Marin Headlands - Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Wow! I can't believe its been a week since my last post. This is not because I haven't been out and about. I have re-visited many of the parks I have already written about. I revisited the Kortum Trail, Doran Beach Regional Park and have taken walks around the neighborhood with my daughters and friends.
I did, though, spend the better part of two spectacular days hiking in the Marin Headlands, which is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. My husband expressed interest in going here a few weeks ago. We used to live in Sausalito, and this was our regular go-to place for the beach and great hiking with spectacular views. We decided on Martin Luther King Jr Day to go on a hike here. It was like a walk down memory lane for both of us. For me, I lived there six years before I met Jason, so it was even a deeper memory experience.
As I was hiking, I was thinking about how thrilled I was when I first moved to the Bay Area in 2001 (20 years ago!!!) that I had this incredible place right in my back yard that I could drive just a few minutes and go to the beach, take spectacular hikes, bird watch and visit the Marin Mammal Center! This area was a regular source of inspiration and an incredible antidote for my intense work days in financial services. It also reminded me of many hikes with a dear friend and her wonderful little, black, ball-obsessed dog, Henry. It's also where I most often walked with my now almost-17-year-old dog, Bonsai, in her first couple of years. Lots of wonderful memories that represented freedom, discovery and the beginning of a new chapter in my life that promised tremendous growth!
MLK day in 2021 was an unseasonably, record-setting warm day, so while Rodeo Beach is typically not crowded except for some surfers and a few beach goers and hikers, today there were signs that said the beach park was FULL! I had never seen that before at this beach. Maybe it had become more popular during the pandemic? Anyway, we ignored the signs and kept going. The parking was very packed, but we managed to find a spot. There is a lot of parking here as well as bathrooms, outdoor showers and lots of picnic tables and benches. Today I was joined by my husband and youngest daughter.
There are many, many trails to choose from. Some going North along the coast, some going South along the coast with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, and some in the Valley and heading East. We naturally migrated to the trail heading North along the coast. There was no decision process, we just went that way. I think part of it was, we wanted our girl to see the dramatic beauty. There are well maintained, well-used trails in this park, and this one was no exception. It starts with a steep uphill, then flattens out to be pretty easy. We walked along the coast as far as we could go, and we just marveled at the scenery the entire way. The extreme high surf was still happening, so we were constantly in awe and even stunned by how big the waves were, and we were particularly in awe of huge, crashing waves that we saw happening far out in the ocean. Not something we normally see here! Here are some photos from the hike:
When we reached the end of the hike, I was pleased to find that someone had created a labyrinth, and it was at that moment that I decided that I was coming back soon, maybe early morning, to hike up here again and walk the labyrinth without so many onlookers.
At this point, we could make the choice of hiking up a steep hill and going for a much, more strenuous hike or walking back the way we came. On this day, I had forgotten to bring my poles, so I was hesitant and my daughter is vehemently against steep, uphill hikes, so we decided to walk back the way we came. We did opt to take the lesser traveled, hilly foot trail that goes right along the cliffs, and I'm glad we did! The waves were so incredible! There was even a blow hole that, if the wave hit it just right, it would shoot water high in the air with great force and cover us with mist.
Once we returned to the beach, we found a nice place to settle in, relax and watch the waves. It was so warm and beautiful. Also as we were leaving, we drove up along the Headlands that offer spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. There are many trails along this side as well that include the Naturebridge (formerly Headlands Institute) and a youth hostel:
I then went back on my own a few days later and took a much longer, 3 1/2 hour hike, which followed the same path that we previously took, including walking the labyrinth, but then taking that steep uphill and hiking along the ridge coming down by the Marine Mammal Center. I had my trekking poles this time, so I sailed through this hike no problem, and it was spectacular! It was a gray, foggy and breezy day. Much more typical than sunny and warm! Here are some photos of the first part of the hike:
I loved the light on the ocean:
The labyrinth down below:
Up in the Headlands, there are many abandoned bunkers that were used during WWII to protect the Golden Gate Bridge in the case of an attack. As a matter of fact, the entire Marin Headlands was a military base at one point. I've always been curious about these bunkers, and it turns out that now they have been turning some of them into historical learning opportunities. This one showed one of the actual guns that existed and could fire an object as far as 25 miles. They were never used except for target practice because there was never an attack in that area. Here are some photos of that:
Moving on from there, I thoroughly enjoyed my hike and all the spectacular views! I was reminded that this hike is part of the California Coastal Trail, and offers even more strenuous uphill hikes that I used to take. There are so many opportunities out here! Here are some more scenic photos:
See the Golden Gate peaking through the hills?
As I came down around The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC), I was remembering my time as a volunteer docent with them. I learned so much about their work and all the marine mammals in our oceans and the human-created challenges that they face. TMMC is the largest Marine Mammal hospital in the world and is a world class organization that does research, education and rehabilitation of sick and injured Marine Mammals. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area!
After passing TMMC, I came out by Rodeo Lagoon, this is a beautiful lagoon that offer great bird watching opportunities. On this day I saw several varieties of duck and also coots. There are often endangered brown pelicans here as well. There is a trail that goes all the way around the lagoon that is a nice easy walk.
I love this place, which is why there is the extra long post. I will be going back on a more regular basis. I want this in my life.
Take me!
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