Shake off the dust from those shoes; It's time to move. The Best Hiking in San Francisco is known for its spectacular hiking, and there are few better places for a long walk than this breathtaking corner of the world. The Bay Area has some of the best places for hiking, ranging from the tranquility of redwood forests to a thrilling walk over the incredibly curved Golden Gate Bridge and more.
Lovers of wildflowers will find plenty to admire, while amateur hikers will be able to get the heart pumping without the occasional futility that difficult hikes can inspire. No such fear here; the best hikes in the Bay Area offer something for every skill level, with views to boot.
10 best hikes in the san Francisco bay area
1. Land End
Hike this 5.5-km loop trail near San Francisco, California. It is generally considered a moderately challenging route, taking an average time of 1 hour 33 minutes to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking and running, so you're likely to meet other people while exploring. This route is open throughout the year and is beautiful to visit at any time. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash.
2. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Their 1,833-acre park in the Oakland hills features 150-foot coast redwoods planted in place of trees cut down during the Gold Rush to build Bay Area structures. The trails pass through dense groves of these fragrant giant trees and make you feel completely away from city life. There are several entrances; Parking fees of $5 per car and $2 per dog apply at the Redwood Gate only. The large parking lot at the Skyline Gate staging area is an easy option to start your hike. From here, follow the West Ridge Trail around the south side of the lot, then turn left onto the Tres Cendas Trail, which crosses Redwood Creek just before turning left onto the Stream Trail to return to the beginning.
Length: about 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate, with intense sections
Trailhead: Skyline Gate Staging Area, 8490 Skyline Blvd., Oakland
Pets: Dogs allowed
3. Great Genion Park
I went travelling in Asia and like many other tourists, I wanted to experience riding an elephant. I went on TripAdvisor to find the perfect elephant camp when I came across Elephant Nature Park, the reviews explained that elephants shouldn't be ridden and in the process of becoming 'domesticated' are violently abused.
Because of this, I chose to visit Elephant Nature Park instead of any other elephant camps and I was not disappointed! They picked us up from our hotel in Chiang Mai and educated us on the elephant's fight for freedom on the way to the park. When we got there we got to feed the elephants, learn each of their individual stories of how Lek (the owner) rescued them, and then bathed with them. We had our own guide who genuinely cared for the elephants and spent most of the year with his 'best friend' Mae-Do, a rescued elephant with a permanently broken hip who was saved from a fast breeding program. It was one of the most eye-opening experiences I've ever had. I am so glad I didn't go elephant riding but instead donated money to an amazing cause saving these friendly giants.
4. Birnal Heights
Bernal Heights Summit rivals Twin Peaks as the best vantage point for a 360-degree view of the city. You’ll be surrounded by dry grassland most of the year, but after the winter rains, the hill is covered in lush greenery and wildflowers, like shooting stars, checkerblooms, and native purple needlegrass. For hiking, the park provides a paved limited-access road and many different dirt trails that wind around the hill and lead to the summit—or you can try many of the residential side streets’ dirt trails: just keep heading up.
5. The Presidio
The Presidio has numerous paths traversing its lush, wooded environs, but the Batteries to Bluffs Trail can’t be beaten for the sheer drama of its scenery, and you may even see dolphins with this shoreline hike overlooking the ocean below. Check out this trail at sunset for incredible vistas, and enjoy the seasonal native dune plants and wildflowers. You’ll cross hidden springs as you trek to Battery Crosby, a historic gun battery dating to 1900. If you wish, take the extra winding trail down to Marshall’s Beach, San Francisco’s most hidden beach.
6. Muir Wood
The magic of Muir Woods is that it’s the only remaining old-growth coastal redwood forest in the Bay Area—and one of the last on Earth. These are the tallest of all living things, and Muir Woods’s most epic tree is a crane-your-head-back-to-see-it 258 feet. The cool hush of this ancient forest, where the average age of a tree is 600-80 years old (the eldest being 1,200 years old), is life-affirming, while the park’s Redwood Creek is one of the last California streams with a native stock of salmon. Walk along six miles of trails: a half-hour loop, a one-hour loop, and a 1.5-hour loop, as well as longer hikes extending into Mount Tamalpais State Park.
7. Golden Gate Bridge
On a bright, sunlit day, the Golden Gate Bridge is a disarming sight, an elegant feat of engineering straddling the steel blue expanse of the Bay. But why admire it from a distance when you can get up close and personal? Start at Crissy Field Center (at the eastern end of the beach) and head west along the Golden Gate Promenade. You’ll get pushed along by the stiff wind and be a mere metal fence away from multiple lanes of car traffic, but in return, you’ll get great views of San Francisco, the rolling hills of Marin and Sausalito, the prison fortress atop Alcatraz, the beauty of Angel Island, and the busy sailboats and container ships.
8. Marin Headlands
A short hop across the Golden Gate Bridge will take you to the Marin Headlands, a true nature-lovers playground. The headlands are lined with paths of varying difficulty and terrain; You can choose to hug the cliff with Jurassic rock formations, walk on trails through chaparral or stroll along protected pebble beaches. There are also four notable historical sites. Two trails shouldn't be missed: the Point Bonita Lighthouse Trail and the Rodeo Lagoon Loop.
9. Angel Island
The first issue is getting here; The state park is an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Also, a historic site, Angel Island served as an immigration and deportation center for mostly Chinese immigrants in the 1800s. Today, you can hike to the summit of Mount Caroline Livermore, the island's highest point at 788 feet, accessible via a six-mile loop trail with incredible views and picnic tables. As far as 360-degree views go, the summit of Mount Livermore may be the best. Once you reach the top, you can go to the three bridges (Golden Gate, Bay, and Richmond-San Rafael), other islands (including Alcatraz), Oakland, Tiburon, Sausalito, and San Francisco.
10. Sausal Greek Walk
Oakland’s beautiful hills once held many creeks that fed into Lake Merritt. Today, most of those creeks have been culverted, but Sausal Creek remains free-flowing, and a trail that winds along it provides a nice hike. You can go roundtrip or do a one-way trek knowing that public transit services both ends of the trail. Start at Dimond Park and locate the creek trail near the park’s recreation center. Jump on it until it emerges at El Centro Avenue at the entrance to Dimond Canyon Trail, which you will follow along the edge of the creek. Although you’re never far from a neighborhood, this trail feels surprisingly remote and gives you all the nature feels you need. You’ll come to the pretty, arched Leimert Bridge and follow directions to continue up the hill to finally reach Monterey Boulevard in the Montclair district.
