San Pedro Creek is one of the few urban streams in the Bay Area that still supports a population of steelhead trout. These fish are part of the Central California Coast distinct population segment, listed as threatened. They navigate from the Pacific Ocean upstream through Pacifica's residential neighborhoods to reach spawning habitat in the park's creek forks. The journey requires passage through culverts and under bridges, past storm drains and backyards. That steelhead persist here at all is a testament to decades of habitat restoration along the creek, including the managed-retreat project at Pacifica State Beach that restored the creek's estuary.

The park offers a network of trails that cover a surprising range of terrain. Montara Mountain Trail climbs 2.1 miles to views of the Pacific Ocean. The Hazelnut Trail loops 3.7 miles through wooded creek canyons. Valley View Trail offers 1.4 miles of ridge walking, while the Weiler Ranch Road Trail is a mile-long path known for morning and evening wildlife viewing -- quail are regular visitors, and California poppies bloom along the verges. The Plaskon Nature Trail, at just a tenth of a mile and wheelchair accessible, makes the park available to everyone. The Old Trout Farm Trail, half a mile long, traces the route to a historic fish hatchery site.

Locals call the park's neighborhood "Back of the Valley," and the name captures its character. Nestled between the Linda Mar and Park Pacifica neighborhoods in Pacifica's southwest corner, the park is bordered by residential streets on two sides and mountain wilderness on the others. Group picnic areas and family barbecue sites see heavy use on weekends. The visitor center provides orientation. But the park's real gift is transition: within minutes of leaving a parking lot surrounded by tract homes, a hiker can be deep in riparian forest, listening to nothing but creek water and birdsong, climbing toward a 1,898-foot summit that offers views from Mount Tamalpais to Mount Diablo.