View Lands End in a larger map
What
- Hiking Trail
- USS San Francisco Memorial
- Lands End Point
- Labyrinth at Lands End
- Mile Rock Beach
- Mile Rock Lighthouse
- Eagle’s Point
- Scenic viewpoint of Marin County, Point Bonita lighthouse, Golden Gate Bridge, China Beach
- Birds – Pelicans, Sea gulls
Coastal
Trail
Length: ~3
miles; Time: 4 hours; Difficulty:
Easy
Hiking the Lands End has been on our to-do list for a very long time. As soon as we found a warm and sunny weather forecast that week-end, we grabbed the opportunity. The Coastal Trail in the Lands End begins in the parking lot next to the Visitor Center. We parked
our car here and merrily took the trail that soon connected with the second
parking lot where the USS San Francisco Memorial is located. The memorial was
built to honor those who fought on the navy cruise ship in the Battle of
Guadalcanal in World War II.
View of Golden Gate Bridge from a lookout in the trail |
Located in the
rockiest north western corner of San Francisco, the Lands End is known for its
history of landslides that took away the lives of many people. The wild ocean
currents, treacherous rocks and foggy weather have also caused 300+ ship
wrecks. Although we could not spot, it is said that the remains of three ships
can be seen from the trail during low tides.
Mile Rock Lighthouse in the middle of the ocean |
Following a devastating shipwreck in 1901, the Mile Rock lighthouse was constructed in 1906 in the ocean to warn ships of the perilous rocks. The lighthouse was later dismantled and converted to a helicopter pad. This is the first time I saw a lighthouse constructed in the ocean itself!
Trail to Lands End and Mile Rock Beach |
We reached a point in the trail where a detour took us down through a long fleet of stairs to the Lands End and the Mile Rock Beach. The Lands End has a labyrinth, which was originally created by Eduardo Aguilera in 2004 for meditation purposes. It was a lot of fun walking in the maze. Another fleet of stairs took us to the Mile Rock Beach. It is hard to miss out the sea gulls and pelicans flying over the ocean.
Labyrinth at Lands End |
We continued on to the Coast Trail and reached the Eagle Point, which is the entrance to the San Francisco harbor. An amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge and China Beach to the right awaited us here. This marks the end of the Coastal Trail and we returned to the parking lot via the same route.
Eagle Point - Overlooking China Beach and GG Bridge |
However, as it was time for sunset, we stopped by the Mile Point Beach to capture a breathtaking view of the sunset. The strong ocean currents, huge rocks, Marin County on the other side of the Pacific, Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Marin headlands and Golden Gate Bridge to the right offer dramatic views that any photographer would fall in love with.
Sunset at Mile Rock Beach |
Useful
Resources
Nearby
Locations
- Sutro Baths
- Sutro Heights Park
- Palace of the Legion ofHonor
- East Fort Miley
- Ocean Beach
- China Beach
- Lincoln Park