Skip to main content

Two Great Hikes Near Cavallo Point and Fort Baker

Last year, I went to a wedding reception at the Cavallo Point Lodge and my boyfriend and I decided to spend the night there. The morning after the reception, we wanted to take advantage of our location and get some exercise, so we decided to explore some local trails. I revisited these trails again recently and wanted to write about them so you can take advantage of them, too.

Hike 1: Cavallo Point Loop

From outside the hotel’s main building (where the valet stand is) walk diagonally across the large lawn to reach the intersection of Murray Circle and Center Road. There you'll see a (small) trail sign for the Bay Trail. Head straight here onto Moore Road and then take your first left onto Sommerville Street. Start walking along Horseshoe Bay. 

When you reach the Presidio Yacht Club after about 0.1 mile, take a wood walkway in front of the building. Then continue walking along the bay through a parking lot, and at the end of the parking lot, take a dirt path on your left near point Cavallo that leads to a stairway up Battery Yates. Walk on a path along the battery, and then at the other end of the battery, climb down a few stairs.

Here's where the path gets tricky!

Pick up a wide dirt path and turn on narrow path to your right (see below: you probably won't think this is a trail). This narrow path will take you to a wide dirt area (see below). Walk to the back of the wide dirt area and look for a narrow (often overgrown) path that takes you up stairway and then to East Road (no sign).

Across East Road and to the left is a trail sign for the Drown Road Trail. Continue uphill for 0.6 miles on this trail. The first 0.4 miles will mainly be in eucalyptus groves and the last 0.2 miles are exposed.


Eucalpytus trees on the Drown Road Trail

View of Fort Baker and the GGB from the Drown Road Trail

After this, you'll see the Chapel Steps Trail on your left. Follow this trail for a short 0.1 miles to a flight of stairs that leads you by the Mission Blue Chapel. Continue on the trail until it ends at the intersection of Merrill Street and Settler Road. Take Settler Road and then take your first left on Kober Street (no sign). You know you're on the right street when you see the large lawn peeking into view. Turn left onto Murray Circle to finish your hike.


Hike 2: Slacker Hill

If you have access to a car or the hotel shuttle, you can do the shorter version of this hike (seen in linked Relive video above), which starts at the North Tower Golden Gate Parking area. If not, you'll have to climb Conzelman Road (see here) up to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you're starting at the parking area, walk to the back of the parking lot away from the highway. You’ll soon see a sign for the Coastal Trail. 

Head up a few stairs and enter a small grove of trees—your only shade on this route. At 0.1 mile, reach Conzelman Road. Cross at the crosswalk, and pick up the SCA Trail (Coastal Trail) on the other side of the road. For 0.3 mile, you’ll walk along a few long uphill switchbacks lined with coastal scrub as you climb high above busy US 101. Across the highway, you can see Fort Baker, the bay, and Angel Island. When the switchbacks end, your route heads north in the direction of the Robin Williams Tunnel.

When you reach a junction with the Coastal Trail at 1.1 miles, stay left to follow it toward McCullough Road. The din of car traffic will finally die down. After 0.3 mile, reach a sign for McCullough Road. Right after this, turn left and climb 0.2 miles to the top of Slacker Hill - elevation 930 feet. Here you'll get some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Return the way you came. 

View from Slacker Hill

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Four Quick Steps For Identifying Poison Oak

It's that time of year again, and poison oak leaves are sprouting out all over the Bay Area. Getting poison oak is no fun, so if you don't know what poison oak looks like, today is your day to learn!   Poi son oak, you say... So first, why is poison oak so poisonous? It's not that it's actually poisonous, but it does contain urushiol , an oil that can irritate the skin, causing rashes or blisters. The frustrating thing about poison oak (well, one of many frustrating things) is that it's hard to know immediately if you've had contact with the plant. It normally takes 24-36 hours for any skin irritation to appear. I have a quick four-step system to identify poison oak. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think. (Remember, I am not a medical professional. This is not medical advice. :)) The four-step system Step 1: Listen to the old adage, "Leaves of three, let it be." Poison oak has clusters of three leaves on the entire plan

Visiting San Francisco's TEN Mosaic Stairways

San Francisco is home to TEN beautiful mosaic stairways ( see map here ), but they were all inspired by one. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project (2005) The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project began in early 2003 when Sunset residents Jessie Audette and Alice Xavier decided to bring people together while beautifying their neighborhood. Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher were chosen as the project artists. The 163-step mosaic features a landscape that spans from the bottom of the ocean all the way to the sun in the sky. The inspiration for the steps came from SelarĂ³n’s staircase , a mosaic staircase in Rio de Janeiro named after artist Jorge SelarĂ³n. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on August 27, 2005–which the mayor’s office proclaimed “16th Avenue Tiled Steps Day.” Location: Moraga Street between 15th and 16th Avenues Hidden Garden Steps (2013) Inspired by the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, the neighboring Hidden Garden Steps were conceived in January 2010 and completed in November