Here’s your guide to hiking Lands End Trail in San Francisco.
‣ Hello, welcome back to my blog! I hope you’re enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Today, I’m going to be sharing everything you need to know to hike (it’s actually more of a walk) at Lands End in San Francisco. All Trails ranks it as the top hike in San Francisco—and for good reason! It’s hard to believe that this beautiful hike is in one of the biggest cities in California.
Location & Parking
The Lands End Lookout Visitor Center is located at 680 Lobos Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121, on the northwest side of the city. This is the address I’d recommend putting into your Google Maps, as it will take you right to the parking lot.
The Hike & What to See
Sutro Baths
From the parking lot, you should first walk down the stairs to explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths. The Sutro Baths were built in 1894 as a swimming facility with slides, diving boards, and trapezes.
Point Lobos & the USS San Francisco Memorial
Then, you can walk back up to the parking lot to begin the main hike along the Coastal Trail. You’ll be able to stop at Point Lobos, which has beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean, and the USS San Francisco Memorial, which was put up in memory of the crew of the WWII cruiser that sustained 45 hits and 25 fires during the Battle of Guadalcanal, according to the National Park Service.
You can keep following the trail, which is clearly marked. There are quite a few stairs, but the hike is otherwise very mild.
Lands End Point & Mile Rock Beach
After about half a mile, there is a split in the trail, marked with a sign. If you take the detour and walk down the steep stairway, you’ll arrive at Lands End Point, which has some stunning views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.
From Lands End Point, you can walk to Mile Rock Beach, located to the left, via more stairs and downhill paths.
Once you’re done here, you’ll have to walk up the same way you came down.
Eagles’ Point Overlook
This is the cement area near the end of the trail that provides (surprise, surprise!) more views of the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge.
How to Return Back
After reaching Eagles’ Point Overlook, you have three options: continue hiking to the Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge, turn around and follow the same path back, or walk along the Lincoln Park Golf Course. I have only done the second two options, and my personal favorite is the third.
If you decide to walk through the golf course along El Camino Del Mar, you’ll follow the sidewalk path until you reach the Legion of Honor, an art museum with a facade of white columns and arches (you can’t miss it!). I love this museum, which is why I think it’s fun to take the path that brings me right to it. You can enter the museum if you’d like, or you can just stop to take some photos outside and return another day when you’re not in your hiking/walking attire.
From there, I recommend walking through the golf course, as you’ll be able to cut back to the Coastal Trail for some final views of the ocean. You can then simply follow the path back to the parking lot, enjoying the scenery and the flora and fauna along the way.
Distance
In total, the walk is about 3.5 miles long. Depending on how fast you walk and how often you stop to take photos, I’d say that it takes about 1-1.5 hours to complete. Here’s a map of the trail:
Bathrooms
There are no bathrooms along the trail, but there are porta potties in the parking lot.
What’s Nearby?
Walking the Lands End Trail probably won’t take you very long, leaving you lots of time to explore the city. Lands End is only about a 5-minute drive from Golden Gate Park, where you can see the Dutch Windmill, California Academy of Sciences, Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, DeYoung Museum, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. The trail is also right next to Ocean Beach and a short drive from China Beach, Baker Beach, Marshall’s Beach, and the Presidio.
Final Thoughts
Lands End is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. With our current heat wave, it’d be a great place to visit, as the temperature is usually cooler near the ocean! If you check it out, or if you’ve already gone, you’ll have to let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Have a great weekend!
