Milagra Ridge is a 275-acre open space between Pacifica and Daly City, about 7 miles south of San Francisco, according to Wikipedia. Because it is surrounded by development, the National Park Service calls it an island ecosystem. Wildlife there is cut off from other habitat, and invasive plants can move in easily.

Rare residents

Even so, the ridge supports several threatened and endangered species, including the Mission blue butterfly, the San Bruno elfin butterfly and the California red-legged frog. Because the ecosystem is so sensitive, visitors must stay on trails. Local high school students help restore native plants, working in the Oceana Nursery from seed collection to planting.

From farms to missiles

The Ohlone lived on this land for thousands of years. It later became part of Rancho San Pedro, and the park service says artichokes were grown on top of the ridge until 1938. You can still see the furrows.

The Army acquired the ridge in the late 1930s to help defend San Francisco Bay. Wikipedia says construction of Battery 244 began in 1943, and two 6-inch guns were mounted there in 1948 before the battery was decommissioned in 1950. In 1956 the ridge became Nike missile site SF-51, which was converted to the nuclear-capable Nike-Hercules system in 1958.

The National Guard ran the site from 1963 until 1974. The land then went to the City of Pacifica, and in 1987 Milagra Ridge became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Visiting

  • Main entrance: Take Sharp Park Road, turn north on College Drive and go a quarter mile to roadside parking at the gate.
  • Another way in: The Milagra Battery Trail, finished in November 2016, starts from a small lot at the end of Connemara Drive. It is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
  • Rules: All pets must be leashed. Bikes are allowed only on the paved trail.
  • Facilities: There is a vault toilet.