Golden Gate National Recreation Area Trails

Find your path to discovery and adventure

For many of us, the sprawling and spectacular trail system at Golden Gate is how we experience the parks and encounter their many wonders. More than just a line through the woods or a swath across a bluff, the trail is where we can marvel at nature, learn about culture, and understand history. Trails are as unique and complex as the ecosystems they help protect, or the extraordinary people who help care for them. Stay up to date on any closures. Introduce yourself to one of the trails in the Golden Gate National Parks. And get ready to meet magic.

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Fawn strikes a pose in the brush
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

2.08 miles round-trip
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.
Path winding through Rancho Corral de Tierra
Trail
Difficulty: Strenuous

Length

3.80 miles round-trip
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. As the National...
Equestrians ride through foggy Fort Funston
Trail
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!
Hawk Camp Trail
Trail
Difficulty: Very Strenuous

Length

6.80 miles round-trip
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. Tamalpais , the Pacific...
Golden Gate Bridge views from the paths at Fort Mason
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.67 miles round-trip
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." On sunny weekends, you'll find its grassy expanses covered by San Franciscans lounging, picknicking, and soaking up...
Green Gulch Farm
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

2.82 miles round-trip
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. You'll be working around to the eastern slope of the hill, then as you come back around toward the west you'll...
GGRO Hawkwatchers spy the skies from Hawk Hill
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

0.21 miles round-trip
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 ,...
Hikers explore a newly built segment of the Hawk Hill Trail
Trail

Length

0.20 miles round-trip
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.
Trail work on the Heather Cutoff Trail on National Trails Day
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

2.67 miles round-trip
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. Head to your right, looking for a...
Poppies overlooking Fort Cronkhite and Rodeo Beach
Trail
Difficulty: Moderate

Length

2.96 miles round-trip
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. When the military decommissioned these stations, they left the remnants of the buildings and structures in place...
Visitors stroll through Muir Woods
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

1.41 miles round-trip
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. The trail is well-maintained...
Fog rolls over the Marin Headlands
Trail
Difficulty: Easiest

Length

3.26 miles round-trip
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. But always be prepared...

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