This 1.5 mile hike doesn’t have much elevation change, but what it does have is all in one spot. It’s still an easy hike, even if I needed to stop for a breather on that one hill. The day I went there was a whale carcass on the beach. By the time I got there it was down to a few bones, but one of them was the skull! It was pretty spectacular.
I also got to see river otters, great blue herons, ducks, pelicans, and quail among other birds. The trail itself was great – for much of the way. There is one stretch on the north side of the loop that runs along the road. I’ll skip that next time I go and make it an out and back instead of a loop.
Description:
The trail starts right next to the bathrooms, and I’d recommend taking the right hand fork first, to do a little bridge walk through the east side of the lagoon, and then going over the bridge between the lagoon and the fresh water lake to the inland. That’s where I saw the otters, so it’s worth the walk! After that, I’d turn back and go along the south side of the lagoon, do a beach walk, and come back.
Plant IDs:
- Calystegia – Morning Glory
- Frangula californica – Coffeeberry
Activities and Amenities:
There are bathrooms with flush toilets at the parking lot, and a nice little visitor’s center. If you skip the north side, trail doesn’t have any benches or tables. (There were picnic benches along the north side near the quails).
Getting there:
You’ll want to follow a map or GPS program if you’re not familiar with the area, it’s a bit twisty turny to get there, and from the direction I was traveling, it was one exit before the bridge. I hate it when I go to San Francisco by accident. (It happens.. fortunately, not a lot.) Also, download your maps because cell service is minimal.
TLDR – get the basics here:
- You tube
- All trails
- iNaturalist
- The Park – Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Google maps to the parking lot
