Marin Headlands is one of the best regional parks in Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)…read more It is one of the best places to not only hike but to take pictures. This is also great for photographers. Pretty much the hills, grass, trails, rocks, and trails are amazing! This is also a great place for photographers. There are other places like those Battery ones and Hill 88, but my friend and I didn't really get a chance to go there since we pretty much missed the path and we didn't want to turn around. Honestly, it's really hot here and thank goodness that I bring water and snacks in case I'm thirsty or hungry. Most importantly, bring water! You'll need it if you're ever going to hike here. The trip is short in my opinion since I'm used to hiking for a long time. In the future, I am planning to come back here to revisit scenic spots that we missed. The hike might be longer since I enjoy hiking at regional parks.

My buddy and I love doing challenging long hikes and today we did 31 miles at Marin Headlands. It…read morewas an amazing hike full of different terrain and sightseeing opportunities. It was overcast when we hiked, but I like it this way only because it was very cool and the exposure to the sun was limited. We saw so many unique historical sites also, which I did not expect. The route we took had a lot of elevation gain and I had to put on some gloves for rock scrambling, but there are so many easy trails also. We also crossed the Golden Gate Bridge also, which is a first for me! Please come and create your own adventure.

How can I not give a 5 star to a Bay Area staple point to come to not just for viral pics but the…read morewhole experience period ! Let's get into it . I was born in San Francisco, and raised prominently in East Oakland, also including San Leandro & Dublin. overall, I have lived out here my whole entire life and never been to this place up until recently. I have seen the Golden Gate Bridge from Stinson Beach and other angles, but I've never been to this location and this location is very nice and also informative. There's so many hikes and trails and walks and visit points. There's so many informational posts about the history and also throughout the years. I guess people have been leaving locks. I am definitely coming back to leave mines. I came in the early morning to watch the sunrise. I guess I got there too early because the gate to get to the top was closed so be mindful of that. either way we were able to walk close to the bridge. We were able to go up top to the other side ( walking not driving ) and see the whole view. I would definitely recommend coming back here again. They even still have barricades open. Some are tagged but hey, it wouldn't be the bay area if you didn't get a nice pick with graffiti just showing the culture in the generations that have been here. the barricades / bunkers have been there for over 60 70 80 years. The tags are new so that just goes to show that anyone of any age group can come and appreciate this beautiful scenic spot. I've never seen the bridge up this close so I suggest you go and see for yourself too.

This is an excellent spot to take photos of the city and GG bridge. There were so many people here,…read moreincluding at least one wedding party for photos. Everyone was so patient and nice about parking and taking turns. There was even a tailgate vendor selling hit dogs, tamales and drinks. My daughter was able to get the shot she wanted for a school project.

Sausalito is a charming beach town just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge…read more Here, visitors can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle with restaurants, boutiques, and plenty of activities like bike riding, window shopping, or a leisurely walk along the harbor. Everyone is friendly, nice, and welcoming. My family and I loved our time in this small town.

Sausalito holds a special place in my heart. My parents would bring me here when I was a kid, to…read morevisit for the day. I remember they had the best candi shop, back then. I spent my first wedding anniversary here with my husband. This week we are celebrating our 13th anniversary here in Sausalito. It is the perfect seaside small town. They have many wonderful restaurants and shops. There is a Ferry you can take into the city. You can ride a bike from the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito. No matter what you do here, you always have the perfect view of the ocean. There a few lovely hotels and everything is within walking distance. You can take a nice stroll right by the water and breathe in the fresh ocean air. It's a great place to escape the day to day grind of the city. It's so relaxing and laid back here. The weather is always beautiful and the views are picturesque.

Hiking leads you to discover so many interesting areas that are natural and man-made. Mother Nature…read moreprovides so many places with wonderful views and man makes structures that are significant and have historical importance; Battery Townsley has both. There are so many batteries built along the California coast that I've explored during my hikes and this is one of my favorites. It's located on a side of the hill in Marin Headlands heading towards Hill 88. The one huge difference between this battery compared to the rest is the size of its guns...and they were big. Even the barrel of the gun is on display outside the battery for everyone to admire. Most of the batteries that were constructed along the coast were WWI era, this one was constructed during WWII. Construction started in January 1938, completed in July 1, 1940 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on July 24, 1940. It is a reinforced concrete, casemated battery with two gun emplacements mounted with 16" guns that was part of Fort Cronkhite. It's named after WWI veteran and superintendent of the United States Military Academy, Major General Clarence P. Townsley. The two massive 16" guns were mounted on steel carriage on heavy-duty rollers that enabled the guns to pivot 140 degrees. The whole assembly weighed over a million pounds, which required lots of practice to ensure it operated smoothly, which the crew drilled repetitively. Each gun was capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile with a range of 25 miles. That's as far as the Farallon Islands with that range. One of the guns eventually made it to the U.S.S. Missouri, which is now permanently docked at Pearl Harbor. This is the battleship where Japan officially surrendered to end WWII. The size of this battery was also massive that included bunk room for 150 soldiers, 2 powder rooms, 2 shell rooms, 2 powder service rooms, 4 storerooms, power room, radiator room, latrines, a shop and storeroom. A large reserve magazine room was also built in about 2500 feet southeast of the gun emplacement # 1 on the reverse slope that is not visible as it was surely heavily fortified. There's also a long tunnel from the entrance leading to the gun emplacement # 1 that is very cool to walk through. It reminded me of 'Walking Dead' every time I walk through this cool tunnel. On a nice clear day, the views from this battery provides a gorgeous backdrop of Rodeo Beach and Marin Headlands nearby, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge, the city and the Peninsula Coast in the distance. But Karl visits this area a lot, especially in the early mornings. He tends to dissipate in the afternoon and you're rewarded with clear skies. Next time you're hiking towards Hill 88, stop by this battery and check out the big gun. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 84

Yesterday we did a nice day trip to the Golden Gate national recreation area, where we visited the…read morehistoric site for the Nike missile silo number 88L. as of April 2026, the site is only opened on the last Saturday of the month between 12 and 3 PM. There is a free parking, but the lot is small so if it is full, you can park at one of the other parking lot that are located either below the side or past the site. However, you would have to walk either uphill or downhill from the other parking lot and that is roughly about 1/3 of a mile. This was a very interesting visit and we were able to see several radars, equipment, and missiles from the Cold War in a guided tour by several elderly military volunteers who maintain and run the tours. Some of them who worked at that same site between 1950s and 1970s. Due to the current political administration, they have lost most funding and it was very shocking to hear that the site opens once a month and that it is staffed completely by all volunteers. They told us that one ranger visits for two hours every month due to budget cuts to the park system. Volunteers are in their 80s and 90s, and after talking to them, they feel sad that their history and experiences will be lost due to lack a funding since it is very likely that the site will close completely as the volunteers become unable to keep these going due to their age and lack of parks personnel and national parks funding. The site has multiple things to see, they have a very small area where they show a movie and have some artifacts to see, then you move over to another area where you can see some missiles and lastly you walk over to the site where they store some of the missiles and you get a chance to observe how they bring one up and down (and also go underneath where you can see where they have them stored and their communications area.

This was the first place our 11 year old truly made a comment about how cool something like was…read more We were the first tour of the day, so when they opened the doors to lift the missile; the water from the rain dumped down making a huge dramatic effect to add. This was one of the most interesting and cool places we've gone too. Having been at White Sands too, it was cool to see it all "put together". I can't recommend this stop enough. Junior Ranger program was short too, which my son loved.

This was an interesting find in Tiburon, it looked like a small castle…read more A short walk up a small hill from the downtown area, Lyford's Stone Tower sits right on the coast with a direct view of Angel Island. Inside the Tower, there is a plaque explaining it's history, which is actually quite interesting. In front of the Tower, there are some benches if you want to enjoy the scenery for a bit , which is what we did while we were here.

Well worth a visit! A 10 minute walk from Main Street and the plaque shares its fascinating…read morehistory. Check it out when you are in the area!

This exhibit is located in Sausalito, near the Marine Mammal Center, surrounded by trees, a few…read morepicnic tables, and a very narrow road. For actual parking, I'd say the Marine Mammal Center lower lot is probably the closest and most reliable, but it would be a bit of a walk. I just parked on the narrow road (Kirkpatrick Street) after visiting the MMC, as there didn't seem to be anyone using the road to Fort Cronkhite. The display is set up nicely to get a sense of the size and shape of the creature, even without all the bones. It's worth making a stop to check it out if already visiting the marine mammal hospital, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this.

near to the marine mammal center. this giant blue whale…read moreskeleton is a must to visit or just to take photos.

Pulled up to what most people just think is "the tunnel after the Golden Gate Bridge"... but this…read moreone actually has a story. The Robin Williams Tunnel (formerly the Waldo Tunnel) is basically the doorway into Marin County and Sausalito. After Robin Williams passed, they renamed it in 2015 because he lived right nearby in Tiburon -- and honestly it feels fitting. The Bay Area has a personality, and somehow this entrance matches it. Northbound is the real experience. You're in traffic, rock walls around you, then suddenly you come out the other side and the whole Marin coastline opens up in front of you. It's one of those moments where everybody in the car goes quiet for a second. Southbound is the opposite -- you exit the tunnel and boom... the Golden Gate Bridge appears like a movie reveal. It's weird reviewing a tunnel, but this one isn't just infrastructure. It's a gateway and kind of a tribute at the same time. Some places you pass through. This one actually feels like you arrived.

It's a "Must See Place" when visiting or leaving the San Francisco Bay Area... I've been through…read morethose tunnels multiple times, and recommend that experience as an essential part of anyone's trip to the San Francisco Bay Area...