A very interesting exhibition. I enjoy watching the videos. The basement model was huge and even…read morehas a clean bathroom. The volunteers are very nice and friendly. It's probably a bit boring for children but if you're interested in how water is processed from the bay and the history of the bay area's water development, this is educational. I really enjoyed my trip here. It's about an hour long. Definitely recommend an afternoon here and a walk in the neighborhood plus a nice lunch afterwards.

Interested in hydraulic models? Here's your chance to walk around a model of the San Francisco Bay…read moreDelta which simulates a 24-hour cycle of tides. What blew me away was how expansive the model was! Exhibits of the area's hydrology are also found throughout the facility. Guided tours are available on Saturdays at 11AM. It's limited to 40 visitors on a first come basis. Tours are 45 minutes long. If there is more staff available, they offer tours on the hour or half hour. Tours can also be tailored to groups at various technical levels (see their website for contact information). Hours are: Tuesday - Friday: 9AM - 3PMSaturday: 9AM - 4PM They are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Federal Holidays. If a Federal holiday falls on a Monday, then they will be closed on the previous Saturday. There's a free parking lot next to the facility. Admission is free!

Marin Headlands is one of the best regional parks in Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)…read more It is one of the best places to not only hike but to take pictures. This is also great for photographers. Pretty much the hills, grass, trails, rocks, and trails are amazing! This is also a great place for photographers. There are other places like those Battery ones and Hill 88, but my friend and I didn't really get a chance to go there since we pretty much missed the path and we didn't want to turn around. Honestly, it's really hot here and thank goodness that I bring water and snacks in case I'm thirsty or hungry. Most importantly, bring water! You'll need it if you're ever going to hike here. The trip is short in my opinion since I'm used to hiking for a long time. In the future, I am planning to come back here to revisit scenic spots that we missed. The hike might be longer since I enjoy hiking at regional parks.

My buddy and I love doing challenging long hikes and today we did 31 miles at Marin Headlands. It…read morewas an amazing hike full of different terrain and sightseeing opportunities. It was overcast when we hiked, but I like it this way only because it was very cool and the exposure to the sun was limited. We saw so many unique historical sites also, which I did not expect. The route we took had a lot of elevation gain and I had to put on some gloves for rock scrambling, but there are so many easy trails also. We also crossed the Golden Gate Bridge also, which is a first for me! Please come and create your own adventure.

Beautiful views...beautiful views...did I say beautiful views…read more Whether you run, bike, or drive here, you won't be disappointed. A little hike from the main road but all worth it. There's space at the main vista point to hang out. The main view is the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay, and the city, but the rest of the 360 degree views are awesome too.

Beautiful views of the golden gate. Dress appropriately as it's windy and can get cold…read more View is not guaranteed but clouds and fog comes and goes so if you sit in your car for 10-15 mins you might be able to catch a glimpse

Short road trip and not far from San Francisco. Always so pretty here in Sausalito. Especially…read morewhen the sun is out. Great restaurants, shops, gallery and ice cream cones. You can drive, take a bus or the ferry here. It is a must visit.

Sausalito is a charming beach town just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge…read more Here, visitors can enjoy a relaxed lifestyle with restaurants, boutiques, and plenty of activities like bike riding, window shopping, or a leisurely walk along the harbor. Everyone is friendly, nice, and welcoming. My family and I loved our time in this small town.

Hiking leads you to discover so many interesting areas that are natural and man-made. Mother Nature…read moreprovides so many places with wonderful views and man makes structures that are significant and have historical importance; Battery Townsley has both. There are so many batteries built along the California coast that I've explored during my hikes and this is one of my favorites. It's located on a side of the hill in Marin Headlands heading towards Hill 88. The one huge difference between this battery compared to the rest is the size of its guns...and they were big. Even the barrel of the gun is on display outside the battery for everyone to admire. Most of the batteries that were constructed along the coast were WWI era, this one was constructed during WWII. Construction started in January 1938, completed in July 1, 1940 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use on July 24, 1940. It is a reinforced concrete, casemated battery with two gun emplacements mounted with 16" guns that was part of Fort Cronkhite. It's named after WWI veteran and superintendent of the United States Military Academy, Major General Clarence P. Townsley. The two massive 16" guns were mounted on steel carriage on heavy-duty rollers that enabled the guns to pivot 140 degrees. The whole assembly weighed over a million pounds, which required lots of practice to ensure it operated smoothly, which the crew drilled repetitively. Each gun was capable of shooting a 2,100 pound, armor-piercing projectile with a range of 25 miles. That's as far as the Farallon Islands with that range. One of the guns eventually made it to the U.S.S. Missouri, which is now permanently docked at Pearl Harbor. This is the battleship where Japan officially surrendered to end WWII. The size of this battery was also massive that included bunk room for 150 soldiers, 2 powder rooms, 2 shell rooms, 2 powder service rooms, 4 storerooms, power room, radiator room, latrines, a shop and storeroom. A large reserve magazine room was also built in about 2500 feet southeast of the gun emplacement # 1 on the reverse slope that is not visible as it was surely heavily fortified. There's also a long tunnel from the entrance leading to the gun emplacement # 1 that is very cool to walk through. It reminded me of 'Walking Dead' every time I walk through this cool tunnel. On a nice clear day, the views from this battery provides a gorgeous backdrop of Rodeo Beach and Marin Headlands nearby, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge, the city and the Peninsula Coast in the distance. But Karl visits this area a lot, especially in the early mornings. He tends to dissipate in the afternoon and you're rewarded with clear skies. Next time you're hiking towards Hill 88, stop by this battery and check out the big gun. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 84

Yesterday we did a nice day trip to the Golden Gate national recreation area, where we visited the…read morehistoric site for the Nike missile silo number 88L. as of April 2026, the site is only opened on the last Saturday of the month between 12 and 3 PM. There is a free parking, but the lot is small so if it is full, you can park at one of the other parking lot that are located either below the side or past the site. However, you would have to walk either uphill or downhill from the other parking lot and that is roughly about 1/3 of a mile. This was a very interesting visit and we were able to see several radars, equipment, and missiles from the Cold War in a guided tour by several elderly military volunteers who maintain and run the tours. Some of them who worked at that same site between 1950s and 1970s. Due to the current political administration, they have lost most funding and it was very shocking to hear that the site opens once a month and that it is staffed completely by all volunteers. They told us that one ranger visits for two hours every month due to budget cuts to the park system. Volunteers are in their 80s and 90s, and after talking to them, they feel sad that their history and experiences will be lost due to lack a funding since it is very likely that the site will close completely as the volunteers become unable to keep these going due to their age and lack of parks personnel and national parks funding. The site has multiple things to see, they have a very small area where they show a movie and have some artifacts to see, then you move over to another area where you can see some missiles and lastly you walk over to the site where they store some of the missiles and you get a chance to observe how they bring one up and down (and also go underneath where you can see where they have them stored and their communications area.

This was the first place our 11 year old truly made a comment about how cool something like was…read more We were the first tour of the day, so when they opened the doors to lift the missile; the water from the rain dumped down making a huge dramatic effect to add. This was one of the most interesting and cool places we've gone too. Having been at White Sands too, it was cool to see it all "put together". I can't recommend this stop enough. Junior Ranger program was short too, which my son loved.

This was an interesting find in Tiburon, it looked like a small castle…read more A short walk up a small hill from the downtown area, Lyford's Stone Tower sits right on the coast with a direct view of Angel Island. Inside the Tower, there is a plaque explaining it's history, which is actually quite interesting. In front of the Tower, there are some benches if you want to enjoy the scenery for a bit , which is what we did while we were here.

Well worth a visit! A 10 minute walk from Main Street and the plaque shares its fascinating…read morehistory. Check it out when you are in the area!

This exhibit is located in Sausalito, near the Marine Mammal Center, surrounded by trees, a few…read morepicnic tables, and a very narrow road. For actual parking, I'd say the Marine Mammal Center lower lot is probably the closest and most reliable, but it would be a bit of a walk. I just parked on the narrow road (Kirkpatrick Street) after visiting the MMC, as there didn't seem to be anyone using the road to Fort Cronkhite. The display is set up nicely to get a sense of the size and shape of the creature, even without all the bones. It's worth making a stop to check it out if already visiting the marine mammal hospital, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for this.

near to the marine mammal center. this giant blue whale…read moreskeleton is a must to visit or just to take photos.

Driving through the Robin Williams Tunnel is one of the distinctive moments on the route between…read moreSan Francisco and Marin County. Set into the steep, wooded slopes of the Waldo Grade, the twin-bore tunnel carries Highway 101 through the hillside just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its rainbow-painted portals add a burst of color to the drive, especially when approaching from the San Francisco side, where the road curves through the hills and opens toward views of the bridge, bay, and Marin landscape. Originally built in 1937 as the Waldo Tunnel to create a faster- reliable highway connection through the challenging grade, the first bore was later joined by a second as traffic between San Francisco and the North Bay increased. It was renamed the Robin Williams Tunnel in honor of the late actor and comedian, who had deep ties to Marin County and lived in Tiburon for many years. The drive itself is brief, but it feels good : the light changes as you enter, the sound of traffic echoes around the tunnel walls, and the colorful arches signal that you are either arriving in Marin or heading back toward San Francisco. It is a practical piece of the Bay Area infrastructure, and also a cheerful and fitting tribute to Robin Williams--historic, useful, and full of local character.

Pulled up to what most people just think is "the tunnel after the Golden Gate Bridge"... but this…read moreone actually has a story. The Robin Williams Tunnel (formerly the Waldo Tunnel) is basically the doorway into Marin County and Sausalito. After Robin Williams passed, they renamed it in 2015 because he lived right nearby in Tiburon -- and honestly it feels fitting. The Bay Area has a personality, and somehow this entrance matches it. Northbound is the real experience. You're in traffic, rock walls around you, then suddenly you come out the other side and the whole Marin coastline opens up in front of you. It's one of those moments where everybody in the car goes quiet for a second. Southbound is the opposite -- you exit the tunnel and boom... the Golden Gate Bridge appears like a movie reveal. It's weird reviewing a tunnel, but this one isn't just infrastructure. It's a gateway and kind of a tribute at the same time. Some places you pass through. This one actually feels like you arrived.

Dare I say best views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Area in general? The area is right off the…read morebridge and is near a fishing harbor so there is not a whole ton of people who come to visit. There are little trails around the region but nothing too crazy or long. The views here are absolutely stunning. From one location, you are able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Angel Island, SF Downtown, Tiburon, and Salinas all in one scan. In addition there are not as much people here so you can get a great view while idoling here for some time. It does get pretty cold and windy but it is very worth it!