WEEKLY

                                WALKER

                                          

                                     By Tom Davids                   

 

Hike the Devil's Slide Bypass

 

McNee Ranch State Park

 

Directions: Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay. North on Highway 1 for eight miles to the parking lot at Montara State Beach. Walk along the highway for a short distance to a yellow metal gate. The dirt road is your entrance to McNee Ranch State Park.

Grade: Moderate to strenuous, depending on your route and how far you go.

Distance: 6.5 miles round trip on Old Pedro Mtn. Rd. to Saddle Pass. Five miles round trip on Highway 1 to the "Road Closed" fence installed by CalTrans.

Time:     Two hours.

Special Conditions: McNee Ranch is a state park. Trails are for hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists. The park is open from dawn to dusk.

 

 

"And because walking can never be what it was--the motor cars will see to that--It is our duty to pay it greater reverence and honor."            Christopher Morley

 

            The McNee Ranch State Park is like no other. No campgrounds, no campfire meetings, no tent cabins, no "Camp Ground Full: sign, not even the traditional carved wood signs identifying this as one of the pearls in the state park system crown. And maybe it was planned that way for the 600-acre McNee Ranch was purchased by the state in the late 1900s in two parcels to allow rights of way for the possible Devil's Slide bypass. The great bypass debate that began decades ago (It was a hot topic when we moved to California in the early 1960s) has once again captured the headlines with the recent slide and closure of Highway 1.

            This is your opportunity to experience the problem first-hand. You can climb Montara Mountain as the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola did in 1769 and enjoy its wild beauty and spectacular views. Or you can take a rare opportunity to walk (not drive) on Highway 1 north of Montara and view for yourself the churning surf below and the crumbling rock above. I have driven this highway many times in rain and shine, but never before have I appreciated the engineers' challenge to maintain a toehold of a road on this crumbling cliff.

            Environmentalists want the state to move the road 250 feet east to a more stable rock bed. CalTrans wants to solve the problem forever by building a 4.5-mile bypass across the saddle of Montara Mountain. So the debate continues, and this is your time to better understand the dilemma.

            We suggest you take a walk on Highway 1 while you can. A 5-mile round trip to the CalTrans "Road Closed" fence will give you a new look at this forbidding area. Enjoy this unique experience, but stay on the road, and savor the view from a safe distance. Much of Highway 1 between Montara Beach and Devil's Slide promontory was the original right of way for the Ocean Shore Railroad, which operated from 1907 to 1920. An old World War II bunker stands guard over the coast line, a reminder that the Bay Area was well fortified in the early 1940s. A rich Texan bought the ocean front property in the 1970s, intending to level it for the ultimate ocean view, but he gave up and went home. I understand that the sewer line back to Montara gave him second thoughts. This was one of three bunker sites. The other two were at gray Whale Cove promontory and the south ridge of Green Valley.

            McNee State Park has several beautiful and interesting trails, including a combination that takes you across the saddle and down to Pacifica. Expansive views north and south along the coast are your reward for hiking the ranch roads that make up the trail system. This is the "good weather season" on the coast side, but be aware that dense fog and cold winds frequently visit this area, so dress appropriately, and be prepared for sudden changes.

            For more information on this area and the Devil's Slide issue, pick up a copy of Montara Mountain by Barbara Vander Werf (Gum Tree Lane Books @ $12.95). This is an excellent account of the historical development of the area, its flora and fauna, and trails on the mountain.