Golden Gate National Recreation Area Trails

The Rodeo Avenue Trail begins with a series of switchbacks. It seems that every time you come around one of these turns you are looking at a different forest.

This is another escape hatch into the wild beauty of Rancho Corral de Tierra. Park on Etheldore Street, and make your way up Ranch Road. Keep your eyes peeled for the trailhead to your left. Then begin your exploration in earnest, bearing northeast.

A hike along the SCA Trail will provide a breathless vista of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding Bay. When the sun is shining and the fog is lifted, hiking along this trail will make memories that will last a lifetime.

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. 

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.

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.

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!).

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.

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

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.

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.

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.