Mori Point (GGNRA)
Park
124 acres3.5 mi of trail
Coastal TrailBluff TrailTimigtac TrailUpper Mori Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Pacifica
42% of Pacifica’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 42 miles of mapped trail cross Pacifica, 3.4 per square mile of land. 42% of Pacifica’s land is conserved, about 3,421 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #15 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
3,421 acres · of 12.6 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,518 ac
68 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
5.9 mi lanes · 5.3 mi paths
Highest peak
801 ft
Cattle Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Pacifica?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pacifica have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pacifica is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #15 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pacifica’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land68 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,518 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 98%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Mori Point (GGNRA), with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
San Francisco Peninsula Watershed
Managed by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
415 acres2 mi of trail
Sneath Lane Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto Sneath Lane Trailhead ParkingWebsite ↗
Milagra Ridge
Nature preserve
218 acres1.2 mi of trail
Milagra Ridge TrailMilagra Creek Overlook TrailMilagra Overlook TrailMilagra Spur Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Imperial Park
Park
12 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Mori Point (GGNRA)124 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSan Francisco Peninsula Watershed415 acres · 2 mi of trail · San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
DirectionsSharp Park221 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMilagra Ridge218 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsImperial Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Fairmont Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFrontierland Park31 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFairmont West Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Edgemar Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Pedro Point Headlands36 acres
Oddstad Park24 acres
DirectionsSky Ridge18 acres
DirectionsWhite Field Park10 acres
DirectionsFairway Park5 acres
Sanchez Park4 acres
Sanchez Adobe Park3 acres
DirectionsPomo Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,421 conserved acres
42% of Pacifica’s land. Who manages Pacifica’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,474 ac
Town or city974 ac
County964 ac
State conservation34 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits26 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land1 ac
National Recreation Area · 1,474 acLocal Park · 745 acLocal Resource Management Area · 430 acLocal Recreation Area · 410 acLocal Other or Unknown · 354 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Recreation Area | National Park Service | 1,474 | Open |
| San Pedro Valley Park Local Park | County | 518 | Open |
| SFPUC Peninsula Watershed Local Resource Management Area | County | 430 | Restricted |
| Sharp Park Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 403 | Restricted |
| Sweeney Ridge Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 326 | Open |
| Frontierland Park Local Park | Town or city | 61 | Open |
| Pacifica Holding Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Pedro Point Headlands State Other or Unknown | State conservation | 38 | Closed |
| Pacifica State Beach Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Oddstad Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Pacifica
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Pacifica
Rockaway Beach
DirectionsSan Pedro Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Pacifica
Edgemar PlaygroundIn Edgemar Park
DirectionsFairmont PlaygroundIn Fairmont West Park
DirectionsFairmont PlaygroundIn Fairmont Park
DirectionsFrontierland PlaygroundIn Frontierland Park
DirectionsImperial Park PlaygroundIn Imperial Park
DirectionsPomo Playground
DirectionsSkyridge Playground
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Pacifica
Pacifica Dog Park
DirectionsScenic views in Pacifica
Lookout
DirectionsMori PointIn Mori Point (GGNRA)
DirectionsPortola Discovery Site of San Francisco Bay
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Pacifica
Cattle Hill801 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.4 miHorses · 10.0 miUnpaved · 23.8 mi
Sweeney Ridge Trail2.2 mi
Hazelnut Trail2.0 mi
Sneath Lane Trail1.6 mi
Valley View Trail1.4 mi
Mori Ridge Trail1.2 mi
Baquiano Trail1.0 mi
Jazz the Glass1.0 mi
Weiler Ranch Trail1.0 mi
Coastal Trail0.9 mi
Montara Mountain Trail0.8 mi
15 more trails
Bluff Trail
0.8 miAhni Trail
0.6 miMilagra Ridge Trail
0.6 miSweeney Horse Trail
0.6 miFarallones View Trail
0.5 miSweeney Meadow Trail
0.5 miBaseball
0.4 miTimigtac Trail
0.4 miUpper Mori Trail
0.3 miGreen Tanks
0.3 miAce Trail
0.2 miMilagra Creek Overlook Trail
0.2 miLishumsha Trail
0.2 miTimigtac Trail Alternate
0.2 miMilagra Spur Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.3 mi
off-road bike paths
6.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Pacific Coast Bike Route (South)Bike route
0.5 miPacific Coast Bike Route (North)Bike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
15Basketball
15Baseball
15Tennis
3Soccer
2Skate park
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 13 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pacifica: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 58 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 68 | 62 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 5.3 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 5.6 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and September the warmest (highs of 70 °F). 5.6 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Pacifica →
Next door
Pacifica and its neighbors
Pacifica has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacifica | 42% | 3.4 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Daly City | 9% | 1.1 | 4 | 96% | A− |
| San Bruno | 8% | 0.9 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| South San Francisco | 5% | 0.5 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pacifica
Where can I hike in Pacifica?
The longest trail networks: Mori Point (GGNRA), 3.5 miles; San Francisco Peninsula Watershed, 2 miles; Sharp Park, 1.8 miles; Milagra Ridge, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pacifica is conserved land?
42% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Pacifica’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Mori Point (GGNRA) and San Francisco Peninsula Watershed (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pacifica?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.9 of painted or protected lanes, 5.3 of off-road paths and 6.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Pacific Coast Bike Route (South) and Pacific Coast Bike Route (North).
Is there public land near Pacifica?
21,488 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pacifica or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,518 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pacifica have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pacifica neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →