You are standing in an unusual place along the San Andreas Fault. Although this area is in the fault zone, it is still elevated. The headwaters for Stevens Creek, which flow to the south, and Los Trancos Creek and Corte Madera Creek, which flow to the north, begin on this ridge. 

Typically, nature exploits weaknesses, such as the crushed or broken rocks found in the fault zone. However, areas that are made of harder, less erodible material stand up high in the landscape. From here, you can see the wide valley that delineates the fault to the north. Notice Crystal Springs Reservoir and San Andreas Lake; these reservoirs were built in the late 1800s to store water for San Francisco. The natural depressions that made this valley the perfect location to store water were created by an active fault.