![[verdant hills]](http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/photos/apr97/verdant_hills.jpg)
From the summit (on a clear day) viewers can see more land than a nywhere else in the world except Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro. Among the sometimes-visible landmarks are Lassen Peak, 185 miles north; the Sierra Nevada Range, 125 miles west; and the San Joaquin Valley, 60 miles to the south. Even the Farallon Islands, 27 miles from San Francisco's shore, can be spotted. Altogether over 40,000 square miles are visible, including 35 of the state's 58 counties.