The Coastal Trail is the true connoisseur's way to drink deeply from the quintessence of the California experience.

This segment of the Bay Trail, skirting the northern edge of Fort Mason, features lovely Golden Gate Bridge vistas and an overhead view of the piers and buildings of lower Fort Mason, the port of embarkation from which 1.6 million military personnel shipped out to the Pacific Theater.

During the Cold War, anti-aircraft missile stations were constructed on the northern and southern sides of Rodeo Lagoon in the Marin Headlands. Radar sites were placed atop Hawk Hill and Hill 88.

Start at the charming 17th-century style Pelican Inn at Muir Beach in Marin and head up the chaparral-covered Dias Ridge. The five-mile trail loops across former dairy ranches and rises 700 feet. At every turn there is another dazzling panorama of the Pacific and the Marin Headlands.

While on the Fox Trail, breathing heavily as you reach the summit and its gorgeous views, you may notice a doe and her two fawns grazing in the grasslands.

This trail to the Muir Beach Overlook offers breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and Marin County coastline.

Rancho Corral de Tierra is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the San Mateo peninsula. Once planned for development, this land is now protected as part of our nation’s natural legacy.

The process of transforming the property into a park is only just beginning.

This climb up the steep slopes of Mt. Tamalpais reveals beatiful vistas of the Bay Area and the Pacific Ocean. The redwoods of Muir Woods gradually give way to Douglas fir, bay laurel, and tanoak as the trail wends upward.

Hike the trails in and around Fort Baker—home to the endangered Mission blue butterfly—and take in spectacular vistas of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

This trail links visitors to East Fort Miley, the Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Legion of Honor. The current social trail that connects these three locations has many users—dog walkers, runners, golfers from the nearby course, and hikers who wander over from Lands End.