National Geographic‘s new book, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A., by Stephanie Pearson, lists the most scenic bucket-list trails in the United States.
Luckily for Bay Area residents, one of them is our own Bay Area Ridge Trail, an unfinished, 400-mile route that circles the surrounding ridgelines and passes right through San Francisco.
Today, the Bay Area Ridge Trail is about 70% complete, but continues to add small route sections little by little. Project followers are looking forward to the opening of the Southern Skyline Ridge Trail in late 2026, which will add 5.4 miles to the ultimate trail project.
5.4 miles through the Peninsula watershed
According to the Bay Area Ridge Trail website, the soon-to-open Southern Skyline Ridge Trail has been in development for two decades. It’s a 5.4-mile hiking route through the San Francisco Peninsula watershed, running parallel to Skyline Boulevard south of Highway 92.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) oversees development of the Southern Skyline Ridge Trail, making the scenic landscapes available to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians for the first time. Once open, it will include amenities like parking, interpretive signage, and restrooms.
While the new trail section is part of the ultimate vision for the larger Bay Area Ridge Trail, it will not yet connect to the other trail sections to the north or south upon opening — that’s a future project requiring further funding and advocacy.
More about the Bay Area Ridge Trail
According to 100 Hikes of a Lifetime U.S.A., the full Bay Area Ridge Trail was first conceptualized in the 1960s by William Penn Mott, Jr., who later became the director of the National Park Service. Mott envisioned a 550-mile trail encircling the Bay Area’s ridgelines.
The trail added its first section in the late 1980s, and now, nearly 40 years later, the route is about 70% complete with 400 miles of open trail. The remaining segments could take another 20 years to finish.
Pearson describes the trail as “a wild urban oasis,” traversing everything from residential neighborhoods to challenging mountain passes.
You can read our article to learn more about its full planned route.
