SF's Best Walking Trails Mapped

For those lacing up their boots, the Barbary Coast Trail offers a journey through the city's tumultuous past, marked by 180 bronze medallions embedded in the sidewalk. This 3.8-mile path delves into the heart of the original Barbary Coast, a nine-block red-light district notorious for its saloons, gambling dens, and tales of shanghaied sailors during the Gold Rush era. One of the most scenic routes, the Lands End Trail, not only provides stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge but also leads to the ruins of the Sutro Baths. Once the world's largest indoor swimming pool establishment when it opened in 1896, this massive glass enclosure could accommodate 10,000 people at a time before it was destroyed by fire in 1966. The 17-mile SF Crosstown Trail, which opened in 2019, offers a different kind of journey, connecting Candlestick Point to Lands End. This route traverses a mix of streetscapes and natural habitats, including the Visitacion Valley Greenway's community gardens and the 60 acres of restored habitat in Glen Canyon Park. Within the Presidio, a former military post, hikers can explore over 24 miles of trails that weave through its historic and natural landscapes. The Presidio Promenade Trail, a 2.1-mile stretch, offers a condensed tour of the park's history, passing by the San Francisco National Cemetery and offering spectacular views from the Crissy Field Overlook. Golden Gate Park, famously built on what was once 1,017 acres of sand dunes, offers a multitude of walking paths through its diverse landscapes. The park served as a sanctuary for 200,000 homeless residents after the 1906 earthquake and is home to the oldest public Japanese Tea Garden in the United States, created for the 1894 Midwinter International Exposition.