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San Francisco: Embarcadero to Baker Beach
Scenic Bayside Stroll * San Francisco County

Overview
This is an 8.3-mile hike highlighting the natural and land use history of San Francisco and the bay. It traverses some of the world's most beautiful urban and parklands, skirts the Golden Gate Bridge, and ends at Baker Beach and the Pacific Ocean. An easy bus-and-train combination is available to get you back to the starting point.

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Basics

Location:	San Francisco, California
Hike Length & Time:	8.3 miles, allow 4-5 hours
Elevation Gain:	300'
Rating:	Challenging
Park Hours:	N/A, but get an early start if you can to avoid finishing late in the day.
Other Information:

· Map

· Getting There

· A Brief History

· Starting Out

· North from South Park

· West through Fort Mason

· The Presidio of San Francisco

· Never Fired in Anger

· Miscellaneous Trip Notes

Map

Getting There
The trailhead is at South Park in San Francisco's South of Market district. The park is within the block bounded by Bryant, Brannan, Second and Third Streets. There is metered two-hour parking throughout the trailhead area; however, you may be better off parking at one of the commercial lots nearby. Remember to take any valuables with you and lock your car before starting out.

A Brief History of the Area
The landmass of San Francisco formed 2 to 3 million years ago by uplifting caused by geologic forces. During glacial periods, when much of the earth's water was stored in ice and glaciers, the bay was an inland valley. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers flowed through the bay valley and out through the Golden Gate, then across nine miles of coastal plain to the ocean near the present-day Farallon Islands. After the end of the last ice age, the ocean levels rose, and about 8,000 years ago ocean water flowed through the Golden Gate and eventually filled in the bay we know today.

Native people inhabited parts of San Francisco for at least five thousand years prior to the arrival of European explorers. When Spanish missionaries arrived in the early 1770s, the Yelamu tribal group of the Ohlone Indians inhabited six villages within the present borders of the city and county of San Francisco. The native peoples lived in harmony with the natural landscape, gathering acorns and seeds, hunting deer and sea mammals, fishing for salmon, and trading with other villages and tribes around the Bay Area.

Spanish soldiers and missionaries explored the Bay Area from 1769 to 1775, looking for a place to extend their missions north of Monterey. In 1776 the Mission Dolores was established, and the Spanish priests started to convert and subjugate the local native peoples. Over time, native people from around the Bay Area were brought to the San Francisco mission, where many died from forced labor and the European diseases of smallpox and cholera.

With the establishment of the mission, San Francisco became the "property" of the Spanish empire. The pueblo of Yerba Buena was established in 1792 around a plaza created at present-day Portsmouth Square (corner of Kearney and Clay streets). The pueblo grew slowly until the Gold Rush.

Between 1847 and 1849, the population of San Francisco grew from 459 to nearly 30,000. This population increase resulted in rapid housing and commercial development spreading out from downtown. Dozens of ships were abandoned along the waterfront during the mad dash for gold, and local residents used the wrecks for housing, businesses, and storage. By 1860, the population of San Francisco had risen to 56,800; by 1870 it was over 137,000.

As the city expanded, commercial activity centered on downtown. Many single sailors and laborers lived close to the downtown waterfront, and family oriented communities were created around Rincon Hill, the Mission District, and other outlying areas. Ferry service from San Francisco to the East Bay began in 1850, and service to Marin started in 1860. Cable car service began in the city in 1873 and expanded during the next two decades to connect San Francisco's growing network of neighborhoods. Horse-drawn streetcars were also used in the city until 1913.

After the 1906 earthquake and fire, large parts of downtown east and northeast of Ninth Street were destroyed. Much of the rubble was dumped into wetlands west of downtown, creating the Marina District. In what might be considered an early example of "smart infill," the downtown area was rebuilt with safer and larger buildings, mixing residential and commercial spaces to create the vibrant neighborhoods within easy walking or transit distance of each other and downtown.

San Francisco continued to grow in the early 20th century into the beautiful, thriving city we enjoy today.

Starting Out
This hike starts in South Park, a recent center of the dot-com boom that is now a bit quieter.

Before you begin this hike, take a look at The Madrid at 22 South Park, as well as The Park View at 102 South Park. These are recently developed single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels built to accommodate low-income and formerly homeless individuals. Housing, always in short supply in geographically restricted San Francisco, became unobtainable even for the well-to-do during the late-1990s dot-com boom. When the surging local economy combined with city budget crunches and irreparable seismic damage to old SRO hotels from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the housing shortage became acute. Since large-scale housing projects for the disadvantaged are expensive and politically difficult to build, there has been a greater emphasis on building smaller housing units that fit seamlessly into their surroundings.

North from South Park
From the intersection of South Park Avenue and Second Street, walk north on the west side of Second Street a half-block to Bryant Street. Cross Second, then walk east on the south side of Bryant until you reach the Embarcadero.

The Embarcadero runs the length of San Francisco's urban waterfront, and is also known as "Herb Caen Way..." after the famed local columnist who separated his gossipy news items with three-dot ellipses. As you walk, you may be surprised to note that the original San Francisco waterfront extended along First and Montgomery streets. As pressure for land increased, the city filled in Yerba Buena cove and built over abandoned ships to incrementally extend downtown into the bay. A seawall, built between 1867 and 1869, is now the path you are walking on. Cross the Embarcadero and walk north about 1.5 miles until you reach the Ferry Building on your right.

Across the Embarcadero (to your left), there used to be an elevated freeway that separated San Franciscans from the waterfront. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake San Francisco had a choice: rebuild the Embarcadero Freeway which, while it improved auto access to North Beach and Chinatown, was an eyesore, or seize the opportunity to reconnect the city with its historic waterfront.

San Francisco chose the latter and rebuilt the Embarcadero as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly promenade, extending light rail north to Fisherman's Wharf and south to the CalTrain Station at 4th and King Streets.

To your left you'll see Market Street, the major downtown thoroughfare. Continue walking north for another half-mile until you see a long, narrow wooden pier (Pier 7) on your right, which affords great bay views.

Walk back to the Embarcadero and continue to your right. Re-cross the Embarcadero at Green Street. Take a right onto Front Street and walk north until Front ends at Union. Turn left and walk west, then turn right mid-block down the steps between brick buildings.

You're now in Levi Plaza, named for San Francisco-based jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. This is a great example of a corporation creating a public space that's relaxing both for Levi Strauss employees and those who work for surrounding businesses. Its pedestrian-friendly design has plenty of places to relax and take a break.

Follow the footpath through the park onto Battery and turn right (north). After a couple of blocks make a left onto Greenwich then a right onto Sansome. Follow this with a left onto Francisco and walk until it dead-ends in a small plaza. Go up the 82 stairs in front of you and check out the bay view at the top.

Continue walking west on the continuation of Francisco Street. After five blocks make a right onto Columbus Avenue and walk to its end at Beach Street. Make a left onto Beach and walk the remaining block to the cable-car turnaround that's at Hyde and Beach.

West Through Fort Mason
Walk right (north) on Hyde Street until it ends at Jefferson Street, then make a left and walk west on Jefferson. The artificial lagoon on your right is Aquatic Park, home to several historic sailing ships and the stomping ground of many cold-water swimmers. Continue west on the sidewalk and follow its curve clockwise around part of Aquatic Park.

Just before the pier, there is a paved road that turns sharply upward and to the left, away from the outside of Aquatic Park. Walk up this paved road into Fort Mason. Fort Mason is a good example of an urban re-use; this old military post now hosts a hostel, museums, art galleries, restaurants and an assortment of cultural events.

At the top of the hill there is a small grassy park. Look to the right for the steep stairway that takes you back down to water level. Walk down it and past some of the landmark buildings of Fort Mason, still heading west. During World War II, Fort Mason was a major embarkation point for troops serving in the Pacific. Now it houses many non-profit organizations and theater groups, and the world-famous Greens restaurant.

Walk west through the gate that forms the entrance to this section of Fort Mason, then along the paved path that follows the curve of this small yacht harbor. The path straightens out after a few twists. Now walk due west along the pathway, with the Marina Green's grassy fields to your left.

This path ends at a yacht harbor in about 0.3 miles. Make a left and walk the hundred or so feet to Marina Boulevard, then proceed right (west) along it. Walk another 0.3 miles to the last stoplight on Marina Blvd. Straight ahead is the entrance to the Presidio of San Francisco, which is now a National Park and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Here you can take one of a couple of paths to your right to connect with the water again on Crissy Field. You'll see a small, new-ish looking building further west, which has bathrooms and water fountains if you need a break.

Walk west on the path along the water. You're now walking on a small part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a mammoth project to ring San Francisco Bay with a single trail. Greenbelt Alliance created the Ridge Trail Council, which later spun off into its own organization, to encircle the Bay Area with an interconnected set of trails. Eventually, it will encompass some 400 miles of paths that pass through all the Bay Area counties.

The Presidio of San Francisco
The 1,480-acre Presidio now encompasses all the land you see ahead and to your left up to the Golden Gate. Before its current history as an urban national park, it was an Ohlone village and then a military post for the Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. armies.

Is it accidental that this magnificent area is largely covered with trees rather than buildings? Not a bit. It could easily be covered with McMansions. However, when the surrounding Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) was created in 1972, then-congressman Phil Burton changed the enabling legislation to say that if the army ever left the Presidio, its land would automatically become part of the GGNRA.

To everyone's surprise, the Cold War ended and the army did pull out of the Presidio in 1994. Congress, in a budget crunch and in no mood to fund an entire new national park, mandated that the new Presidio National Park become financially self-sustaining by 2013 while preserving its scenic, historic and natural resources. The National Park Service and the non-profit Presidio Trust are trying to do this primarily by leasing existing office and residential space and collecting fees from the park's beautiful golf course.

This is a prime example of the re-use of a former military facility on some of the world's most valuable real estate. The beautiful path you're walking on used to be a small-aircraft runway with highly polluted soil beneath it but the contaminated dirt was removed and a lagoon created in its place as a home for seabirds.

Continue west. In about a mile you will come to a small cluster of white buildings. Follow the main path as it curves to the right. You will pass a fishing pier and at this point you should bear to the left (past the Warming Hut bookstore/cafe) and look for a wooden stairway up the hill across from the pier.

Climb the wooden stairway and trail until the path levels out and you encounter a paved path that's perpendicular to your direction of travel. Make a left onto this path and walk 100 feet or so to Lincoln Boulevard. Make a right on Lincoln and walk a short distance uphill until you see a parking lot on your right.

Make a right into this parking lot and walk into the tunnel that runs beneath the roadway, taking care to watch for traffic.

Never Fired in Anger
Bear left at the end of the tunnel, then make the first right, just after the bus shelter. Walk uphill along the paved road and just as the pavement makes a sharp left, continue straight onto the dirt path directly ahead of you.

The sites of old gun batteries are on your right, some dating to the end of the 19th century: Battery Lancaster, Battery Cranston, Battery Miller, and the largest one on the ridgeline, Battery Boutelle. (From this last battery to Baker Beach is exactly one mile.) Their guns were never fired in anger and were removed almost immediately after World War II, when missiles replaced artillery for coastal defense.

Continue walking straight along the dirt path until you reconnect with Lincoln, which now will start to curve and drop sharply toward sea level. At 0.6 miles from Battery Boutelle you'll come to the sand ladder that leads down to Baker Beach. Walk carefully down it and enjoy the Pacific Ocean and your last bit of walking!

You can also avoid the sand ladder's steepness by continuing on the path that runs alongside Lincoln Blvd. and making the first two rights at the bottom of the hill into the parking lot next to the beach.

Note that to the right (north) of the sand ladder the beach is clothing-optional, while to the left (and for the rest of the way to the parking lot) clothing is de rigeur.

See the Public Transit section of this hiking guide for two public transit options to return to the hike's starting point.

Miscellaneous Trip Notes
San Francisco Transit Agency
National Park Service's Presidio Site
Presidio Trust (promotes and handles funding for the Presidio National Park)

Muni, the San Francisco transit agency, publishes an excellent street map; it can be purchased at various locations or downloaded from www.sfmuni.com.

Dogs
Dogs are allowed but should be leashed the whole way, except for the area at Crissy Field, on the beach just west of the St. Francis Yacht Club. Be prepared to pick up after your dog.

Bikes
Entirely bike-accessible and friendlier than most, thanks to large swaths of the hike being on pedestrian- and bike-only paths.

Kids
This is a long hike for kids but there's certainly enough to keep them interested, plus some great places for snacks and rest stops. It is also possible to turn back or catch a return bus at numerous points along the way.

Directions
A. Driving
From the Peninsula, take Hwy. 101 north to Hwy. 80 eastbound (follow signs directing you to the Bay Bridge). Take 80 for a minute or two past the 101-80 split and get off at Fourth Street. Exit onto Bryant Street and get into the right-hand lane as you travel two blocks to Second Street. Make a right onto Second; South Park is halfway down this block.

From the East Bay, cross the Bay Bridge on Hwy. 80 and exit almost immediately after the bridge at Fremont Street. Drive north on Fremont one block and make a left onto Howard Street. Drive west to Second Street and make a left. Drive south on Second until you come to Bryant, making sure you are in the right-hand lane at this point. Go straight through this intersection; South Park is halfway down the following block.

From Marin County, take Hwy. 101 south across the Golden Gate Bridge and bear left after the toll plaza. Take the elevated highway all the way to its end at Marina Blvd. and follow Marina until it curves sharply to the right onto Laguna Street. One block later make a left onto Bay Street. Drive on Bay Street for nearly a dozen blocks until it runs into the Embarcadero. Turn right onto the Embarcadero and follow it south along the waterfront. Drive two blocks past Market Street (you should see the Ferry Building on your left at Market) and make a right onto Howard Street. Drive west on Howard to Second Street and make a left. Drive south on Second until you come to Bryant, making sure you are in the right-hand lane at this point. Go straight through this intersection; South Park is halfway down the following block.

B. Public Transit
To the Trailhead: From the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, get off at the Montgomery Street station in downtown San Francisco. (If approaching by bus from within San Francisco, the 5, 6, 7, 9, 21 and 38 buses all have stops at Second and Market streets, as do the F surface streetcars and all the underground streetcar lines.) Walk south on Second Street until you pass Bryant Street; South Park is on the right-hand (west) side of Second about halfway between Bryant and the next street south (Brannan).

C. Returning from the Trailhead
At the end of the hike, one mass-transit option from Baker Beach is the #29 bus, which you can catch at either end of Bowley Street where it connects with Lincoln Boulevard (just uphill from the beach's two parking lots). You can take this bus in two directions, but the fastest way to return to downtown San Francisco is to catch the 29 southbound. It will take you south on 25th Ave. and through Golden Gate Park. Get off at Lincoln Boulevard at 19th Ave. and walk south two blocks to Judah Street, where you can catch the N Judah streetcar eastbound. Take this train all the way to Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco (see walking directions to South Park in the previous paragraph).

If you have a little extra energy and want a quicker bus than the 29, walk toward the far (west) end of Baker Beach and take the path that leads up into the Seacliff neighborhood. Follow the street signs for 25th Avenue out of this neighborhood and back onto the city street grid. Walk another four blocks (don't worry, the walk is flat) to California Street. The 1 California bus will take you all the way downtown to Market Street.

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