Activities in the Parks

Can’t Choose Your Own Adventure? Start Here and Go!

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With hundreds of miles of trails threading through 37 distinct sites across 80,000 acres of the Golden Gate National Parks, it can be hard to decide where to go and what to do. Let the Parks Conservancy’s experts be your guide! We’ve carefully curated our favorite hikes, walks, and excursions to share with you and your loved ones. There’s something (and some place) for everyone! We reveal some of the natural wonders and historical highlights you’ll experience along the way, but there are plenty more surprises for you to discover. So browse below, then grab your boots and backpack. Your national parks are waiting.

Visitor Strolling Through MacArthur Meadow
Hikes
  • Hikes
The hike begins with a natural spring, which is eventually fed by two joining creeks. The waters then flow north to Crissy Marsh through a variety of habitats where native plants, birds, and other wildlife thrive, and ultimately join the bay and ocean. For centuries, people have used this creek...
Golden Gate Bridge
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.45 miles round-trip
Hiking up to the ridge promises a rewarding view. It is a steep trail, and descending down the gravel can be slippery and loose. This trail is not for the faint of heart. However, some of the most famous photos of the Golden Gate Bridge are taken from this ridge.
Sky lupine off Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

1.03 miles round-trip
Slacker Hill Trail is a one-mile, moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Sausalito, California that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
Views toward Fort Cronkhite from Battery Alexander
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.38 miles round-trip
This short trail segment connects Rodeo Beach with Battery Alexander, one of five powerful batteries built by the U.S. Army around the turn of the 20th century. Those guns, manned by soldiers at nearby Fort Barry, were emblematic of the "Endicott Period" of coastal defense technology.
Path winding through Rancho Corral de Tierra
Trail
Difficulty: Moderate

Length

5.99 miles round-trip
The Spine Trail is a great way to experience the remoteness and wild beauty of Rancho Corral de Tierra . Park along Etheldore Street, then hoof it down Ranch Road toward the Ember Ridge Equestrian Center (don't disturb the horses...or the staff, please!). Find the signs for the Spine Trail,...
Water drops on fern
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

2.05 miles round-trip
The Stapelveldt Trail starts at the busy Pantoll Trailhead. Head downhill towards the southeast along a deep ravine into a verdant, dense wood. Cross the TCC Trail and continue downhill through the same valley filled with with tall redwoods and large sword ferns. Parallel a small creek that eventually joins...
Sun Trail
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

1.42 miles round-trip
Make your way along this flat, well-groomed path along the contours of Mt. Tamalpais . The Pacific Ocean, coastal redwoods, the Farallon Islands, and unbelievable sunsets are all there, or not, if the fog is in. See something different every time you take this trail. Head along the open grassy...
Lion statue at Sutro Heights Park
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.93 miles round-trip
In 1885, self-made millionaire Adolph Sutro created the Sutro Heights Park , an elegant and formal public garden that covered over 20 acres in the area now known as Lands End . Inspired by the rugged beauty and incredible scenery, Sutro intentionally designed the grounds to capture the views of...
View from Sutro Heights
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.16 miles round-trip
This is a short and steep downhill that brings you from 48th Ave down to Balboa Street. The path has a few steep steps built into the hillside which makes the difficulty Intermediate/Difficult. This path goes from Ocean Beach up to Sutro Heights Park and back.
Sunset through the cypress at Lands End
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

1.50 miles round-trip
The most gorgeous view possible of this location occurs during sunset. The rocky shore is even more dramatic when the surf is rough against it and the sun a warm orange-pink. The short path, beginning in the parking lot of Lands Ends Lookout off Point Lobos Street, will lead you...
Colors of sunset wash over Sutro Baths
Hiking
  • Biking
The most gorgeous view possible of this location occurs during sunset. The rocky shore is even more dramatic when the surf is rough against it and the sun a warm orange-pink. The short path, beginning in the parking lot of Lands Ends Lookout off Point Lobos Street, will lead you...
View toward the ocean from Sweeney Ridge
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.59 miles round-trip
This is an easy singletrack that connects to an unnamed trail from behind the Sweeney Ridge Equestrian Center. From the top, it can be utilized to complete a loop of the Sweeney Ridge where it meets up with the Sweeney Meadow Trail. As with the rest of the ridge, one...

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