The latest addition to the Golden Gate National Parks, Rancho Corral de Tierra (Rancho) is a 3,858-acre site in San Mateo County with awe-inspiring views, important watersheds, miles of public trails, and diverse wildlife. The property features rolling hills, hidden valleys, and panoramic coastal vistas.
Rancho is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the San Mateo peninsula. Once planned for development, this land is now protected as part of our nation’s natural legacy.
The process of transforming the property into a park is only just beginning. As the National Park Service assumes management at Rancho, the Parks Conservancy will be working with the community, California State Parks, and San Mateo County Parks to improve trails, trailheads, and trail connections.
- Visitors should be aware that the stables and farms in the area are working operations. Visitors should not enter these properties or approach the animals without permission.
- The dramatic ascent of Montara Mountain from the sea—2,000 feet in just over 1 mile—is a spectacular sight not duplicated anywhere else in the Golden Gate National Parks and in few other places on the California coast.
- While visiting Rancho, please note that the National Park Service management of the area has just begun. Many of the existing trails are very steep and eroded and may be difficult to traverse until they are repaired or re-routed.
- For access to Rancho, park at Gray Whale Cove and hike through McNee Ranch State Park. Check back for updates and new access points.
- In an emergency, call 911 or the National Park Service’s emergency dispatch at (415) 561-5656. Local authorities may respond faster than park rangers.
Historically known as “Rancho Corral de Tierra (Earthen Corral) Palomares,” the property encompasses the majority of the 1839 Mexican Land Grant to Francisco Guerrero y Palomares where he built the first adobe on the San Mateo coast at Denniston Creek.