The highest point in San Mateo county is Long Ridge; at 2600′ it is higher than Marin’s Mount Tamalpais, but not nearly as noticeable. The ridge, part of the longer Skyline Ridge, is surrounded on all sides by the Long Ridge Open Preserve part of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, but the very highest point is not accessible to the general public since a luxury home has been built there.
Last week, thanks to the hospitality of the landowner, a group of us were able to visit the house, and see the simple rock in the garden marking the highpoint, and also look out over the mist and the forests to the Pacific Ocean. With so much of the Bay Area built up and developed it is encouraging that we have managed to preserve as much as we have. Even so, ongoing efforts to protect remaining wild lands are essential and well worth supporting.