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About Kirby Cove Beach in Sausalito, California

Kirby Cove Beach is at the base of the Marin Headlands north of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The view from the beach is stunning with the city of San Francisco framed under the wide span of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Access to the beach requires a one-mile descent on the old Kirby Cove Road from the parking lot on Conzelman Road. This is also the parking area for the Golden Gate Bridge Viewpoint at Battery Spencer on the bluff’s edge. Be sure to visit this vista before hiking down to the beach. Kirby Cove itself is one of the best places to photograph the Golden Gate Bridge.

There are tent camp spots in Kirby Cove next to the historic military gun site of Battery Kirby which sits right behind the beach. Reservations can be booked each morning for 3 months in the future (camping is open from sometime in March through November). There is no drinking water at the camp so carry it in even if you are there just for the day.

The beach itself is made up of red and brown dark sand and millions of colorful pebbles. Take off your shoes to feel this course sand with your feet.

On the walk down to the cove look for another graffiti-covered gun placement site hidden in the trees on the left not far from the top (Battery Wagner). The gravel road is well-graded and open to bikes if that is how you plan to see the Headlands.

Unfortunately the tree branch that held the famous Kirby Cove tree swing on the east end has been cut down by the Park Service (party poopers).

Address
Conzelman Rd
Sausalito, CA 94965
Phone
41-561-4700
Park Name
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Other Names
Battery Kirby, Battery Spencer, Battery Wagner
Pet Details
No dogs allowed at the cove
Fees
Free parking, fees for camping
Activities
Camping, Photography, Hiking, Biking
Amenities
Tent Campground, Historic Military Sites, Viewpoint, Picnic Tables, BBQs, Restrooms
Map of Kirby Cove Beach
Sausalito, US
10:37 pm, March 28, 2024
temperature icon 50°F
L: 50° H: 56°
Feels like 48.81 °F overcast clouds
Wind gusts: 3 m/s
UV Index: 0
Precipitation: 0.01 inch
Visibility: 10 km
Sunrise: 7:00 am
Sunset: 7:29 pm
Humidity 82 %
Pressure1015 mb
Wind 3 m/s

Nearby Beaches

Black Sands Beach

0.9 miles away

Black Sands Beach is a south-facing dark sand beach below the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National Recreation Area....

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Nearby Attractions

Nearby Lodging

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