On Oct. 28, 1934, a crowd gathered on Cañada Road heard the roar of Sierra water arriving after a journey of more than 160 miles. San Francisco built the Pulgas Water Temple to mark that moment, and the circle of columns north of Filoli is still one of the Peninsula's most photographed spots.

Why it's there

The Hetch Hetchy Project took 24 years to build, through the Great Depression, at a cost of $102 million, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. With the uncontrolled fire after the 1906 earthquake still in memory, the city celebrated its new, secure supply. The frieze above the columns reads, "I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people," a line from Isaiah.

Architect William Merchant, who trained under Bernard Maybeck, designed the temple in the Beaux Arts style with fluted columns and Corinthian capitals. Stone carver Albert Bernasconi did the carving. Wikipedia notes that the permanent temple was finished in 1938, replacing an earlier version made largely of plywood.

Where the water went

The water originally flowed through a vault under the temple and down a canal into Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir. Since 2004 it has been diverted to a nearby treatment plant that removes chloramine before the water enters the reservoir, to avoid ecological harm, Wikipedia says. Nearby, a state historical landmark marks the area where the Portolá expedition camped on Nov. 11, 1769.

Visiting

The grounds and parking lot are open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekends and federal holidays the lot is closed, but hikers and bikers can walk in through the pedestrian gate during the same hours. The grounds close during Saturday weddings, which are held April through October. Parking is free but limited. To drive there, take Interstate 280 to Edgewood Road, head west to Cañada Road, then go north about two miles. Hikers and cyclists can arrive on the Crystal Springs Regional Trail.

There are portable restrooms and a drinking fountain but no picnic tables. Dogs are not allowed, to protect the watershed.

Where the water starts: Hetch Hetchy Valley and its reservoir.