Skip to main content

Activities in the Parks

Activities in the Parks

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

FOPO-180312-PMM-038_2x1.jpg
Picturesque landscapes abound in the Golden Gate National Parks

Paul Myers/Parks Conservancy

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.

Hikers pause to enjoy the beauty of the Bootjack Trail
Muir Woods East Loop Hike

This is one hike that will leave every hiker amazed at this natural wonder and grateful the environmental activists of the past stood up against the powerful forces of unchecked urbanization.

Fern Creek Trail
Muir Woods East Side Loop Trail
Difficulty Level: Moderately Strenuous
Trail Length: 5.40 miles round trip

Leaving from the immensely popular Muir Woods National Monument, this hike is a good example of the hikers “rule-of-halves.” This rule states that the number of hikers on trail decreases by half every half mile.

Notch Trail
Notch Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 2.10 miles round trip

From Skyline College, you'll be shocked by how quickly you can leave civilization. Begin the climb through the trees to a view of Rockaway Beach. You'll have some great ocean views during this portion of the trail. 

The trail turns away from the ocean, and you view the valley below.

Dog walker takes her leashed dog through Oakwood Valley
Oakwood Valley Trail
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Trail Length: 2.58 miles round trip

The trail loop begins on the single-track Oakwood Valley Trail and finishes on the broad Fire Road Trail.

Ranger-led hike through Mori Point
Old Mori Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 1.10 miles round trip

Visit a beautiful part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in a loop easily accessible by car, bike, and SamTrans bus lines. This area was improved with the help of community volunteers and is a showcase of restored native plants and wildlife habitat.

Ocean views from Rancho Corral de Tierra
Old San Pedro Mountain Road
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 1.31 miles round trip

This is an area within a network of trails that provides amazing views of San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean, and Highway 1.

View over Tennessee Valley toward the beach and ocean
Old Springs Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 2.61 miles round trip

Best used in the downhill, northerly direction into Tennessee Valley. From the junction with the Miwok Trail - Bunker Road to Wolf Ridge, the trail starts fairly level, crossing several wood bridges with nice views over Tennessee Valley out to the Pacific Ocean.

Panoramic Trail meets the Canopy View Trail at this rock
Panoramic Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 1.87 miles round trip

This trail provides views above the fog, and connects to a short out and back or numerous other trails, for loops down into the valley below. Overlooking the Muir Woods National Monument and the Pacific Coast, the vistas are breathtaking. Look for the Farallon Islands, ships passing by, and more.  

This

Pirates Cove Trail
Pirates Cove Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 2.92 miles round trip

Picture just you, the chaparral, the crashing waves, the sky, and a trail that runs along the rugged coast just south of Muir Beach. The Pirate's Cove Trail is probably what you've been imagining. 

Pathway steps at Camp Alice Eastwood
Plevin Cut Trailhead
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 0.41 miles round trip

Plevin Cut is a hiking trail in Marin County, California. It is within Mount Tamalpais State Park. It is 0.2 miles long and begins at 482 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 0.3 miles with a total elevation gain of 116 feet.

Visitors cross the bridge to Point Bonita Light
Point Bonita Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 1.10 miles round trip

The walk down to Point Bonita Lighthouse is a hallmark Bay Area experience that offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Crissy Field Overlook
Presidio Promenade Trail
Difficulty Level: Easiest
Trail Length: 1.36 miles round trip

As its name suggests, this trail offers more of a leisurely promenade than a strenuous hike. But its 2.1-mile-long distance covers a vast swath of Presidio history; connecting the Lombard Gate and the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, this trail offers a fantastic overview of the Presidio's past, present, and future.