If you are visiting San Francisco for a few days, you may want to take a break from the city center and take a hike on the west side of the city.  I always take my out of town guests on this hike, no matter their age, thye just have to be able to manage a nicely paced walk. This hike combines breathtaking views of San Francisco, the architecturally awe inspiring Sea Cliff neighborhood and vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Combine it with a tour of Golden Gate Park, lunch at  the Cliff House and a short tour of the Legion of Honor.  It is a a full day showing the best sites San Francisco has to offer and minus that ‘tourist’ feeling.

How to get there

I usually drive to the trail head because parking is easy and free. Otherwise take a bus to the Legion of Honor and walk down Lincoln Boulevard to the trail head.  You should see the bay on your left. Tip:  you may want to look up and to your right for the memorial to the holocaust. Few people see it because it is not part of the museum indoor complex.

Land’s End trail

The coastal trail is an easy to moderate hike (my six year old can do it with ease) and is approximately three miles each way.  The single track trail meanders along the golf course, turns into the forest and then follows a single track bordering the cliffs along the blue Pacific. The trail meanders a bit due to the heavy use it receives, but if you keep the ocean on your right you will be fine.  After about 30 minutes you will arrive at the  Sutro Baths, Sutro Bath Park and the Cliff House restaurant.  You can stop at the renovated Cliff House for lunch or continue to  Ocean Beach.  If you wish you can continue up through Golden Gate Park or  you can double back on the trail to the Legion of Honor, by following Camino Del Mar.

Hopefully, the weather will be sunny and warm for the outing.  I always bring a sweatshirt for the hike since the fog likes to linger out this neighborhood.

Photo by Ingrid Taylar

A pet friendly vacation should be about what’s best for your pet. There is nothing a dog in the city loves more than to lose the leash and go nuts. Like, in a park or on the beach. This is where San Diego wins by a mile and a leash. And then some.

Dog Beach at Ocean Beach – Located at the north end of Ocean Boulevard, at the west end of the San Diego River Floodway, where the river meets the Pacific Ocean, the 38 acres of sandy Dog Beach has been a happy no-leash zone for dogs for the last 30 years. Much as kid-friendly hotels free parents to do their thing, Dog Beach frees pet owners to just sit back and watch their dogs go crazy running up and down in the sand and water.

Read More »