Abbots Lagoon is a great option for a short and sweet hike that will show you lots of what Point…read moreReyes has to offer. The hike is about one mile each way. It starts in a small, clearly labeled parking lot, and ends between a lagoon and sand dunes, a few hundred yards from the ocean. Continuing to the ocean is allowed, but the trail is not maintained after the lagoon, which means you have to hike over some small sand dunes. Bikes are not allowed on the sand dunes, but there is a bike rack at the end of the trail where they can be locked up. I noticed people fishing at the lagoon, which is apparently allowed (according to Google) if you follow all of the state and park rules. There must be a lot of fish in the lagoon, because there were plenty of egrets and herons there to hunt them. Professional-looking photographers were also abundantly present. Out of all the trails I hiked in Point Reyes over the past few weeks (which was almost all of them), I saw the most California Golden Poppies on this trail. There were also lots of other wildflowers, although I wouldn't be able to name every single one. On my way back to my car, I encountered a couple who told me that they had just seen an otter scooting down the trail. While I didn't personally witness this, it sounded pretty cool. This trail is short, lush, and relatively flat. I wouldn't call it the best trail in Point Reyes, but for one mile each way, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Great spot for bird watching! Wildflowers too! We had a pair of otters.About a mile hike out…read more Benches are available along the hike.

4.4 stars Point…read moreReyes Nat'l Seashore is beautiful, there is no denying that. It was incorparted into the National Park System in 1962. It's cultural history spans 5,000 years to the Coast Miwok Indians and the park itself has 120 known Miwok village sites. Historians believe that Francis Drake was the first European to have landed in the area in 1579. And in the early 1800s, Mexican land grants led to the establishment of ranches where the dairy and cheese became highly sought after. Finally, in 1870, the Point Reyes Lighthouse was built and was in operation for 105 years. A fairly recent controversy happened in 2022 when some environmentalist groups sued the park for continuing to lease land to cattle ranchers, claiming it was disrupting the protected lands native species as well as changing the landscape. In 2026, 12 out of the 14 ranches are expected to vacate Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore as part of the settlement. My experience here has been positive. The drive in is gorgeous and the views near the lighthouse is jaw-dropping - tall grass, blooming flowers, happy cows, and largely untouched land. However, it gets windy as I drove closer to the lighthouse parking area. The winds blew harder walking towards it. The visitor's center is small and is a welcome shelter from the wind. They sell stickers, chocolates, and magnets here. The walk down the stairs to the lighthouse feels steep and scary. There are wood platforms that allow for rest and photos, but even those feel flimsy against the might of the wind. Once I got to the lighthouse, the views were just ok and it was just too crowded. The walk up the 313 steps was painful lol. There is limited parking and, if it gets too crowded, the park rangers will turn people away a couple miles before reaching the top. There are vaulted toilets (no sink) in the parking lot and regular flush toilets closer to visitor's center, but they both have long lines...I waited about 15 minutes, but the lines do get longer. The trails around the area are not dog-friendly, but I do see service dogs. The only dog-friendly areas are Drake beach, which have various entrances since it's so big. But, no matter what, beware of the deer ticks. They are everywhere and will bite humans or dogs.

I am so lucky to live in the Bay Area and can easily make a trip to this awesome national park…read more From history lessons and breathtaking views to a great cardio workout taking the 200+ steps down to the lighthouse and back up. The weather is a a toss up but you can bet on wind. It's super popular on weekends so arrive early to find a spot to park. Be sure to checkout both north and south beach while you're there. If you see a ranger thank them for their public service.

Look - You probably won't do much more than drive past this spot. I would hesitate to write a full…read morereview, but the one other review is posted by a cool Yelper with a ton of Street Cred as the SYOY game goes. This little patch across from Speckles Lake used to be overgrown. Thanks to the work of volunteers, there are plantings and it can be a little secluded picnic area. Restrooms right across the street on the west end of the lake. The flowers bloom occasionally. Sometimes it's fairly mundane. My one recommendation is that during the wet times of the year the lower areas get pretty swampy. But that is common in a lot of spots around GGP and Lands End. Thanks to Wilhelm for the original review. SYOY Player!

If you've ever taken part in a One Brick gardening project the chances are fairly high that you…read morealready know about or have worked on the maintenance of Rhododendron Island in Golden Gate Park. If you've driven past Spreckels Lake, run along the western end of John F. Kennedy Drive or have completed the entire San Francisco Bay to Breakers course you've probably seen Rhododendron Island without knowing it. Rhododendron Island sits on John F. Kennedy Drive and 36th Avenue sandwiched in between Spreckels Lake and the Golden Gate Park Equestrian Center. As the history of this patch of land goes it had always been a garden filled with a wide array of rhododendron varieties until City budget issues and neglect turned it into a forest of non-native plants, overgrown weeds and litter. Enter volunteer organization One Brick in the summer of 2003 whose volunteers assembled on site on a regular basis to clean up the patch of land, remove the plants that didn't belong and re-introduce different varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas. It took the volunteer group an entire year, but in the summer of 2004 they completed their project transforming this patch of land back to a garden filled with rhododendrons, azaleas and different tree species. Today, Rhodendron Island is one of the signature events for One Brick. There is a project nearly every month, rain or shine, where volunteers come out to help maintain the gardens, pull out new weeds, lay down weed cover, spread mulch, trim or remove unwanted plants. In my five years of volunteering through One Brick I have probably worked on the island over a dozen times and I've done all of the things listed at one time or another, but I did something two weekends ago that I had never done here before. It was a Saturday and rain was forecasted for that morning. About fifteen or so hearty volunteers including myself turned out. The skies were overcast but dry when we gathered. We noticed the drops of water slowly come down plopping onto the surface of Spreckels Lake across the street. The San Francisco Rec and Parks Department gardener told us he wanted us to prepare the land and help him plant some azaleas into the garden. In less than two hours under a steady rain our group of muddy, wet volunteers dug out weeds and unwanted grass patches and replaced them with 90 azalea plants of different varieties and different sizes. Ninety!! In the words of the gardener himself we were a planting machine, and had he not run out of plants we would have kept going as we were all quite enthusiastic about adding new life to the garden. Rhododendron Island is best to visit in late March or early April when many of the plants begin to flower. For me anyway it'll be interesting to see how many of our 90 plants survived. I've posted some photos taken in April, 2009.

Inside Presidio Park, I got a lovely view of the Bay on a clear winter day. It was perfectly…read morelovely. Please come and create your own adventure.

This is a nice stop while hiking in the presidio. But there's a pay parking lot here for…read moreconvenience, too. There are several different maps on site, featuring the golden gate national recreation area (beaches, wildlife, historic former military installations), points of interest in the presidio, hiking and biking trails, and transit options. A couple of benches allow for seating, and it's certainly a lovely space for relaxing among nature. But it's hard to just sit back when there are such lovely views all around, to explore. Looking over the concrete edge, you can see the water in the distance with sailboats floating by and the islands of the SF bay adding to the scenery. Beautiful landmarks can be seen, like The Palace of Fine Arts and Alcatraz. Toward the right, former military buildings of the presidio, as well as SF residences lining the hills. And trees and greenery. LOTS of trees! You would think they are partially blocking the views. But the way I see it, they make the views what they are... captivating!

According to Presidio's map it's 1.5 miles but that also includes the Ecology trail, El Polin…read moreSpring and starting at Crissy Field Beach. By itself it's much shorter. Tennessee Hollow is a path along a watershed and it's better in the winter when there is water in the creek. There's a parking lot off Presidio Blvd that faces the trail. Parking $2.50 per hour. This is nice place to sit in the car with lunch while looking at open space. The main part of the specific Tennessee Hollow is the path between Presidio and Lincoln then cross the street between Lincoln and Gorgas. There are a lot of birds, plants, and flowers in the watershed. I'd recommend going to the Tunnel Tops park afterwards.

** The following review reflects my experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **…read more I don't know what a 'hollow' is, but then again, I don't understand what a lot of things mean. I'm assuming Tennessee Hollow refers to the valley that this trail follows in the Presidio. Otherwise it's my brain that must be hollow because I have no explanation for the Tennessee part of the name. All I know is that it's a two-mile route that I walked north to south and back again. I started at the Crissy Field Marsh on the Golden Gate Promenade. That's where I crossed a couple of footbridges through the newly excavated Quartermaster Reach Marsh (photo: https://bit.ly/3cyrZ51). There wasn't much to see here yet except the underpass of the Presidio Parkway. I eventually made it to Lovers' Lane Bridge which didn't strike me as a spot for a romantic tryst (photo: https://bit.ly/3eIdnmr). I walked along the residential MacArthur Avenue until I found myself at the legendary El Polin Spring. Lots of kids were frolicking around the stone wells (photo: https://bit.ly/2PYDGdH). I climbed up to the Ecology Trail passing by a redwood grove (photo: https://bit.ly/38EjX9Y) and made my way back by taking a detour through the Main Post. It was a pleasant walk, quite scenic in parts though heavy on pavement for some stretches, but a good way to get acquainted with this hollow...or maybe it's a watershed. It doesn't matter because I don't know what 'watershed' means either. RELATED - Up for a hike? Here's a collection of trails I've walked and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2OrC8nUl

a good hike down the Coastal Trail and great views of the bay entrance and marin headlands. The…read morerock was painted white so that before the trees came up ships could use it to determine their location (using angles to that rock plus another beacon somewhere else is what I was told). Just stay out of the nearby closed area or you might get a ticket from a park ranger...

Parking everywhere, free and plenty Time: Sunrise to Sunset,…read moreplease be respectful of the surrounding nature Be on the quieter side, don't overstep or destroy the pathway, clean up after yourselves Right next to the Sutro Bath and the shorelines/beach, another great walk No reception, fair warning Dog friendly, wide smooth but has some rough rocky path here and there, but overall a "easy grade" walk

This is one of the many places I use as a landmark as I navigate this amazing piece of land. I…read morecome out here for my Morning Walk. I live at 41st/Anza so this is about 12 minutes each way. What a way to start the day! The look is towards the Golden Gate Bridge from the west. You can also check out the USS San Francisco Memorial. This is sort of the nexus between the Coastal and Lands End Trails respectively. Great views. You will find your 5G will not work out here as well. Get loaded up on the data you need is you get out in some of these beautiful trails. I always kick myself when I start a podcast when I am mid-way from Point Lobos to the Overlook. Not your average morning walk. I love it.

Presidio Visitor Center is one of those stops that are necessary. Besides the cool store with great…read moreproducts (souvenirs, books and etc), they have learning center and also the whole area is filled with boards, history displays (From Ohlone Native Americans, Spanish colonial times, US military history and etc), images, videos, large scale maps and explanations about every piece or place in SF and also very knowledgeable people work in this spot. So, stop by get your free map and set your plan where you want to see and get the full info you need from the employees. They are very helpful. The Parking isnt free so make sure you pay or even if you dont see sign be aware that there is no free parking in this area. Its wheelchair accessible and public restrooms...

The Presidio Visitor Center is a neat place to visit to learn about the Presidio's history,…read morecontributions and relevance to the SF Bay, and to understand how much of the acreage has been repurposed. My pictures are a reflection of the "area" itself, not the actual visitor center, but still relevant to the area.