Marshall's in Town!

Hike in to Marshall Beach in San Francisco

Marshall Beach in San Francisco

Everyone has a favorite view of the Golden Gate Bridge. And ours? With respect to all the great options, we’ve got to say it’s from San Francisco’s Marshall’s Beach.

Marshall Beach in San Francisco

What makes this tucked-away haven in the Presidio so good? For starters, you’ve gotta hike about half a mile to get to it, and that includes a lengthy wooden stairway. Locals and tourists alike don’t seem to frequent the beach late day, toward sunset, which is an absolutely sublime time to be here (pro photographers are onto this too). Second, it’s about as close as you can get to the big golden beauty without being underneath it.

Park by Battery Godfrey/Fort Winfield Scott (see italics) and follow the signs to Marshall’s Beach, descending the trail and paralleling the coast for a bit before the wooden steps take you down to the beach, a long, wide crescent-shaped swath backed by cliffs and flanked by sea stacks the closer you get toward a close-up of the bridge.

Hike in to Marshall Beach in San Francisco

And while we said that just before sunset is a great time to be here, full moons might be spotted at any time. Marshall’s Beach has clothing-optional visitors too, sometimes. So, enjoy the sunset (or the full moon … just don’t let it photo-bomb your selfies!).

Park by Battery Godfrey/Fort Winfield Scott off of Lincoln Blvd. Map. Follow the Batteries to Bluffs Trail toward Marshall’s Beach. Return the way you came. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View
  2. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  3. Swing into Spring

    Swing into this 7.1-mile hike in the hills of Half Moon Bay! It’s got gorgeous views, fields of spring wildflowers, and a hidden rustic tree swing.

    View
  4. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Lava Lava

    Once a land of volcanic activity, Mojave National Preserve shares plenty about its past via a quick yet adventurous hike to the Lava Tube in the Cima Dome Volcanic Field.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. William Kenyon Overlook

    Some of the best vistas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are easily accessible via a short and sweet 1.25-mile (round-trip) hike just off the CA-78. Enter your next favorite desert viewpoint: the William Kenyon Overlook.

    View
  4. Beaudry Bountiful

    There are no cars allowed on Beaudry Loop, but this 6-mile hike takes you on a wild ride. You’ll be climbing 1,500 feet up the southern Verdugos along a chaparral-lined trail with gorgeous mountain and urban vistas every step of the way.

    View