How to Enjoy Golden Gate National Recreational Area

Golden Gate National Recreation Area encompasses 60 miles of the California coastline in and around San Francisco.This is the "backyard" national park for the residents of San Francisco. This is the place where residents and visitors windsurf, walk the dog, go for a run, or bring the kids to explore nature and get a taste of history.You can experience a "working" Nike Missile Site, the isolation of a maximum security federal prison, the conversion of an abandoned airfield into hundreds of acres of productive coastal wetlands, and some of the best beaches and hiking trails in the nation. And then take a cable car to dinner.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Transportation
• Maps
• Comfortable shoes
• Camera

How to Enjoy Golden Gate National Recreational Area

1. Camp at Bicentennial Campground, the most accessible campground in the Park, approximately 100 yards from the parking area near Battery Wallace. There are three sites, each of which can accommodate up to two people with one tent. Or try Hawk Camp Campground, the most remote of the GGNRA's campgrounds. Hawkcamp is located high above Gerbode Valley. There are three sites, each of which can accommodate up to four people. Choose between a strenuous 3-mile hike up the Bobcat trail from the Marin Headlands Visitor Center, or a 2-mile hike from the Tennessee Valley parking area to get there. You will find chemical toilets and picnic tables. There is no water available for drinking or cleaning. No wood or charcoal fires allowed however gas camp stoves may be used. Maybe the Haypress Campground in the Tennessee Valley in the North end of the Marin Headlands is more your style. It is a gentle three-quarters of a mile walk from the parking lot in Tennessee Valley with five sites. Each site can accommodate up to four people. No water is available. No wood or charcoal fires allowed.

2. Give Kirby Cove Campground & Picnic Area a try. This popular campground is in the Marin Headlands, with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy a wooded setting and protected recently restored campsites. Campsites are available for use only by reservation but anyone can walk down the road to enjoy the vistas and picnic on the bluffs or beach.

3. Hike to the top of Bolinas Ridge for bird’s-eye views up and down the San Andreas Rift Zone.

4. Hike the Bolinas Ridge Trail beginning on the pastoral ridgeline east of Olema Valley. You will see towering redwoods, and open chaparral.

5. Find a small signpost north of Muir Beach along Highway 1 which points the way to Muir Beach Overlook. Muir Beach Overlook provides you with an opportunity to hike to the tip of a rocky promontory, and enjoy views of migrating whales and the California coastline. On either side of the promontory, the land sheers off dramatically down to the ocean hundreds of feet below.

6. In San Francisco Country, see Alcatraz Island for a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public. The tiny cove of China Beach lies between Baker Beach and Lands End. China Beach provides access to the water and a place to stretch out or picnic in the sun. Unpredictable surf conditions make swimming dangerous.

7. Visit the Sutro Historic District, sip champagne and admire ocean views from the dining rooms of the Cliff Houses since 1863. See Sutro Heights Garden and walk freely among its exotic tree species, stone satyrs, and delicate flower beds. What a perfect way to end a perfect day in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.