The hook
The exact spot where the San Andreas Fault dives into the Pacific, now a hang-gliding launch perched on top of an old landfill.
01Why it's worth it
At the Daly City–Pacifica line, Mussel Rock marks where the San Andreas Fault, the crack responsible for the 1906 earthquake, runs off the land and out under the ocean; the 1906 rupture came ashore right around here. Today the bluff above it is a premier hang-gliding and paragliding launch, so on breezy afternoons you'll watch pilots step off the cliff and soar the coastline. Underneath all of it, awkwardly, sits a capped garbage dump. So it's a strange, layered place: world-famous geology, a buried landfill, and people flying off the edge for fun, at a windy overlook most Bay Area residents have never visited. The views up and down the coast are excellent, and knowing you're standing where the fault meets the sea gives it a charge.
02How to experience it
Drive to the Mussel Rock parking area off Skyline in Daly City. Watch the hang gliders on windy afternoons, walk the bluff trails, and take in the coast. It's exposed and can be fierce with wind, which is exactly why the gliders love it, so hold onto your hat.