60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco

This guide to 60 of the best hikes in the San Francisco area leads you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, and historical settings.

It’s Time to Take a Hike in San Francisco, California!

The best way to experience San Francisco is by hiking it. Get outdoors with local author and hiking expert Jane Huber, with the full-color edition of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco. A perfect blend of popular trails and hidden gems, the selected trails transport you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, and historical settings that renew your spirit and recharge your body.

Take in the beautiful beaches of Point Reyes National Seashore. Explore the redwood canyons of Big Basin state park. Hike to the top of Mount Davidson, the highest point in San Francisco. Enjoy the spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach Trail. This guide offers stroller-friendly jaunts for the entire family, challenging treks for adventurous hikers, and everything in between. With Jane as your guide, you’ll learn about the area and experience nature through 60 of the city’s best hikes!

Each hike description features key at-a-glance information on distance, difficulty, scenery, traffic, hiking time, and more, so you can quickly and easily learn about each trail. Detailed directions, GPS-based trail maps, and elevation profiles help to ensure that you know where you are and where you’re going. Tips on nearby activities further enhance your enjoyment of every outing. Whether you’re a local looking for new places to explore or a visitor to the area, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: San Francisco provides plenty of options for a couple hours or a full day of adventure, all within about an hour from San Francisco and the surrounding communities.

Overview Map

Overview-Map Key

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface

60 Hikes by Category

Introduction

North Bay (Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties)

• Angel Island State Park
• China Camp State Park
• Jack London State Historic Park
• Marin Headlands
• Mount Burdell Open Space Preserve
• Mount Tamalpais: Cataract Falls–Potrero Meadows Loop
• Mount Tamalpais: Matt Davis–Steep Ravine Loop
• Mount Tamalpais: Mountain Home–Muir Woods Loop
• Mount Tamalpais: Phoenix Lake
• Point Reyes National Seashore: Muddy Hollow
• Point Reyes National Seashore: Tomales Point
• Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve
• Samuel P. Taylor State Park
• Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
• Tolay Lake Regional Park
• Tomales Bay State Park
• Trione-Annadel State Park

East Bay (Contra Costa and Alameda counties)

• Anthony Chabot Regional Park
• Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
• Briones Regional Park
• Coyote Hills Regional Park
• Fernandez Ranch
• Garin Regional Park
• Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
• Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
• Mission Peak Regional Preserve
• Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
• Mount Diablo State Park: Donner Canyon Waterfall Loop
• Mount Diablo State Park: Mary Bowerman Trail
• Mount Diablo State Park: Mitchell Canyon–Eagle Peak Loop
• Redwood Regional Park
• Round Valley Regional Preserve
• Sunol Regional Wilderness
• Tilden Regional Park
• Vargas Plateau Regional Park

Peninsula and South Bay (San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties)

• Almaden Quicksilver County Park
• Ano Nuevo State Park
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park: Waterfall Loop
• Castle Rock State Park
• Devil’s Slide Trail
• Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve
• Joseph D. Grant County Park
• Monte Bello Open Space Preserve
• Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
• Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
• Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
• Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
• San Bruno Mountain State and County Park
• San Pedro Valley County Park
• Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve
• Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
• Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
• Sweeney Ridge
• Uvas Canyon County Park
• Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

City of San Francisco

• Golden Gate Park: Stow Lake
• Lands End
• Mount Davidson
• The Presidio: Batteries to Bluffs Trail
• Sutro Forest

Appendixes and Index

• Appendix A: Hiking Stores
• Appendix B: Map Stores
• Appendix C: Hiking Clubs
• Index

About the Author

Map Legend

Acknowledgments