A peak where I can perch in peace

Matt Bloom

I’m always on the lookout for little-known hikes where I can ooh and ahh in solit­ude. My latest find quickly shot to the top of my list: Montara Mountain, a quiet coastal perch a few miles south of Pac­ifica, where the unobstructed views and nearly deserted trails make Mount Tam seem like a theme park. At 1,898 feet above the Pacific, a summit the size of a closet rewards your three-and-a-half-mile climb with a 360-degree view of the Bay Area: north to the Marin Headlands and the avenues of the Richmond and the Sunset, east to the residential ridges of Oakland, south toward the hazy muddle of San Jose, and west to, well, you know.

The hike is seven miles round-trip and takes about three and a half hours. By the time I get back to my car, I’m ready to change into flip-flops and drive a mile and a half south to El Granada and the oceanfront deck at one-year-old Sam’s Chowder House. The first order of business is ordering my favorite marg­arita. I don’t care if blended margaritas are passé, Sam’s still does it right: not too watery, not too chunky. With enough tequila to call it quits after two, the drinks leave me with an appetite (and enough money) to indulge in Sam’s $20 lobster roll, named one of the top five sand­wiches in the country by the Today Show’s food editor, Phil Lempert, and the best sandwich in the country by me. Atop a delicate bun sits a generous helping of lobster with a light layer of butter, celery, and herbs. It’s just the boost I need to continue scouting roads less traveled.

Directions: To find the Montara Mountain trailhead from Hwy. 1, drive four miles south from the last Pacifica traffic light. Look for a five-car dirt parking lot on the left, with signs for McNee Ranch. Sam’s Chowder house: 4210 N. Cabrillo Hwy., Half Moon Bay, 650-712-0245, samschowderhouse.com, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Sat.–Sun.

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