Milagra Ridge, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Milagra Ridge is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is an island of reclaimed wildlife in San Mateo County that is surrounded by the urban developments of Pacifica and San Bruno. Here is the blurb about the park on the National Park website:

Surrounded by urban development, Milagra Ridge forms what biologists call an island ecosystem. Here, wildlife is isolated from other habitats, feeding and migration corridors are compromised and exotic species can easily invade native habitat. Despite this isolation, Milagra Ridge hosts a surprising number of threatened and endangered species including Mission blue and San Bruno elfin butterflies and the California red-legged frog.

I did not see any of those species, but I did see a coyote up close and personal! I also saw a brush rabbit and several hawks, one perched close to me (probably hunting rabbits!).

In addition to its natural beauty, Milagra Ridge offers a link to history:

In the late 1930s, the United States Army acquired Milagra Ridge as part of a project to defend the San Francisco Bay... In 1956, Nike Missile Site SF-51 was established at Milagra Ridge. These surface-to-air missiles were protection against attacking aircraft during the Cold War. The site was converted to the nuclear-capable Nike-Hercules system in 1958.

You can see the batteries where the WWII guns were once mounted and the bunkers where soldiers and lookouts waited. Also, the sites of the Cold War nuclear missile launchers are visible, although there is not much left there.

Read more to see photos and a trail map!

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