The Peninsula region of the San Francisco Bay Area lies immediately south of the City and County of San Francisco– reaching from its famous neighbor to the north into the high-tech region of Silicon Valley. San Mateo County is the main county in the Peninsula region. While many of the Peninsula’s residents work and play to the north or south, the Peninsula has its attractions, including some beautiful wilderness areas.
Though the Peninsula technically extends from the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay, in practical use, it more commonly refers to the Bay side of the area. It contains few major cities or ports and the Santa Cruz mountains divide the region in half north-south, with a large wilderness area that’s great for hiking and mountain biking.