San Francisco has quite a few dog friendly beaches to choose from. Some are in the city (on the ocean and San Francisco Bay), others are just to the south in Daly City and Pacifica, or north across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.
Luckily Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which controls many of the coastal parks and beaches here, is the most dog-friendly national park. As long as they are under voice control, dogs are allowed off-leash at many of the GGNRA beaches. At other beaches leashes are still required, but at least dogs are allowed!
Below is our list of the top dog-friendly beaches in San Francisco.
Off-Leash Dog Beaches
Ocean Beach, San Francisco
Crissy Field Beach West, San Francisco
Crissy Field Beach East, San Francisco
Lands End Beach, San Francisco
Fort Funston Beach, San Francisco
North Baker Nude Beach, San Francisco
Esplanade Beach – North End, Pacifica
Rodeo Beach, Marin County
South Rodeo Beach, Marin County
Muir Beach, Marin County
On-Leash Dog Beaches
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, San Francisco
Thornton State Beach, Daly City
Mussel Rock Park Beach, Daly City
Phillip Burton Beach, Daly City
Sharp Park Beach, Pacifica
Rockaway Beach, Pacifica
Pacifica State Beach, Pacifica
Fort Baker, Marin County
Upton Beach, Marin County
Beaches on this map
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Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach is a long beach spanning the entire Sunset District of San Francisco from Cliff House south to Sloat Boulevard. It’s also a wide beach especially when compared to […]
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Crissy Field – East Beach
East Beach in San Francisco is located at the east end of Crissy Field Park in the old Presidio Area of what is now Golden Gate National Recreation Area. From […]
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Crissy Field – West Bluff Beach
The beach at West Bluff Picnic Area is located at the west end of Crissy Field Park right below Fort Point National Historic Site and very near the Golden Gate […]
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Mile Rock Beach at Lands End
Mile Rock Beach is in a small cove tucked below Lands End Point in San Francisco’s portion of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The view from Lands End includes the […]
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Fort Funston Beach
Fort Funston is the southernmost beach on the Pacific Coast side of San Francisco and is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Fort Funston is known for windy conditions […]
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North Baker Beach
North Baker Beach is the clothing-optional area of Baker Beach in San Francisco. Starting at Baker Beach, as you walk north it becomes more likely that you’ll see beachgoers sans […]
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Esplanade Beach
Esplanade Beach is below Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica, CA. This narrow beach is below a steep fast-eroding bluff with few access points. The south access to Esplanade Beach is at […]
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Rodeo Beach
Rodeo Beach is a wide pebble beach on the sand spit that separates Rodeo Lagoon from Rodeo Cove on the west side of the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National […]
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South Rodeo Beach
South Rodeo Beach is a small beach in a secluded cove south of Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. It has a reputation as a clothing-optional beach. At low tide you […]
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Muir Beach
Muir Beach (the beach) is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area and located in the small town of Muir Beach, California. Redwood Creek flows down to the ocean here, […]
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Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is an urban park on San Francisco Bay next to Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA. Windsurfers launch here and ride in an area known […]
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Thornton State Beach
Thornton State Beach is a remote beach below tall bluffs just south of San Francisco. The park is known for the hiking and equestrian trails on the bluff terraces high […]
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Mussel Rock Park Beach
Mussel Rock Park is made up of a lot of trails connecting to paragliding launch points on a hillside in south Daly City. The shoreline below the park is bouldery […]
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Phillip Burton Memorial Beach
Phillip Burton Memorial Beach is the name of the beach between Thornton State Beach and Fort Funston Beach. Burton Beach is at the foot of a large open hillside next […]
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Sharp Park Beach
Sharp Park Beach is located along Beach Boulevard in Pacifica, CA. The park is a narrow strip of land with grass and picnic tables and benches above the sandy beach. […]
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Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach is a popular brown colored sandy beach in Pacifica, CA. Right next to the beach are restaurants and hotels so you can spend the day or even a […]
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Pacifica State Beach (Linda Mar)
Pacifica State Beach is located in a wide cove in the southern part of Pacifica, California. The city of Pacifica manages the facilities at the beach and calls it Linda […]
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Fort Baker Beach on Horseshoe Cove
Fort Baker is a historic army post at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge that was built in the early 1900’s. It’s now a park within the Golden […]
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Upton Beach
Upton Beach is a Marin County Park located at the transition between two beaches, Stinson Beach and Seadrift Beach. This is a less-known beach access, but a good one. The […]