Point San Pedro forms the northwestern extent of Pedro Point Headland on San Pedro Mountain, about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) north of Montara and the southern boundary of Pacifica, California. The headland forms the southern slope of the San Pedro Creek watershed and reaches an elevation of about 624 feet (190 m) with steep cliffs on both the northern and southern flanks. San Pedro Rock, a small island off the end of Point San Pedro, is accessible only at low tide. The Spanish name for Saint Peter was popular for place names during Spanish colonial times and was given to about 12 geographic features and five land grants. The point was originally named Punta del Angel Custodio, or ‘guardian angel,’ by Juan Crespí, a Franciscan missionary and explorer of Alta California with the Portolá expedition in 1769. San Pedro is mentioned as a rancho of Mission Dolores as early as 1791. The ‘San’ is often dropped in common usage but still appears on maps published by the US Geological Survey. In 1957, the community of Pedro Point was incorporated into the City of Pacifica. Recently, Pedro Point Headlands Park was created, offering views of San Pedro Rock and Pacifica. San Pedro Mountain consists of marine sedimentary rocks formed during the Paleocene epoch. The north-facing slope of the headland and all of San Pedro Rock are primarily shale and sandstone, with a formation thickness of about 2,500 feet (762 m). The south-facing slope is composed of sandstone and conglomerate, with a thickness of approximately 1,300 feet (396 m). The pebble-to-cobble conglomerate appears to decrease from a possible thickness of 300 feet (91 m) on San Pedro Mountain to about 4 feet (1.2 m) thick at Point San Pedro. Much of the San Pedro Creek watershed comprises unconsolidated Holocene deposits of sand, silt, clay, and rock fragments. These have accumulated through slow downslope movement and small landslides of weathered rock debris and soil from San Pedro Mountain.

The historical Indigenous Peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula were the Ramaytush of the Ohlone, with a population of about 1,400. The Ramaytush were divided into ten independent bands, including the Aramai, who probably numbered no more than 50 across two villages. One village, Timigtac, was situated near present-day Rockaway Beach, and the other, Pruristac, was near present-day Pacifica. In 1769, the Portolá expedition visited Pruristac in San Pedro Valley. Upon crossing San Pedro and Montara Mountains from the south, the explorers were greeted by 25 Aramai. Upon reaching the valley floor, they received food brought by the local people. Two weeks later, on their return journey south through San Pedro Valley, the Spaniards noted the Aramai had disappeared. In 1786, San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia, a satellite mission to Mission San Francisco de Asís, was established in San Pedro Valley at Pruristac. The Aramai were among the first Native people absorbed by the church. In 1834, after the Mexican War of Independence, the mission lands were secularized. In 1839, Governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho San Pedro, comprising 8,926 acres (3,612 ha) and all the buildings of the Asistencia, to Francisco Sanchez, the Commandante of the San Francisco Presidio and the eighth alcalde of San Francisco. Sanchez retained ownership after California was ceded to the United States in 1848, using the land for extensive cattle grazing. From 1907 to 1920, the Ocean Shore Railroad ran along the headlands’ edge, with a tunnel through its promontory. However, it closed due to funding issues and high maintenance costs on this landslide-prone coastal route. The tunnel has since collapsed, but the original railroad bed remains. Starting in 1970, the Pedro Point Motorcycle Club used the headland, and the scars left by motorcycle trails have been worsened by subsequent erosion.

For decades, Pedro Point Headlands suffered from unrestricted off-road vehicle use, leading to erosion scars and gullies. This erosion caused sediment to flow into San Pedro Creek, significantly impacting the threatened steelhead trout. Additionally, the erosion resulted in landslides that threatened Highway 1 and the planned California Coastal Trail. In 1989, preservation efforts for Pedro Point Headlands began when the California Coastal Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust provided technical assistance to Pacifica residents to establish a local land conservation organization. The resulting Pacifica Land Trust focused on the 246 acres (100 ha) of Pedro Point Headlands, which faced a subdivision threat. An agreement was reached with the property owners for a phased acquisition plan. In August 1992, the California Coastal Conservancy granted the city of Pacifica funds to acquire a parcel of land for public access. In 1995, additional funds were secured to purchase a second parcel for the same purpose. Since then, public access has improved with the addition of vehicle parking on adjacent land to the south. In 2005, the boundaries of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area expanded to include Pedro Point. The US National Park Service expressed interest in accepting these properties, contingent upon resolving parking and access issues. Meanwhile, the Pacifica Land Trust is organizing the local community to restore Pedro Point Headlands’ beauty and health. Over 3 miles (5 km) of trails on the headlands are being restored, funded by the California Coastal Conservancy, to provide hikers with easier access to Point San Pedro. Read more here and here. Explore more of Point San Pedro and Pacifica here: