San Francisco Lands End Guide

Use our realistic Lands End Travel Guide to plan your next visit to this San Francisco park.

Lands End is a trail in the San Francisco’s northwestern corner. It offers great views of the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Bridge, beaches, and cliffs.

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Things to See at Lands End

This Lands End Guide documents our exploration of San Francisco parks and natural areas. We started our journey with a Muni ride to Sutro Heights. This cliffside park features several accessible paths and bath ruins.

Sutro Heights

Thanks to their elevation, Sutro Heights provide amazing views of the surrounding areas.

Ocean Beach

The Ocean Beach is directly south from Sutro Heights. This 3.5-mile sand beach attracts many surfing enthusiasts.

Even if you admire this beach from a distance, you can still enjoy the power of the Pacific Ocean.

Golden Gate Park

Two windmills from the previous photo are located in the Golden Gate Park. The Dutch Windmill is at the forefront while the Murphy Windmill is further back.

It would take about 15 minutes to hike to these windmills from Sutro Heights.

Instead of hiking south and downhill to the Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park, we proceeded north to the Lands End Lookout.

The path brought us to the parking lot and the Point Lobos Avenue. The Avenue crossing lacks a traffic light, which makes crossing it slightly more challenging.

Lands End

The Lands End Lookout features a bathroom, a parking lot, and a trailhead. Hikers have multiple paths to choose from.

• First, you could hike downhill to Sutro Baths and Point Lobos. This path brings visitors next to the 19th century bath ruins and 1909 Cliff House.
• The other option is to take the Coastal Trail.

Since we could see both Sutro Baths and Cliff House from the Lookout, we decided to proceed on the Coastal Trail.

Eastern Coastal Trail Overlook: Golden Gate Bridge

Quite soon we reached the Eastern Coastal Trail Overlook. There we got the first view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This overlook is a great location to spot birds. We spent a few minutes spotting countless pelicans and gulls while enjoying the sunshine.

We hiked the Lands End Trail during a warm and sunny summer day. It was only natural to see numerous yachts sailing the Golden Gate Straight.

Some of the yachts came very close to the ocean cargo ship that was exiting the Bay.

Mile Rock Overlook

It was time for us to continue on our hiking journey. We proceeded on the Coastal Trail until the Mile Rock Overlook.

This viewpoint provided good views of the Lobos Rock, Black Head Rock, and Pyramid Rock next to the coast.

We also got a closer look at the Golden Gate Bridge at one of the unnamed viewpoints nearby. After the Mile Rock Beach trailhead, the Lands End Coastal Trail went inland for a while.

There were no views of the Pacific Ocean or the Golden Gate Bridge for some time. On the bright side, this trail section provides a good opportunity to explore the Coastal California’s plants.

For example, we explored a nasturtium up close. A nasturtium is a plant with bright orange flowers. It is considered invasive in Coastal California.

Deadman’s Point

The Lands End Trail revealed the Golden Gate Straight and became scenic again next to the Deadman’s Point. The trees created a natural tunnel that provided shade and cover to hikers.

China Beach

Before finishing the Lands End Trail at the Eagles Point, we stopped to admire the China Beach and San Francisco skyline views.

Presidio of San Francisco starts with the green area to the left from the beach. It was our next destination.

Presidio of San Francisco

Presidio of San Francisco is an enormous park. Once a military post, it now features several attractions and overlooks. Yet, trails are Presidio’s real treasure. Presidio trails could bring you all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina District.

Presidio’s Lobos Valley Trail is the closest trail to Lands End. You can get to this trail by walking northeast on El Camino Del Mar for about a mile. If we had more time, we would have certainly taken that path.

However, we also planned on visiting Haas-Lilienthal House and had to be strategic about our exploration. We chose to take a Muni Bus 1 to Presidio Heights and hike the Lover’s Lane Trail.

Lover’s Lane

The Lover’s Lane is the oldest footpath through the park. It continues for 0.6 miles (1 km) and has some elevation gain.

Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line is a path next to the Lover’s Lane through a eucalyptus grove. The Wood Line is a series of logs in a zigzag pattern.

The pattern made this path a magnet for tourists and photography lovers. We found the path to be easy to follow yet quite crowded and overrated.

Palace of Fine Arts

We continued through the Presidio, past the Letterman Digital Arts Center to the Palace of Fine Arts. The Palace was our next and final stop on this walk across San Francisco.

Located in the Marina District just outside of the Presidio of San Francisco grounds, this monumental structure is well worth a visit.

The Palace has a long and complicated history. First, it was part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Like the rest of the exhibition buildings, the Palace was supposed to be demolished after the Expo.

Thanks to the preservation efforts, the Palace continued to stand. However, the building’s condition deteriorated over the years. In the end, the Palace was completely rebuilt and reopened in 1974. It is now the only surviving building from the Exposition.

Rotunda

An open rotunda with symmetrical colonnades on both sides is the centerpiece of the Palace.

Nowadays, the Palace of Fine Arts is a San Francisco landmark. Both locals and visitors enjoy the beauty of its architecture and the surrounding area.

Lagoon & Wildlife

The Palace also features a lagoon that serves multiple purposes. It acts as a reflecting pool and attracts wildlife. We spotted countless mallards, ducks, and this juvenile black-crowned night heron during our walk along the lagoon.

Once we arrived at the midpoint of the path, we got an iconic view of the Rotunda and Colonnades behind the lagoon.

Continue with our San Francisco Lands End Guide to learn more about ways to get to the sights, entrance requirements, and places to stay.

Getting to Lands End

Lands End is located in the westernmost part of San Francisco, CA. Our Lands End Guide covers the following trailheads:

• The Lands End Lookout is at 680 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121.
  • This trailhead is best if you plan on hiking Sutro Baths and Point Lobos.
  • There is a spacious free parking lot and a couple of additional smaller parking options at Sutro Heights and Camera Obscura & Holograph Gallery.
  • Based on our research, car break-ins are common at these lots. Do not leave any valuables in your vehicle.
• Another trailhead is located next to the Legion of Honor Museum at 100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121.
  • The parking is free.
  • The guidance on minimizing your car break-in risk applies.
• The Eagles Point is located on the eastern part of Lands End at 916 El Camino Del Mar, San Francisco, CA 94121.
  • It does not have a parking lot nearby but is the closest to the Presidio.

Considering the car break-in risk, you could look into taking public transport to Lands End. You can reach the Lands End Lookout from the Union Square on the Muni Bus 38R. Muni Bus 1 will bring you close to the Eagles Point and Presidio Heights.

• A single ride on Muni costs $2.5 if purchased via the App or on Clipper card and $3 in cash or from a ticket machine.
• A Muni Day Pass costs $5. The pass is worth it if you take a bus, train, or historic streetcar more than twice in a day.

Where to Stay in San Francisco

There are lots of places to stay in San Francisco, CA. However, only a couple of hotels and vacation rentals are within walking distance of Lands End.

You might be better off staying near the Union Square. This area has lots of properties for you to choose from. And thanks to the Muni network, you could reach Lands End in about 40 minutes.

Entrance Requirements & Passes

Lands End is a free park. Its managed by the National Park Service and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Presidio of San Francisco also does not charge admission fees.

Finally, you can enjoy the Palace of Fine Arts grounds free of charge.

Takeaways: Lands End

Lands End, Presidio, and Palace of Fine Arts are beautiful free spots in San Francisco, CA. They are well worth a visit if you enjoy nature and have visited the area’s other major sights. You would need at least half a day to explore all three areas.

Get ready to walk a lot and rely on the public transport. Fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge would serve as a reward for your efforts. Bird watchers would also enjoy these locations thanks to the ease of spotting and the variety of birds.

Take a look at our San Francisco Lands End Video Guide and visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Safe realist travels!