The Marin Headlands is a fascinating rocky peninsula just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, with spectacular views of the entire Bay, the bridge itself and the city. The headlands are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

This is a curious mix of breathtaking natural beauty with lovely beaches, such as the dog-friendly Rodeo Beach, fields of wild flowers, historic Point Bonita lighthouse, fantastic hiking trails along the rugged coast, World War II guns, a Cold War missile site, and so much more.

You can spend the night under the stars in one of many campgrounds, watch the migration of raptors or whales, look for remnants of the Miwok Indians, who lived here first, and generally have great old time outdoors just around the corner from San Francisco.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA94965, Phone: 415-331-1540

Big Sur Yosemite National Park Santa Cruz San Jose Oakland Mendocino National Forest Redwood National Park Sonoma, Northern California Modoc National Forest Calaveras County Point Lobos State Reserve Muir Woods National Monument Marin Headlands, Northern California Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Yosemite Falls Pfeiffer Beach Lava Beds National Monument Napa Valley Humboldt Redwoods State Park Mendocino, Northern California Sacramento San Francisco Six Rivers National Forest Klamath National Forest

Explore more: Northern California > Places to Visit in Northern California

Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Go to travel reservations.