52 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF FRANCES FREYBERG {due west} the Santa Cruz Mountain range. It’s also home to Brooks Falls, the tallest waterfall in San Mateo County, dropping 207 feet off of Montara Mountain—and mostly visible after a significant rain. GOOD TO KNOW + Located at 600 Oddstad Boulevard, Pacifica + Terrain is dirt; lots of switchbacks + Open to hikers and equestrians; no dogs or cyclists + Restroom at the visitors center + $6 entry fee + Find more information and view a trail map at smcgov.org/parks MONTARA MOUNTAIN TRAIL On clear spring days, the butt-kicking Montara Mountain Trail provides glorious views out over the Pacific Ocean. Just over two miles in length, the elevation change surges 1,174 feet. Those not keen on making the full ascent can circle back on the Brooks Creek Trail. Along the way you’ll weave through a towering blue gum eucalyptus forest, pass large granite rock formations and encounter the unique Montara manzanita, a shrub with tightly bunched blooms that only grows on this mountain. The trail is part of the 1,052acre San Pedro Valley Park located in the northernmost part of climbing, but it’s fairly gentle, and the trail surface is free of rocks and other potential ankletwisters. For a quick jaunt and easy access to the preserve and its 550 varieties of plants and wildflowers, park along Cañada Road just south of Edgewood Road and enter the park via the Clarkia Trailhead. GOOD TO KNOW + Main parking lot is at 10 Old Stage Coach Road, Redwood City + Terrain is dirt + Open to hikers and equestrians; no dogs or cyclists + Restroom in the picnic area near parking lot + Find more information and a trail map at smcgov.org/parks EDGEWOOD COUNTY PARK & NATURAL PRESERVE Driving along Highway 280, you can catch a glimpse of the showcase that permeates Edgewood Park in the spring—not just a sprinkling of wildflowers but also carpets of colorful blooms like goldfields and purple-blue lupine. What makes its wildflower display unique is its serpentine soil, which inhibits invading non-native plants and allows well-adapted natives to thrive. Keep an eye out for the telltale flutter of the white, black and orange wings of the rare Bay checkerspot butterfly. The species thrives at Edgewood, where its caterpillars fatten up on a diet of California plantain and owl’s clover. Covering 467 acres, 10 miles of trails wind along its woodlands and grasslands. There’s a bit of
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