The ridge's 1,200-foot-high summit, covered with coastal scrub and grassland, slopes down to San Francisco Bay on the east and to the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Historically, the ridge is the location of the San Francisco Bay Discovery Site, commemorating the Portolá expedition's first sighting of San Francisco Bay on November 4, 1769 (expedition scouts actually made the discovery a few days earlier).
The ridgetop itself has quite a bit of California coastal prairie, mostly native grasses with patches of Douglas iris.
The ridge trail leads to a series of abandoned buildings that were formerly the site of the SF-51C Nike missile control facility.
Wildlife at Sweeney Ridge includes hawks, deer, and a plethora of both native and introduced spring wildflowers.37°36′29″N 122°27′25″W / 37.608°N 122.457°W / 37.608; -122.457