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.
Trail
Length
3.10 miles round-trip
A morning outing to Lands End provides about as much wilderness as can be found in San Francisco; the beauty is so stunning, it's easy to miss the ghosts. But walk a few minutes under the thick mantle of Monterey cypress and they'll appear.
Hiking
- Hikes
A morning outing to Lands End provides about as much wilderness as can be found in San Francisco; the beauty is so stunning, it's easy to miss the ghosts. But walk a few minutes under the thick mantle of Monterey cypress and they'll appear. Prop yourself against the crumbling walls...
Trail
Length
0.82 miles round-trip
At the end of Le Conte Avenue in Montara, near Farallone View Elementary School, you'll come to the start of the Le Conte Trail. Passing through coastal meadows, this short trail connects you to longer trails that snake across the sprawling Rancho Corral de Tierra.
Trail
Length
0.24 miles round-trip
This short connector trail links the main Coastal Trail thoroughfare across Lands End to El Camino del Mar, near the Legion of Honor art museum. A part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Legion of Honor houses a vast collection of ancient and European art in a...
Trail
Length
0.38 miles round-trip
The Lishumsha Trail takes visitors from the flat Old Mori Road Trail up the hill toward the blufftops at Mori Point . "Lishumsha" is the local Ohlone Native word for "garter snake"--an allusion to the endangered San Francisco garter snake that is protected at Mori Point, and which is making...
Trail
Length
0.68 miles round-trip
Before San Francisco became the bustling city we know today, a large part of it was made up of coastal sand dunes. With the development of San Francisco over two centuries, much of the native landscape no longer exists. In 1994, the Presidio's Lobos Creek Valley underwent a major restoration...
Trail
Length
3.40 miles round-trip
Logged during the 19th century, the area is especially popular now with equestrians. As you enjoy the serenity of Union Creek, the solemnity of the second-growth redwood trees, and the seclusion of Lonely Trail (yes, it lives up to its name), you’ll have the contemplative space to count the blessings...
Trail
Length
1.09 miles round-trip
From the top descending into Muir Woods National Monument , you'll find switchbacks, loose footing, and plenty of roots and branches and rocks to step over. The descent will take you through a fast-changing landscape. You'll be shaded most of the way with pockets of light sneaking in between the...
Trail
Length
0.70 miles round-trip
This hike will take you to the top of one of the most famous lookout spots in the Marin Headlands , and is an easy jaunt from San Francisco. Get there by taking the twisty and scenic Conzelman Road, which offer many amazing lookout spots with ample parking. Pull over...
Hiking
- Hikes
This hike will take you to the top of one of the most famous lookout spots in the Marin Headlands , and is an easy jaunt from San Francisco. Get there by taking the twisty and scenic Conzelman Road, which offers many amazing lookout spots with ample parking. Pull over...
Trail
Length
7.80 miles round-trip
Take Golden Gate 70/80 from Civic Center in San Francisco to Marin City transfer station. A short walk through a residential neighborhood will lead you to the Pacheco Fire Road trail head. The trail begins under the cover of gorgeous eucalyptus trees, but quickly becomes exposed to the sun as...
Trail
Length
2.90 miles round-trip
Named for an ill-fated residential development called Marincello, this trail tracks along what was supposed to be the main thoroughfare of the failed 1960s-era project. Here both the Pacific and the Bay are visible from the narrow ridgeback. Stay right on the rocky wide road down the short 0.3 mile...
