Portola Discovery Site of San Francisco Bay
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Portola Discovery Site of San Francisco Bay is a historic site in California, at a modelled elevation of 374 m. Kings Mountain stands 637 m to the south-southeast, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is Carl Patrick McCarthy Memorial, a historic site less than a tenth of a mile away.
The story
The San Francisco Bay Discovery Site is a marker commemorating the first recorded European sighting of San Francisco Bay. In 1769, the Portola expedition traveled north by land from San Diego, seeking to establish a base at the Port of Monterey described by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602. When they reached Monterey, however, they were not sure it was the right place and decided to continue north. The party reached San Pedro Creek on October 31 and camped there for four nights, while scouts led by José Francisco Ortega climbed Sweeney Ridge, where they could see over the ridge toward the east, and so became the first Europeans to see San Francisco Bay on November 1. The scouts returned on November 3, and led the entire party up to the ridge on November 4. Franciscan missionary Juan Crespi noted in his diary, "from the summit of a peak we beheld the great estuary or arm of the sea." After seeing the immense bay to the east, and having learned from the scouts that further progress to the north would be blocked by the Golden Gate, the party turned southeast and descended toward the bay. Sweeney Ridge is located in northern San Mateo County and is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The site is both a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. The spot chosen for the marker is somewhat arbitrary, as the precise location where Portola's party reached the summit of the ridge is not known. The landmarked area encompasses two of the highest knolls on the ridge. As of October 2020, the marker has been vandalized, with Portolà’s name and the date of the discovery chiseled away.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7413934, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Built
- 1975
- Inscription
- From this ridge the Portola Expedition discovered San Francisco Bay November 4, 1769
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Carl Patrick McCarthy Memorial: 0.0 mi
- Ready Room: 0.6 mi
- Guard Shack: 0.6 mi
- High Power Acquisition Radar Building: 0.6 mi
- Target Ranging Radar: 0.6 mi
- San Francisco State Fish and Game Refuge: 1.0 mi
- Pedro Point Headlands: 3.3 mi
- McNee Ranch State Park: 4.6 mi
- Spencer Lake Open Space: 4.9 mi
- Spencer Lake Open Space: 4.9 mi
- Calera Creek Park: 1.1 mi
- Tonini Field: 1.3 mi
- Frontierland Park: 1.4 mi
- Portola Highlands Park: 1.5 mi
- Glenview Park: 1.5 mi
- Cattle Hill: 1.3 mi
- Montara Mountain North Peak: 3.2 mi
- Peak Mountain: 3.3 mi
- San Pedro Mountain: 3.4 mi
- South Peak: 3.6 mi
- Creekside Picnic Area: 2.1 mi
- San Pedro Valley County Park Picnic Area: 2.1 mi
- West Portal Playground Picnic Area: 9.5 mi
- Udo & Jürgen's place: 11.3 mi
- Lunch Area 1: 11.5 mi
- Rockaway Beach: 2.2 mi
- Pacifica State Beach: 2.4 mi
- San Pedro Beach: 2.5 mi
- Devils Slide Beach: 4.1 mi
- Gray Whale Cove State Beach: 4.1 mi
- Sanchez Adobe Visitor Center: 2.3 mi
- Pacifica Coastside Museum: 2.7 mi
- Millbrae Museum: 3.4 mi
- Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum: 3.9 mi
- Colma Historical Museum: 5.4 mi
- Spirit of Millbrae: 3.4 mi
- Evohelix: 3.5 mi
- Anemone: 3.9 mi
- over the fence: 3.9 mi
- Shell: 3.9 mi
- SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO THE INDUSTRIAL CITY: 4.6 mi
- Fitzgerald Marine Reserve: 6.3 mi
- Lover's Rock: 7.8 mi
- Philosopher's Hill and Labyrinth: 8.2 mi
- Hidden Bridge: 8.4 mi
- Burlingame Community Garden: 5.5 mi
- Brisbane Community Garden: 6.3 mi
- Gateway Garden: 6.9 mi
- Quarry Park Community Garden: 7.0 mi
- Serenity Garden: 7.1 mi
- El Polín Spring: 13.0 mi
- El Polín Spring: 13.0 mi
- El Polín Spring: 13.1 mi
- Summit Spring: 14.9 mi
- Summit Spring: 14.9 mi
- Grey Fox Creek Fountain: 8.3 mi
- Huntington Falls: 11.4 mi
- Rainbow Falls: 11.6 mi
- Kent Falls: 20.4 mi
- Dawn Falls: 23.8 mi
- Aramai Point: 2.3 mi
- Yellow Bluff: 16.0 mi
- Chab: 20.0 mi
- Vent 5: 20.8 mi
- East Slope Badlands: 22.0 mi
- Purissima: 14.1 mi
- Stokes Landing: 17.0 mi
- Russell City: 18.0 mi
- Lynn: 18.3 mi
- Winehaven: 24.1 mi
- Yerba Buena Island Lighthouse: 14.9 mi
- Quarters A: 15.0 mi
- Point Bonita Lighthouse: 15.1 mi
- Bird Island Arch: 15.8 mi
- Steep Ravine Hot Spring: 21.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 15.5 miles of Portola Discovery Site of San Francisco Bay. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Mountain | SSE 147° | 637 m | 13.5 mi |
| Bald Knob | SSE 156° | 637 m | 13.7 mi |
| Teague Hill | SE 145° | 612 m | 15.5 mi |
| Scarper Peak | SSE 162° | 592.5 m | 5.5 mi |
| Montara Mountain North Peak | SSW 200° | 570 m | 3.2 mi |
| Peak Mountain | SSW 206° | 545 m | 3.3 mi |
| South Peak | SSW 199° | 545 m | 3.6 mi |
| Ox Hill | SSE 162° | 542 m | 5.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:14 | 18:47 | 19:22 |
| June solstice | 05:49 | 19:56 | 20:35 |
| September equinox | 06:58 | 18:34 | 19:08 |
| December solstice | 07:22 | 16:15 | 16:56 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 52 | 53 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 61 | 57 | 53 |
| Precip in | 6.1 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 6.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Pacifica 4 SSE, 1 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 68000022OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/529912463
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