Story:
I have lived in San Francisco for WAY too long (ok, 5 months) to have not done this hike yet. I planned to do it a couple of months ago and underestimated the walk through Golden Gate Park to the Cliffhouse and had already hiked a solid 6 miles before getting there (and then it was dark...). This weekend I got an early start (11am) and dedicated the day to it; every minute was completely worth it.
I started off at the Northern end of Ocean Beach (my old stomping ground when I went to high school at St. Ignatius--go wildcats!). Considering it was the middle of Winter--California, Bay Area Winter, but Winter nonetheless--it was pretty packed: picnics, joggers, dogs, people flying kites, you name it. I walked up the hill, past the cliff house, and on to the Sutro Baths view point. After a few quick photos I walked down to the baths, through the cave, and then back up the hill to start my hike along The Coastal Trail, starting at Lands End.
By the end of the 3 hour hike, I easily filled up my 4GB memory card with around 350 photos, most of them trying to capture various waves breaking against the rocks. I guess when you have burst mode and unlimited memory, why not?
The Lands End area has a very nice trail, and I could even (barely) see Point Reyes off in the distance to the North (Marin was a bit easier to see). At one point there was a detour to the beach (which I happily pursued) and I found myself stopped for about 30 minutes, addicted to taking photos of the waves breaking on the rocks with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Sorting though all of these pictures was not very fun, but I eventually found the ones I liked the most.
Since it was Super Bowl Sunday, and I had been moving pretty slowly, I decided to pick up the pace for a bit until I found some truly spectacular viewpoints. 1/4 a mile later I came across the Labyrinth rock sculpture, and yet again could not resist the sirens call of my camera.
The Trail through Lands End was coming to a close now, but after a short (5-10 minute) walk through the Sea Cliff area I found a hidden trail down to Baker Beach where I continued along my trek towards The Golden Gate Bridge and eventually Fort Mason. Baker beach was also packed for Winter, and I snapped a few more pictures of the waves, seagulls, and of course my good friend the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. Near the end of the beach I said goodbye and climbed up the sand staircase (Wow, it was surprisingly tiring).
Back on the Trail, I next came across Marshall's Beach via the Batteries to Bluffs Trail (only about 1/2 mile long), and eventually winded my way to the Batteries right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.
To my delight (and to my memory card's dismay), there were 4 crows gliding in the wind. The wind was so strong that they only needed to position themselves correctly to hover, exerting what seemed like no effort at all. Now you may be saying "Flying Birds that aren't even moving? What an opportune time to take some pictures." Oh, you betcha!
Filling the rest of my memory card with pictures of birds flying overhead, I crossed under the bridge (took some more pictures on the other side, where I found some lovely purple flowers), and then continued down the trail to Crissy Field. After another mile or so, my roommate Loren picked me up near the Palace of Fine Arts and we drove to Cathedral Hill to watch the second half of the Super Bowl.
Now that I have seen some of what San Francisco has to offer I am itching to get back out there my next free weekend. I recommend this hike to anyone in the area, it is a treasure that should not be missed.
I have lived in San Francisco for WAY too long (ok, 5 months) to have not done this hike yet. I planned to do it a couple of months ago and underestimated the walk through Golden Gate Park to the Cliffhouse and had already hiked a solid 6 miles before getting there (and then it was dark...). This weekend I got an early start (11am) and dedicated the day to it; every minute was completely worth it.
I started off at the Northern end of Ocean Beach (my old stomping ground when I went to high school at St. Ignatius--go wildcats!). Considering it was the middle of Winter--California, Bay Area Winter, but Winter nonetheless--it was pretty packed: picnics, joggers, dogs, people flying kites, you name it. I walked up the hill, past the cliff house, and on to the Sutro Baths view point. After a few quick photos I walked down to the baths, through the cave, and then back up the hill to start my hike along The Coastal Trail, starting at Lands End.
By the end of the 3 hour hike, I easily filled up my 4GB memory card with around 350 photos, most of them trying to capture various waves breaking against the rocks. I guess when you have burst mode and unlimited memory, why not?
The Lands End area has a very nice trail, and I could even (barely) see Point Reyes off in the distance to the North (Marin was a bit easier to see). At one point there was a detour to the beach (which I happily pursued) and I found myself stopped for about 30 minutes, addicted to taking photos of the waves breaking on the rocks with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Sorting though all of these pictures was not very fun, but I eventually found the ones I liked the most.
Since it was Super Bowl Sunday, and I had been moving pretty slowly, I decided to pick up the pace for a bit until I found some truly spectacular viewpoints. 1/4 a mile later I came across the Labyrinth rock sculpture, and yet again could not resist the sirens call of my camera.
The Trail through Lands End was coming to a close now, but after a short (5-10 minute) walk through the Sea Cliff area I found a hidden trail down to Baker Beach where I continued along my trek towards The Golden Gate Bridge and eventually Fort Mason. Baker beach was also packed for Winter, and I snapped a few more pictures of the waves, seagulls, and of course my good friend the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. Near the end of the beach I said goodbye and climbed up the sand staircase (Wow, it was surprisingly tiring).
Back on the Trail, I next came across Marshall's Beach via the Batteries to Bluffs Trail (only about 1/2 mile long), and eventually winded my way to the Batteries right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.
To my delight (and to my memory card's dismay), there were 4 crows gliding in the wind. The wind was so strong that they only needed to position themselves correctly to hover, exerting what seemed like no effort at all. Now you may be saying "Flying Birds that aren't even moving? What an opportune time to take some pictures." Oh, you betcha!
Filling the rest of my memory card with pictures of birds flying overhead, I crossed under the bridge (took some more pictures on the other side, where I found some lovely purple flowers), and then continued down the trail to Crissy Field. After another mile or so, my roommate Loren picked me up near the Palace of Fine Arts and we drove to Cathedral Hill to watch the second half of the Super Bowl.
Now that I have seen some of what San Francisco has to offer I am itching to get back out there my next free weekend. I recommend this hike to anyone in the area, it is a treasure that should not be missed.
Tags:
san francisco, Lands End, Cliffhouse, Baker Beach, Golden Gate Bridge, Beach
san francisco, Lands End, Cliffhouse, Baker Beach, Golden Gate Bridge, Beach
Comments (4)
I can't remember the artist's name, but it's been there for a while. I have about 7 GB is various other cards that I keep with me, but I will need to purchase a 16GB card in the near future if I'm going to be away from my computer for a couple of days.
by chris on Feb 23, 2010
Great photos.
Bring a 16GB card next time. :)
Who made the labyrinth ?
by oldpinetree on Feb 23, 2010
Bring a 16GB card next time. :)
Who made the labyrinth ?
Wow, that's a very cool hike idea. I'll probably do it some day. Never thought about hiking in San Francisco. Awesome pics!
by Vaudesir on Feb 13, 2010
Nice Pics. Noticed you got some great color tones. Really liked the Snake Kite shot.
LOL on the # of Pics. Think of it this way. It's just 1 and 0s. I have the same problem. The only killer is when you do 30 shots and still didn't get the shot you wanted. Best of luck and Good Job on everytrail.
by Steve44MCaUSA on Feb 12, 2010
LOL on the # of Pics. Think of it this way. It's just 1 and 0s. I have the same problem. The only killer is when you do 30 shots and still didn't get the shot you wanted. Best of luck and Good Job on everytrail.
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