Golden Gate National Recreation Area Trails

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.

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.

Most locals know Fort Funston is Fido-tastic for dog-walking (or dog-watching!). But it's also a great place to bring your other four-legged friends for a pleasant (but windy) ride. The network of pathways across Fort Funston can accommodate equestrians!

Starting at roads end in Tennessee Valley, the route starts towards the beach but soon picks up the Coastal Trail and ascends steeply up Wolf Ridge. Staying mostly on the high ridge back, it gives great sweeping views of the Golden Gate Recreation Area, Mt.

From Golden Gate National Recreation Area headquarters at Fort Mason (the big, green-roofed building), follow the winding, paved pathway across the Great Meadow...beloved by locals as one of San Francisco's most popular "backyards.

To get to the trailhead, you'll need to make your way into the Green Gulch Farm. Go past the left side of the farm, and you'll start an ascent.

Watch hawks trace circles in the sky from rolling hills in the Marin Headlands. Besides its widescreen vistas of the Pacific and the Golden Gate, Hawk Hill offers fascinating wildlife experiences.

It is the best place to witness the fall raptor migration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory,

Some of the most eye-popping vistas in the Bay Area—beloved by Golden Gate Raptor Observatory staff and volunteers who annually monitor the fall migration from Hawk Hill—are available to individuals with a wide range of abilities.

Start at the southern end of the Coastal South Trail and head east. The trail starts out dropping on a fairly straight trail. Soon, the very tight switchbacks will start and continue, and proceed until you are dropped out in a flat field.

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.

Most hikers utilize this trail to complete the shorter loop through the Muir Woods National Monument. This direction is a gradual climb and connects with the Redwood Creek Trail at the end of the valley. Expect a good amount of traffic going in both directions.

This trail segment, technically part of the Coastal Trail, takes visitors past jaw-dropping views of the Marin Headlands and valleys, on the way to a beautiful lookout point and, beyond that, Black Sands Beach. In the spring, you're treated to a stunning trailside display of wildflowers.