Lands End Trail

Very scenic and beautiful. Best hiking trail in SF hands down. It’s about a 4 mile hike to the end and back. Went with my husband after having a nice breakfast at Louis’ near the cliff house. It’s a great hike for a romantic stroll or scenic workouts. Dog friendly as well.

A gorgeous 1.7 mile trail in western San Francisco. Driving here and parking was easy — they have a big lot with a visitors center and bathrooms. Once you get on the trail though, there are no more bathrooms, so make sure you are prepared. Also bring water! On a sunny day the walk can be dehydrating.
The trail itself is not too strenuous. There are gorgeous views of the bay and a distant view of the a Golden Gate Bridge (which is usually shrouded in fog). There are some steps but not too many. I would recommend taking the detour about half way through down to the beach, which is beautiful and has many rocks with waves crashing on them. There are a fair number of steps down though, so make sure to factor the climb back up in as well.

Third time here, This place is AMAZING. My review might be a little bias since I live in New York City, where there is really not much green around. The hike is very easy, and the paths are all well maintained, entrances were also well marked. My favorite part about lands end is the mile rock beach — if you come on a weekday it’s usually pretty empty and you can go and explore all the tide pools down there, I’ve seen starfish, crabs, shrimp, small fish, and mussels galore. I will say just watch out for the tide! It can come in pretty quick and you don’t want to be stuck further down the beach when the tide comes in… you might not be able to get back to path if that happens.
OH! and be sure to keep an eye out for whales! I saw a few whales surfacing in the bay.

The most gorgeous hike I have ever been on. But then again… I have only hiked in LA. The weather was perfect and the history of this trail makes it quite unique. As I was walking around, I thought to myself, «This is such a nice date spot.» So I would recommend it for a date. The incline is not much so a very casual exerciser like me felt fine.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love the city by the bay any more.
The hike is so easy just about anyone can do it. Even my out of shape self did some huffing walking up those stairs but, just take your time to enjoy the outdoors was fantastic.
Rain or shine, just be sure to wear shoes you don’t mind getting muddy.
The view was stellar. On a beautiful day, we had unobstructed views of the Golden Gate. No fog. Just sun and sea.
On the cliff, there’s a man made rock labyrinth. It’s neat and unexpected.
We climbed a hill next to the labyrinth for a higher view and just talked and took the scene all on.
I wish we had packed some food to have a small picnic up there.
Love being able to see the city by the bay, LITERALLY, right by the bay!!!

Incredible views. Great trail. Very scenic and relaxing. Very happy I stumbled upon this place!!!

There is everything in this hike. Views, ability to go on trail runs, take your kid on a stroller or just look at the views and get lost in another world all together!
Parking is tricky but if you could park at the beach and walk up … It’s worth every bit of your time! We have seen dolphins seals and whales while hiking in this area. Don’t miss hiking the whole 6 miles or stop at eagle point… Or even going to the beach. This is a must do fun thing in Bay Area

Beautiful trail but can be a bit crowded. The path takes you to all the coveted photo spots and views of the city and bridge. Plenty of parking and easily accessible by both public transportation and car. Great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city while still being in the city!

I came from out of town, with friends, to check out the hiking trail at Lands End. We took the suggested path listed on their website and started off at the Visitor Center to enrich ourselves with knowledge for the hike. After we made our way to the Sutro Baths which we all thought were pretty neat! Shorty after we began our hike. We all enjoyed the different types of greenery along the trail. I loved seeing the colorful blooming flowers that were littered throughout. The trail provides lovely views overlooking the ocean and in the distance you are able to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Absolutely breath-​taking!
This hiking trail is much more scenic rather than strenuous. However, you will find that the trail contains a lot of stairs. The longest one being the stairway going back up from the Lands End Point. It will surely make you break a sweat!
The trail has so much to offer! From the Sutro Baths, USS San Francisco Memorial, Meditation Labyrinth, and everything in between! I’m just glad that I was finally able to mark the meditation labyrinth off my bucket list of things to see.

SF hiking and views do not get old. ANOTHER amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge? Um, yes please. Drive out along Lincoln or Fulton or through Golden Gate Park and then turn right and drive up Great Highway along Ocean Beach. If you’ve got the time, you can park at the Cliff House and walk down to check out the Sutro Baths and then up the hill to the Lands End trail, or you can follow the curve from Great Highway as it becomes Point Lobos Avenue, and look for the parking lot on the left after you pass this little restaurant called Louie’s. Parking in the Lands End Trail lot isn’t easy, but if you wait a little while, you’ll eventually get a space.
The visitor center is AWESOME, there’s a café and one of the most interesting gift shops They also have clean bathrooms that open around 9am. Perfect little SF spot for a different perspective of the ever gorgeous GGB.

You need a wind breaker to come here! There are so many good places to take photos here! Went with a friend and it was very fun! The trail is not bad, as its pretty flat except a few stair areas. Those baths in the beginning are very beautiful.
I love the trees here as well! Theres a nice place to sit on them. Love it!

Came here for the second time last week & I think it’s become one of my favorite hikes in SF!
It’s a pretty simple walk (but there are some killer stairs on the way up and down to the actual Lands Ends Rocks). It’s also located right now to Sutro Baths — which is another great place to adventure & look around. This trail is pretty popular but not overly crowded — My friends & I came around 1030AM on a Sunday & decided to hike the entire trail as well as the one to the rocks.
When’re you hiking down the path, there’ll become a point (around 10 minutes) where you’ll see a bunch of stairs on your left heading down. THIS is where you should go if you want to see the rocks at the bottom. Once you get there, there’s an AMAZING view of the golden gate bridge! When we went this time around, there was a line of (2 parties?) that were waiting to take pictures. We ended up just leaving because we wanted to continue the rest of the trail until it ended.
Overall, the hike took us around an hour and a half (since we decided to linger around at the rocks & stopped for random pictures on the trail).
PARKING is free! So that’s a huge plus.
I would say this is a must when you’re in SF! It’s really hyped up but for good reason (=

Lovely trail, a great way to burn off some calories and spend a couple of hours.
=== Trail
Moderate trail, most part of the trail is accessible, some portions of the trail requires climbing up and down stairs. They are open from 8am to sunset, though it seems that because it is a city location and fairly litted, the docents mentioned they are not that hard on imposing the time restriction. Access to the park is free which is nice.
Started off by dropping by the new Lands End Visitor Centre, a very modern and nicely decorated visitor centre. The docents are super patient with the endless flow of traffic. Picked up some maps for other parks too.
We started walking from the visitor centre, down to the Sutro Bath and up the stairs to start on the Coastal trail. There are alternative options to get to the coastal trail if you would like to avoid the stairs.
Had wanted to check out the Lands End Ladyrinth, unfortunately, we went the WRONG way and missed it completely. As we didn’t feel like going up and down the 360+ steps, so we took a snapshot of it from above instead. There are no good signages to tell you how to get there! Best is to ask!
=== Parking
There are street parking available nearer to the Cliff House and a decent sized parking lot at the visitor centre. You may have to spin a couple of rounds before landing one but overall it shouldn’t be that hard. Saw a couple of signages that highlight car thefts are common in that area, so reminder not to put anything valuable in your car or at least hide them.
Overall, love the walk, pretty sure we will come back another time.
Oh yes, it does get a little chilly, so wear/​bring layers!

A beautiful trail with nice views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a really simple hike, but more of a walk in the park with some small hills, stairs, and off trail paths. The best part of it all is that it’s right next to Sutro Baths, another popular tourist hotspot. Two birds with one stone am I right? I would compare its popularity to be the Mission Peak in Fremont of San Francisco. This place always attracts tons of tourists so walking along the path can get really busy and slightly congested. I would suggest starting your hike from the parking lot. The other end starts at the Legion of Honor Museum, which is more situated in the residential area of Outer Richmond. Also, be sure to see Land’s End Labyrinth on your way down the stairs! It’s an amazing piece of art highly cherished by the local community.
TIP: (1) Come here on a foggy day if you want quality photos of Karl the fog engulfing all the Cypress trees. (2) Don’t be afraid to be adventurous and wander off trail. (3) For families with a baby, don’t bring a stroller. It just becomes unnecessarily difficult for you to carry and push the darn thing.

This is such a beautiful trail. It is more of a stroll, not an intense hike — but do bring a good pair of walking shoes, a light jacket, maybe some snacks & lunch, and of course, a camera.
Dogs are allowed, so it would be fun to bring your four legged companion along! Every path you take the views are amazing. If you want to go straight to the stone formation/​Labyrinth, keep walking towards the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There will be some big stairs, but nothing too intense.
I personally thought the rock formation was going to be bigger. but it was still cute! It’s all about the angles in the pictures that make it look bigger of course ;) We also witnessed a proposal by the edge of the cliffs as well! So romantic!

Love this place! First time here and it was the perfect day to come for a coastal stroll on Valentine’s Day.
Try to come early, parking can be a nightmare later in the morning and afternoon. Smh. I got there around 1030am. The view was just astonishing. Sparkling blue pacific aligned with the sun rays and crashing waves.
We came here specifically for the labyrinth artwork. There’s really no signs for this, so follow the coastal trail. We did a few detour to see certain things, but didn’t want to go all the way down and have to climb back up. (Totally not leg day, hehe)
Keep an eye out for some stairs to the left, those are the stairs to the labyrinth… otherwise you’ll end up at baker’s beach and the Golden Gate Bridge!
Gotta go! Amazing views.

Gorgeous views, easy walk, and there are stairs on all the trails so it makes for a simple hike when going up the hills. Definitely check out the Sutro Baths and The Labyrinth. I wouldn’t recommend causal clothing or anything but good walking shoes but I saw a lot of people dressed to take pictures and not to hike around. It can get pretty windy too so always bring light jackets.
You can definitely spend hours on this trail and walk all the way to Baker Beach from the Cliff House. Just forewarned that it will be crowded on the weekends.

Absolutely stunning view at Lands End trail. To get there from the Legions of Honors, you will cut through a golf course.
It is a very easy trail, not really a hike, more like a stroll. There are stairs and gradual inclines, but are not too bad. Although nothing technical, I would suggest wearing shoes with good grip, as the trail does get muddy sometimes, especially if you are going down to the rocky beach area.
Once you get down the stairs towards the Labyrinth, there will be a fork, if you keep going down you will go to the rocky beach area, where you can enjoy the scene of huge waves hitting the shore, but you can’t see the GG bridge too well from this site. There are also many colorful rocks at this beach. At the Labyrinth, you get amazing view of the golden gate bridge. During peak hours, there are quite a lot of people at the Labyrinth, so you might need to wait in line to take pictures. And of course, come on a sunny and clear day so you can enjoy the best view possible!
This is a great spot for light hiking, or running. I would definitely come back again for the breathtaking view!

One of the most beautiful spots in the city and one of my personal favorite places to walk. If you’re over the suspiciously smelly places in downtown and other major tourist areas, then this is the perfect place to getaway. It gets a little busy on the weekends, but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting! It’s not much of a difficult hike. There’s some short areas that can test your legs and lungs, but overall it’s like a «Yay, I’m getting a good workout» as opposed to «I am literally dying» kind of feeling.
I recommend checking out a map of the place so you can find out where the labyrinth and other brief rest areas are. The labyrinth area has an amazing, unobstructed view of the Golden Gate Bridge (if it’s not foggy!) and the cliffs around. Definitely the perfect rest stop on this beautiful trail! Since it’s by the ocean, it can get a little chilly, so it wouldn’t hurt to bring an extra jacket with you.
There’s a bunch of different areas you can park. The lot right next to the Sutro Baths fill up quite fast, not surprising since it has such a great view of the ocean. I recommend entering on El Camino Del Mar, where there are a lot more parking spots!

Beautiful, majestic views of the ocean and Bay. Quite a gem of San Francisco. It can be a very different environment depending on what time of day or night you are there — dawn, mid-​day, sunset, night. All awesome.
I come here on occasion with my family to hike along the trail. My favorite visit so far was when I walked with my son at sunset. We started at Sutro Baths and walked past the USS San Francisco memorial. The fog was rolling in off the ocean while the sun was setting. Amazing.
There is a mix of tourist groups, joggers, families, groups of teenagers, and photographers.
It’s a flat trail and is appropriate for all ages. Plenty of parking too. I am sometimes surprised to see how few people are walking the trail, but no complaints ;)

Diese Wanderung ist ein absolutes Muss — sowohl, wenn man in San Francisco nur zu Besuch ist, als auch wenn man hier wohnt. In der Tat, jedes Mal, wenn ich den Lands End Trail wandere, verliebe ich mich wieder aufs Neue in die Stadt!
Und so macht man’s:
— Man nimmt den 38er Bus bis Point Lobos (das zieht sich ganz schön hin, also am besten ein gutes Buch mitnehmen)
— An der Endstation aussteigen und dann in Richtung Sutro Baths laufen und von dort dem Lands End Trail folgen
— Beim Miles End Beach der Treppe nach unten folgen und die raue Meeresluft bei dem Stein-​Labyrinth genießen
— Dann den Pfad wieder aufnehmen und dann ist’s noch ein gutes Stück bis zur Straße, wo der offiziellen Pfad endet.
— Über den Golfplatz kann man dann wieder in Richtung Geary Street laufen und von dort den Bus nach Downtown nehmen
Wem das hier nicht lang genug ist, dem empfehle ich Uli’s Tageswanderung (6 – 8 Stunden:
— Man startet am Ende der N-​Linie und läuft am Ozean entlang bis zum Clift House;
— Dann dem oben-​beschriebenen Lands End Trail folgen
— Dann durch die Bonzengegend namens Seacliff laufen, bis man zum Baker Beach kommt;
— Am Strand entlang laufen und am Ende führt eine steile Treppe die Düné hinauf;
— Dann dem Pfad zur Golden Gate Bridge laufen;
— Und von dort geht’s hinunter zu Crissy Fields;
— Crissy Fields entlanglaufen bis zum Marina Yachthafen;
— Von dort den 30er Bus zurück in die Stadt nehmen.