Kirby Cove Beach
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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
- Owner
- National Park
- 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
Nearby Beaches
Fort Baker Beach on Horseshoe Cove
0.8 miles away
Fort Baker is a historic army post at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge that was built...
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....
Fort Point National Historic Site
1.2 miles away
Fort Point National Historic Site doesn’t have a sandy beach, but it’s location at the Golden Gate makes it...
Nearby Attractions
Kirby Cove Swing
0.1 miles away
Update: Apparently the National Park Service has cut down the branch that held the swing, so it no longer...
Golden Gate Bridge Vista at Battery Spencer
0.4 miles away
The Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point is up in the Marin Headlands high above the bridge deck of this...
Nearby Lodging
Marin Headlands Hostel
1.6 miles away
With your choice of private rooms, family rooms or dorms, the Marin Headlands Hostel supplies space for upwards of...
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