The best hike is the climb to San Pedro Ridge and to the Montara Mountain Summit, the best bike ride is the 11-mile route on the Bay Ridge Trail from Highway 92 to Sneath Lane in San Bruno, and the best fishing and boating is from Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay and Coyote Point on the bay. These are among dozens of recreation highlights in San Mateo County.

The 23,000-acre Crystal Springs Watershed, even with limited access, sets the Peninsula apart from all other regions. There is no expansive swath of land and lakes like it in any other urban area in America.

Here are the top five getaways in San Mateo County, along with a selection of the best of the rest:
Best mountain climb

Montara Mountain, San Pedro Valley County Park, Pacifica

Synopsis: 7-mile round trip, 1,800-foot climb, with panoramic coastal views on way up, then from summit, (more...)