Top 5 Hiking Trails In and Around San Francisco

With its temperate climate and hills that offer breathtaking views, the San Francisco area is a hiker's dream. The plethora of national, state and regional parks provide an overwhelming number of options for both the serious and the casual hiker. So where should you begin? We've selected five hiking trails that offer, in our opinion, the best combination of natural beauty and moderate exercise. Enjoy!

1. Coastal Trail
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)
San Francisco

This trail starts near the Sutro Baths and winds around Lands End toward the Golden Gate Bridge. During the 1880s, people could pay a nickel for a ride in open-air railroad carriages and enjoy a cliff top ride around Lands End to the Cliff House. Today, you’ll find walkers, joggers and bicyclists treading this scenic route. The easy cliff top walk offers grand views of the Pacific Ocean, the mouth of San Francisco Bay, the Marin Headlands and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. On a clear, sunny day, you can see Point Reyes and the Farallon Islands in the distance.

The sound of crashing waves and the smell of dark cypress and pine trees makes you feel like you are miles away from a big city. The walk will take you past the recently remodeled Palace of the Legion of Honor, China Beach, the posh Seacliff neighborhood, Baker Beach and several military batteries. Freighters, fishing boats and sailboats cruise silently under the Golden Gate Bridge out to sea.

The trail can get crowded during the day, so it's best to come out early in the morning if you prefer some solitude. There are two trails that run parallel around Lands End. The upper trail leads to West Fort Miley's batteries where you will find picnic tables, grills and restrooms. Trail maps and information on the GGNRA can be found at the Visitor Center at Fort Point, the Presidio and the Cliff House. You can also call the National Park Service at (415) 556-0560 for information.

2. Coastal-Fox Trails
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)
Tennessee Valley
This 6.5-mile loop starts at the Tennessee Valley trailhead and climbs up over wind-swept ridges. The hike is moderately strenuous, but the views are worth the effort. From the top of the ridge, you can get dramatic views up and down the coast, the residential western edge of San Francisco to the south and Point Reyes to the north. The trail snakes through rolling grasslands and fields of wildflowers. You can hear the waves breaking onto the shore.

The trail ends at the peaceful Muir Beach, where you will find picnic tables, grills and restrooms. Muir Beach is usually less crowded than its neighbor, Stinson Beach, down the road. The nearby Pelican Inn, an old English-style inn/pub, serves up a variety of good beer as well as lunch and dinner fare. The steady climb up the Fox Trail will bring you back over the ridge and down into Tennessee Valley to the trailhead.

You can find information about Tennessee Valley and the Marin Headlands at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center located on Field and Bunker Roads. Phone: (415) 331-1540.

3. Angel Island Perimeter Trail
Angel Island State Park
Take the ferry from San Francisco or Tiburon to Angel Island, the so-called "Ellis Island West," where many Chinese immigrants made their first stop on the way to America. One of the best ways to explore this historic 740-acre island is by walking the easy 5.2-mile perimeter trail. Starting at Ayala Cove, where most of the ferries land, and walking counter-clockwise around the island, you'll pass artillery batteries, Nike missile sites, military forts and the Immigration Station.

The Immigration Station was built in 1910 and was designed to handle the arrival of European immigrants when the Panama Canal opened. As a result of World War I, the station wound up handling mostly Chinese immigrants. The station closed in 1940 after 175,000 Chinese had been processed through the station. The adjacent museum provides a great historical recount of Chinese immigration to the United States. Free ranger-led tours are offered on weekends during peak season in May through October. Call the Angel Island Visitor Center at (415) 435-1915 for more information.

4. Matt Davis-Troop 80 Trails
Marin Municipal Water District
Mt. Tamalpais
This six-mile-plus loop takes you across four small creeks on Mt. Tamalpais. Starting at the Mountain Home Inn, which serves food and rents rooms, head up the paved road, past the fire station to the signed Matt Davis trail. Heading west on the trail, you will cross Fern, Laguna, Spike Buck and Rattlesnake creeks.

The creeks are hardly impressive, but they are pretty and peaceful as they flow under a canopy of towering redwoods. Fern Creek has been tapped to help supply water for the town of Mill Valley for nearly 100 years. Laguna Creek flows through a grove of small redwoods. Spike Buck Creek, named for the antlers of a young deer, runs through a narrow oak and laurel lined gulch. The next creek is Rattlesnake Creek Number Two, one of two forks of the main Rattlesnake Creek. This creek is so small that you might miss it if you don't keep your eyes open for it.

The Matt Davis Trail ends at Bootjack Camp where you will find a picnic area with tables and grills. Take the Troop 80 trail, named after the San Francisco Ingleside Boy Scout Troop which built the trail in 1931, back to the Mountain Home Inn. The trail skirts nearby Highway 1, so don't mistake those car sounds for wind rustling through the trees. You can pick up a trail map of the Marin Municipal Water District at the Sky Oaks Ranger Station on Sky Oaks Road, off of Fairfax-Bolinas Road or at the Lake Lagunitas picnic area. Phone: (415) 459-5267.

5. Pine Mountain Trail
Marin Municipal Water District
Fairfax
Wander through rolling golden grasslands and chaparral while taking in sweeping views of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge stretching across San Pablo Bay. The wind blowing through the grass is soothing and hypnotic. Turkey vultures circle ominously overhead. Follow this trail to the top of Pine Mountain and take in the breath-taking views. On a clear day, you can see much of San Pablo Bay, the cities of Tiburon and Sausalito down below, San Francisco across the Bay and even Mt. Diablo off in the distance in the East Bay. Mt. Tamalpais, at 2,571 feet, looms to the south.

On your return trip, catch the Oat Hill Road trail to Carson Falls. The falls are best visited during the spring after the rainy season. During the summer, the 100-foot falls are diminished to a trickle.

You can pick up a trail map of the Marin Municipal Water District at the Sky Oaks Ranger Station on Sky Oaks Road, off of Fairfax-Bolinas Road or at the Lake Lagunitas picnic area. The ranger station is open daily; phone: (415) 459-5267.

By Sherri Eng

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