The highway begins at the junction of Summit Road and
State Route 17, at
Patchen Pass. While SR 17 traverses the pass outright, SR 35 primarily is on the ridgeline. The portion of SR 35 from SR 17 to Bear Creek Road is called Summit Road. The highway then merges with Bear Creek Road for a few miles before becoming Skyline Boulevard. It bears the name Skyline Boulevard for a majority of its route along the
ridge of the
Santa Cruz Mountains to the west of
Silicon Valley, passing by cities such as
San Jose,
Saratoga, and
Palo Alto. The southern portion of the road, starting at Highway 17 and ending at Black Road, is mostly a narrow and winding country road without a double-yellow line. However, the road has been upgraded to 2 lanes beginning at Black Road, and remains in this configuration until it merges with Interstate 280 north of California State Route 92. The road reaches its highest elevation near
Sanborn Skyline County Park at about 3,000 ft (914 m). The road passes through the small community of
Sky Londa where it intersects
State Route 84. The ridge that the road follows forms the border between
Santa Cruz and
Santa Clara counties. However, the boundary is so irregular that the road weaves in and out of the two counties. The ridgetop portion of the route ends at the junction with
State Route 92, because this northern area of the Santa Cruz Mountains is a protected
watershed owned by the
San Francisco Water Department. Highway 35 is
co-routed with SR 92 for 2 miles (3 km) east, descending towards
Crystal Springs Reservoir, which it crosses on a
causeway, and then joins
Interstate 280 northbound for 6 miles (10 km). However, on the southbound side, Route 35 exists as a separate road to the west of the freeway between
Bunker Hill Dr. and Route 92, as there is no connector road between 280 South and 92 West. Route 35 departs from 280 at the southern end of
San Bruno, running to the west of the freeway, regaining the ridgetop separating
South San Francisco and
Daly City from
Pacifica. It crosses
State Route 1 in Daly City and in San Francisco, Skyline Boulevard ends and the highway briefly continues along Sloat Boulevard until it reaches its terminus when it intersects Highway 1 again at 19th Avenue. SR 35 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System, but is not part of the
National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the
Federal Highway Administration. SR 35 is eligible for the
State Scenic Highway System; however, only the portion from the Santa Cruz–Santa Clara County line to the
SR 92 junction is officially designated as a scenic highway by the
California Department of Transportation, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.
Recreational use turnout north of SR 84Because of its scenic views and winding roadway, Skyline Boulevard and surrounding roads see substantial recreational motoring and bicycling use. Many
sports cars and
motorcycles can be found congregating near the intersections with
State Route 9 and
State Route 84, particularly on weekends.
Mountain bikers are also commonly found at the many
trailheads along the road. Several public open spaces border on Skyline Boulevard, including
Sanborn County Park,
Windy Hill, and the
Purisima Open Space; both the latter are parts of the
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Numerous hiking trails originate from parking lots off Skyline in these open spaces. Whenever there is snow on the road's higher elevations, many people take their families up to see and play in the snow, and therefore, many of the parking lots at regional parks are packed with cars.
Other landmarks For most of the route, State Route 35 offers vistas of both
San Francisco Bay and the
Pacific Ocean. The route passes through or by several
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserves and other parks, from south to north: •
Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve •
Sanborn-Skyline County Park (Santa Cruz county) •
Castle Rock State Park •
Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve •
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve •
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve •
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve •
Coal Creek Open Space Preserve •
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve •
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve •
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve •
Wunderlich County Park (San Mateo county) •
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve •
Huddart County Park (San Mateo county) •
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve •
Miramontes Ridge Open Space Preserve A number of streams originate near Skyline Boulevard, flowing to both
Pacific Ocean and the Bay. Among the bayside streams are
San Francisquito Creek,
Redwood Creek, and
San Bruno Creek. ==History==