Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail Exploration

Please note: Mile 3. The Portola gate on Sweeney Ridge trail is the transition point and it’s definitely locked, and the Reservoir Keepers will notice anyone skirting around the gate. Please find more information here: https://sfwater.org/trails Local nature lovers can enjoy the rare opportunity to hike, bike, or ride their horses through pristine stands of old growth Douglas Fir, evergreen and fragrant coastal scrub while enjoying ridge-top vistas of our watershed lands, reservoirs, the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. Although this trail is not open for walk-in use by the general public, trained volunteer trail leaders head excursions three days a week. It is a through hike that starts at the Sweeney Ridge Trailhead behind Skyline College and ends at Skyline Quarry near Hwy 92. The majority of the hike sports great views of the Pacific, SF Bay and the Coastal Range. Wildlife spotting should be more favorable than other parks due to less human interference and the wildflowers are stunning in spring. This trip takes some planning in that you need to select a date that is available, get your permits, and arrange for enough vehicles to shuttle your group North to Sweeney Ridge to start the hike.