From High Times

Our second site's "peak" is more historic than geologic, but it's still irresistible: Transport yourself 10 miles south of San Francisco and 200 years back in time to the Sweeney Ridge Trail. You're a Spanish explorer who's ventured into the Bay Area for the first time. After an hour and a half stumbling along this trail you surmount a ridge and simply stare, astonished: San Francisco Bay opens in all its glinting grandeur before you. Look for the stone monument that marks the spot where explorer Gaspar de Portolá discovered the bay—and keep your own little brush with history in your head all year long. More Information

Directions: Start from the trailhead behind Parking Lot 2 at Skyline College (park at Parking Lot 4). The trail tops out at the Nike Missile Site (unarmed relics of the Cold War) with lovely views of the deep blue San Andreas Lake and Crystal Springs. Continue south on the road 1/2 a mile more to reach the monument.