into the Linda Mar neighborhood on the southern edge of Pacifica to find two spots worth a visit, and maybe even a bit of sunshine.
At the eastern end of Linda Mar Boulevard, about two miles from the ocean, is San Pedro Valley Park. Halfway along this same route is the Sanchez Adobe, a two-story structure that dates from the 1840s and touches on several centuries of history.
San Pedro Valley Park consists of 1,100 acres on the banks of San Pedro Creek and up into the Santa Cruz Mountains. A brochure for the park says, “Often sunny when the rest of the San Mateo Coast is foggy, San Pedro is popular with hikers.”
It’s also popular with picnickers and equestrians, who ride through its pine, oak, redwood and eucalyptus forests.
Spring is a good time to hike in the park toward Brooks Falls, a narrow seasonal waterfall that drops 175 feet in three tiers. Hikers who head up the mountain also get spectacular views of the ocean to the west. One steep trail goes up Montara Mountain.
“We’ve got a series of great trails,” said Mark Golembiewski, 74, vice president of the Friends of San Pedro Valley Park, a volunteer group.
The park is home to two forks of San Pedro Creek, a steelhead trout habitat. Steelhead are easiest to spot during their winter spawning season from December to February. There’s a nature trail near the creek that’s easy to follow, amid redwoods and ferns.
On weekends, the park’s large visitor center is open. Inside there is a taxidermy collection; the mounted specimens include a mountain lion, fox and skunk.
“Kids really enjoy that. They look like they’re alive,” said Golembiewski.
Visitors to San Pedro Valley Park also may want to stop by the nearby two-story Sanchez Adobe Historic Site.
Originally home to Ohlone natives, the area became a farm used to support Mission Dolores in San Francisco when the Spanish controlled the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the ruins date back to that time.
The existing adobe building was built in the 1840s by Francisco Sanchez, who was mayor of Yerba Buena, which later became San Francisco. The structure, which has had many owners and uses through the years, has been a hotel, a speakeasy during Prohibition and a restaurant. Today, visitors can tour the building, which is a state historical landmark.
The adobe, which is operated by the San Mateo County Historical Association, has been restored with a Victorian era look, although plans are in the works for installing furniture that reflects life when the Sanchez family lived there. The 5-acre site includes a visitor center, which traces the history of the building and region. The Sanchez Adobe Historic Site is open Tuesday to Thursday and weekends, and admission is free.
Pacifica’s San Pedro Valley Park is at 600 Oddstad Blvd. (visit smcgov.org/parks/) and Sanchez Adobe is at 1000 Linda Mar Blvd. (visit historysmc.org/).