San Bruno Mountain

San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain
	Aerial view of San Bruno Mountain from San Francisco Bay overlooking part of Brisbane.
Highest point
Elevation	1,319 ft (402 m) NAVD 88
Prominence	1,114 ft (340 m)
Coordinates	37°41′15″N 122°26′08″W / 37.687440278°N 122.435555036°W
Geography
	San Bruno Mountain Location of San Bruno Mountain in California San Bruno Mountain San Bruno Mountain (San Francisco Bay Area) San Bruno Mountain San Bruno Mountain (California)
Location	San Mateo County, California, U.S.
Topo map	USGS San Francisco South
Climbing
Easiest route	Trail hike

San Bruno Mountain is a fault-block horst in northern San Mateo County, California; its northern slopes rise in San Francisco. It is surrounded by San Francisco Bay and the cities of Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, and South San Francisco, and has played an important role in the history of all these communities.

Topped by a four mile long ridge, trails along the summit afford expansive views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the mountain is in the 2,326-acre (941 ha) San Bruno Mountain State Park or the adjoining 83-acre (34 ha) State Ecological Reserve. Radio Peak (elevation 1,319 feet or 402 meters),^[1] the highest point, serves the hilly Bay Area with several radio/TV broadcast towers.

It is not a part of the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains, whose northern-most peak on Montara Mountain lifts only eight miles from Radio Peak. The Santa Cruz range is on the Pacific tectonic plate, while San Bruno Mountain is on the North American Plate.

Distinct geology and weather set San Bruno Mountain apart from other California coastal areas.^[4] The mountain soil provides habitat for rare and endangered plants (see below) and butterflies; the Callippe silverspot, Mission blue, and San Bruno elfin butterfly all inhabit mountain slopes.^[5] The mountain is also a cradle for economically-useful plants; the low-growing evergreen "San Bruno Mountain Manzanita" (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) has become widely used in drought-resistant landscaping.^[6]

Aerial panorama of San Bruno Mountain and South San Francisco's Sign Hill

^ ^a ^b ^c "San Bruno Mountain Reset". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
^ "San Bruno Mountain, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
^ "San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop". Trailspotting. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
^ "California Department of Fish and Game's website, San Bruno Ecological Reserve".
^ Extracting useful data from imperfect monitoring schemes: endangered butterflies at San Bruno Mountain, San Mateo County, California (1982–2000) and implications for habitat management|Longcore et al.|2010 Springerlink.com|http://www.crecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/J.InsectConservation-Paper-01-07-2010.pdf
^ "Sustainable Conservation: BEYOND DROUGHT TOLERANT GUIDE".

[ngs-1] "San Bruno Mountain Reset". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-06-24.

[pb-2] "San Bruno Mountain, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-08-24.

[3] "San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop". Trailspotting. Retrieved 2009-08-24.

[dfg-4] "California Department of Fish and Game's website, San Bruno Ecological Reserve".

[5] Extracting useful data from imperfect monitoring schemes: endangered butterflies at San Bruno Mountain, San Mateo County, California (1982–2000) and implications for habitat management|Longcore et al.|2010 Springerlink.com|http://www.crecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/J.InsectConservation-Paper-01-07-2010.pdf

[6] "Sustainable Conservation: BEYOND DROUGHT TOLERANT GUIDE".

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