Batteries to Bluffs Trail

quiet, great view of Golden Gate Bridge and north bay ridge
parking is easy

This is possibly the most scenic walking path in San Francisco. The stairs can be a little slippery on foggy days, so bring good shoes. We usually catch the Muni bus to Lands End (near the Cliff House) and walk the Lands End Trail to Baker Beach, then walk up the sand stairs to the Batteries to Bluffs trailhead, then take the Batteries to Bluffs Trail to the Golden Gate Bridge. Then take the Muni back home. We love having great trails that are easily accessible by public transit.

Great little trail that leads you right down to the «beach» in San Francisco. It’s not that bad of a hike and any level hiker can do it. Make sure you bring water on hot days though. The best part is making it all the way down the trail and walk along to beach towards the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s nice because all tourists are on the OTHER side of the bridge, and this side allows for some great and dramatic photo ops.

This trail is on any must lists in SF. I usually run right by it on my way to the bridge but never actually went down the steps to the beach until yesterday. Great dramatic views on the way down and a pretty good workout on the way back. All in all a short hike so its good if you have a time constraints and offers pretty great views of the Golden Gate.

Thank you Unilocalers. Away from the Memorial day weekend crowds in the Presidio. Easy down hill hike and moderate uphill hike on the way back. Great photo ops along the way.

Batteries to Bluffs trail is an amazing short hike that isn’t super crowded and an excellent quick workout. You can park in the overflow lot by the Golden Gate Bridge to extend your walk, but be aware that currently you can’t walk under the bridge (which I did on my first jaunt here a few years ago.) If you do park there, you can simply walk up Lincoln to the trailhead. This time around, we parked at the lot near Langdon Court. Word of caution-don’t leave anything on your seat-​the folks next to us had just returned to their car to find a smashed window.
The Batteries to Bluffs portion of the trail itself is just about ½ a mile, but it’s half a mile of glorious coastal shrub, wildflowers and scenic views. You can take a quick detour to Marshall’s Beach along the way. While the trail itself is relatively short and easy, there are some serious stair climbs both ways to get a bit of a burn. Once you hit Battery Crosby, you can continue on the Coastal Trail towards Baker Beach or take a detour to Immigration Point for some extra stairs. I did both and enjoyed a little bit more of the coast. On the way back, you get endless views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. It almost (almost) made me forget about the steep stairs I had to climb on my way out.
It’s all very scenic and a great option for a shorter outdoor excursion. Trails weren’t too crowded but seems to be more popular now, then when I visited a few years back. It’s very well maintained, well signed and includes ample parking. A must do for anyone who likes to explore various city trails.

A very simple hike. It’s almost like a walk at the park. Except that there’s a bunch of stairs, and it leads you to a beautiful view at the coastline, heading towards Marshall’s beach, where you can catch some really sweet photos of the Golden Gate Bridge!
Now beware, if you’re too scared to see strangers’ butts completely naked, this might not be the place for you. It’s a nude beach. But! My friends and I only spotted one naked guy in his own little private area away from everyone else. We went on a Wednesday, and here was like about 8 – 10 people on that beach, including me and 3 of my friends.
The hike is so easy and simple, I don’t see a reason for anyone not make a pit stop here for some beautiful pictures of waves and the Golden Gate Bridge. The walk is less than a mile long.

Solid hike. A friend and I came from the Land’s End trail and decided to give Batteries to Bluffs a try. This trail is actually a bit of a hike – lots of incline and steps. The path is pretty paved so it’s definitely not a hard hike to walk physically but it is a bit strenuous and you’ll probably sweat doing it! Great work out though with some lovely views of the Bay. You also get to this part where you get to see what I assume were old military bases that’s kinda cool. all in all, if you’re in love with the GGB, you’ll be in love with this trail. It’s a little hard to follow, but if you walk along Baker Beach and just keep taking the path closer to the ocean, you’ll scale the perimeter of the Presidio and end up right at the foot of the GGB. Unfortunately they’re doing construction on the part of the trail that loops you underneath the bridge so my friend and I ended up calling it quits once we hit the bridge.
As many have said, the main reason I love this trail is that it’s all in the same city of SF. It’s just always so mindblowing to me how we’re really only like a 5 min drive away from your typical city life. It’s a wonderful nature escape.
tldr; awesome hike, great workout and stunning views of the GGB!

Don’t stop here for taking pictures! It is a well known «smash & grab» area. Some idiots break the windows of rental cars and take everything. Be careful!

Woke up one morning and craved a good hike, but didn’t have time to do any research and wasn’t able to be gone for too long.
Thanks to Unilocal,I discovered this trail and was able to drive here in less than 10 minutes from my place. I was pleasantly surprised to find it less urban than I expected, without being overcrowded.
The signs are easy to read, once you get within the vicinity of any of the trail heads you’re able to find easy parking and get down to the beach trail quickly. I enjoyed a good 4 mile trail run, got my dose of nature and all was right with the world.

I highly recommend this trail — Even when you’ve been lulled into not realizing how beautiful Northern California truly is, this little stretch just south of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Presidio is a reminder of how amazing The City shows it’s Natural Beauty. This is worth seeing, and if you live here and haven’t seen it, you need to go soon.
This trail starts at the Golden Gate Bridge and ends at Baker Beach. If you’re not familiar with the geography, this is right along the West of the Golden Gate Narrows heading out to the Pacific Ocean. It’s an elevated trail along the water, so the views are pretty sweet. I posted some photos.
There are a number of off-​shoots to the trail, including Marshall Beach towards the North-​End, and several forays into the Presidio. Also, make sure to check out the World War 2 (should be Two) Memorial — It’s about halfway down the trail. I think it’s probably more fun to start at the Bridge and walk down hill, as the trail loses elevation as it descends to Baker Beach.
To get back from the Beach, you can walk up to ²⁵⁄₂₆^th just North of California, Clement, Geary. You can also take the 29 Muni up, and take that or transfer at the 1 — California, 2 — Clement or 38 — Geary, East or West. East gets you back towards downtown.
If you don’t know more about The Presidio, check it out!

I loved this trail, it was a great work out and the views were amazing despite the fog. We went in May and it was sunny, a little foggy, of course there is a nice breeze. It’s a very tranquil place to be at, I don’t know what else I can say except go and see for yourself and take it all in.

Did this trail a few weeks ago and it was tiring! It’s lots of stairs so be prepared, but the finish line is soo worth it. The lovely Pacific Ocean the Golden Gate Bridge very iconic San Francisco awaits you after all those steps. We went in August so it was a chilly afternoon, but gain those steps are a great work out.
If you have the time this is a definite must do and when we went it wasn’t too crowded.

I think the trail was decent. In my opinion, it’s not AS great as most people rate it. The views are nice don’t get me wrong, I like the whole different perspectives and what not. & how the views like the bridge look sooo amazing when it’s up close and you can just walk on the beach with the soothing sound of the waves. But the trail itself wasn’t that bad.

Absolutely beautiful views along the trail and down on the beach!
I did a six mile walk across the GG Bridge and back before doing this short trail. I waited until early evening to get better dusk lighting — the results were pretty nice although I’d like to go again a bit later. Wow, the number of stairs down and up is incredible. I think I counted 316 stairs up on the northern section. I didn’t count going down…
The views of the bridge, ocean, and Marshall’s Beach from the trail and the beach are amazing on a clear day. This was the closest I’d gotten to the western side of the GG Bridge and it afforded great pics. Not many people seem to use this trail as I only saw four others down on the beach and just a handful on the stairs.

How amazing is it that you could just walk away from the hustle and bustle of the San Francisco’s streets just by walking down a few flights of stairs to the beautiful coastal trails?
I do agree with others, enter Langdon Court** into your GPS so that you don’t accidentally find yourselves on the Marine side of Goldy. There’s dirt parking if all the parking spaces are taken and the trail starts just beyond the trees.
The stairs wasn’t too much of a problem for me, however I did slack a bit since I’m slightly outta shape. The view was beautiful even though I ended up visiting on a over cast day. None the less, the sound of the ocean crashing and a hidden boat horn going off into the distance made me appreciate the trail even more. I walked down the sandy stairs onto Baker Beach and man was that a pain in the ass! I was slippin’ down and for a moment the wire rails were too high for me to reach. I walked on the sea shore and headed back onto the coastal trail back towards the car. In all, about four miles. I did take the advice of another reviewer and stopped by The Sandwich Spot a few miles into the city. Overall, a fantastic hike!

SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL.
It was so difficult to find the address for this place that we accidentally ended up going over the Golden Gate bridge missing the turn before it. ENTER LANGDON COURT IN YOUR GPS PEOPLE to avoid the unnecessary tourist detour. This parking lot will leave you directly in front of the trail, you can thank me later after climbing all those stairs.
I do not consider myself an expert hiker, I go to the gym 3 times a week and avoid the Stairmaster as much as possible but I survived! The scenery is breathtaking and by the time we made it down to Marshall’s Beach we had the entire beach to ourselves… almost. I did find one homeless man sleeping behind some stacked up rocks and ran away terrified of waking him up.
Avoid the Lands End hype and come here instead, you will find it to be less crowded and more peaceful.

Gorgeous ocean views with the Golden Gate in the background. Perfect for photo ops. It can be a short hike or long hike depending on how far you want to walk. The hubby and I parked up on the hill near the Pacific Overlook and walked all the way down to the Coastal Trails, and continued walking across the GG Bridge from end to end. It was beautiful and I can’t wait to come back!

So, I enjoy hiking, exploring and iPhone photography — and this trail network is badass for all three! I started from the parking lot down on Baker Beach, walked the beach for a bit, then climbed one of the gnarliest sets of «stairs» ever to the top of the hill (this was after a 30 mile bike ride in the morning — my legs were smoked!) Wow, killer views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach, the open ocean with ships headed in/​out and turn of the century artillery batteries that line the hills near the opening of The SF Bay. Seriously, if you like outdoor activities, seeing cool stuff and taking photos that will seriously impress — this is the place! I gotta go again… soon! 5+ stars.

My favorite trail in the Presidio by far! It is a short trail (barely a mile), but what it lacks in length it makes up for in difficulty. It should be renamed the Stair Master. However, you forget about the stairs you are going up and down, when you stop and take a look at the beautiful view… WOW! You see the ocean and amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge. On a clear day, it is well worth the effort. This trail can also lead you down to the beach if you’re interested.
This trail is not accessible and I would not really recommend it for small children, it is very narrow, on the cliff side and full of stairs.

One of the best views in the world. You can basically take the stairs from Baker Beach to Immigration Point Overlook. I use the stairs for hill training which is one of the toughest workouts I do.
For those looking for a good photo of the Golden Gate Bridge, you will get some great vantage points of the bridge on this trail (just don’t focus your camera lens on Baker or Marshal beach… NAKED PEOPLE!)