Here’s a map of all the beaches in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are 26 of them around the San Francisco area. Some are south of the Golden Gate Bridge including beaches in Pacifica and Daly City, and some are north of the bridge in Marin County. The city of San Francisco has Golden Gate NRA beaches along the downtown city waterfront, in the Presidio area, below Lands End, and around Fort Funston.
Things to do in Golden Gate NRA
- Hiking is one of the biggest activities. Many of the beaches require a hike to reach them anyway, but venturing farther is easy with trails that meander about the bluffs.
- Visit historical military structures. There so many to see, but some of the best can be found on the Marin Headlands (Kirby and South Rodeo are the best), Fort Baker, Fort Funston, and Lands End. The ruins of the Sutro Baths are a non-military site worth visiting just south of Lands End.
- Photograph lighthouses. See Point Bonita Lighthouse, Fort Point Lighthouse (under Golden Gate Bridge), Mile Rock Lighthouse at Lands End Beach, and even Alcatraz. From many different vantage points in Golden Gate National Recreation Area you can also photograph the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Rent a bike to see more beaches. The Marin Headlands has a bike lane and the entire San Francisco waterfront from Fishermans Terminal to Ocean Beach is bikable.
GGNRA is one of our favorite national parks because all the beaches have free access and free parking! Alcatraz Island is the only exception as it requires an inexpensive ferry trip to get there (swimming is not advised). Of course, this means that some of the parking areas will be full when you get there (the Marin Headlands beaches for example), but the tourists usually move through quickly so patience is rewarded.
The park has many visitor centers where you can stop in an ask questions about trails, beaches, historical features to discover, and much more.
Dogs are welcomed in some parts of the recreation area. Read about all the pet rules and areas here.
Many of these beaches are kid-friendly, but Stinson Beach is the only beach in the park with lifeguards. Use caution when playing in the surf at the wild beaches such as Ocean Beach where rip currents are strong.
Below is a list of the beaches in Golden Gate National Recreation Area from south to north.
Beaches on this map
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Mori Point
Mori Point is an open space on a high bluff in Pacifica that was acquired by the National Park Service in 2004. Since then the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy […]
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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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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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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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Golden Gate Park Beach
Golden Gate Park Beach is technically the northern part of Ocean Beach within Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The beach in front of the park stretches from Lincoln Way to […]
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Sutro Baths
The ruins of the Sutro Baths are an historic site on the western waterfront of San Francisco. In March of 1896 these elaborate privately-owned saltwater and freshwater pools opened to […]
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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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China Beach
China Beach is a small locals beach in San Francisco. The cove where China Beach Cove is located is protected by rock walls on both sides creating an area that […]
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Baker Beach
Baker Beach is a large popular beach not far from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. On sunny weekends both parking lots could be full and all the spaces along […]
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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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Marshall’s Beach
Marshall’s Beach is a long narrow secluded beach that stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point National Historic Site all the way south to North Baker Beach. Because […]
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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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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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Aquatic Park Cove
Aquatic Park Cove has a narrow sandy beach and a grass park at the end of the Hyde Street Cable Car line on the San Francisco Waterfront. The cove is […]
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Alcatraz Island
The infamous Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It doesn’t have any beaches, but a visit to “The Rock” is still worth the price of […]
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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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Kirby Cove Beach
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 […]
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Black Sands Beach
Black Sands Beach is a south-facing dark sand beach below the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are great city views to be had just a few […]
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Point Bonita Lighthouse
Point Bonita Lighthouse is out on the rocky point on the north side of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. There is no beach access from this point, but there […]
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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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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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Tennessee Cove Beach
Tennessee Cove Beach is a dark sand beach on the west side of the Marin Headlands in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The beach at Tennessee Cove requires a two-mile […]
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Pirates Cove Beach
Pirates Cove Beach is a small, hard to reach beach along the Marin County coastline south of the Muir Beach community. Like many of the beaches in the Marin area, […]
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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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Slide Ranch Beach
Slide Ranch Beach is located at Slide Ranch, a non-profit farm for education that is situated on national park property north of Muir Beach, CA. The grounds are open to […]
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Stinson Beach
Stinson Beach (the beach) is a large public beach within Golden Gate National Recreation Area located in the town of Stinson Beach, California. It’s a popular getaway about an hour […]
