The Marin Headlands are intoxicating and sobering. The hills north of San Francisco are peppered with relics of America's wars, so in the same afternoon you might see wonderful examples of waves...

Angel Island State Park offers one of the best ways to see San Francisco Bay from sea level. Fortunate local boat owners have long plied its shoreline and picnicked on its grounds, but the boatless...

This guide covers a 13 mile section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.  It is a through hike that starts at the Sweeney Ridge Trailhead behind Skyline College and ends at Skyline Quarry near Hwy 92....

San Francisco is a small city full of culture, art and history. People live here are from all over the world. They bring in their culture, mix all elements together, and become today's San Francisco.
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In the middle of San Francisco Bay sits Angel Island State Park, offering spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais. The island is also alive with...

Angel Island can charm the socks off a day-hiker, but it's even better by night, when the state park closes up shop and sends the tourists home.

After that, campers lucky enough to reserve one of...

Riding the famous San Francisco cable cars should be at the top of the list for any visitor to San Francisco. These historic cars have been around since a year after inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie...

Riding the famous San Francisco cable cars should be at the top of the list for any visitor to San Francisco. These historic cars have been around since the year after inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie...

Riding the famous San Francisco cable cars should be at the top of the list for any visitor to San Francisco. These historic cars have been around since the year after inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie...

San Francisco's famous shopping, culture and cuisine begin with a trip to Union Square. There is so much more to see just off the main plaza, however. This trip may start with high levels of retail...

These five hikes show why the San Francisco Bay Area is best seen on foot.

California's famous redwoods and spectacular coastline are only part of the story: the region's trail system is among the...

There is no better way to explore the City by the Bay than walking around it's unique neighborhoods on foot. This package of guides explores shopper-friendly Union Square, Famous Chinatown, the...

For any visitor to San Francisco, riding the famous San Francisco cable cars should be at the top of your list. These historic cars have been around for over a year after inventor Andrew Smith...

San Francisco--beautiful city by the bay. Over the years so much has been said and written about San Francisco, does it even need an introduction? Since you are reading this guide you are either...

Among the great attractions of the San Francisco Bay area are its numerous hiking trails, along with its hiking-friendly climate. Whether you live in the area, or are visiting, you should not miss the...

The Perimeter Road provides access to pretty much everything else one can see and do on the island! It's got fantastic views around the bay, it's a fun walk and a pretty good bike ride.

When taking...

Explore the region at your own pace with the Free Ride guide, safe in the knowledge that you're riding on 165 miles of the best bike routes around.

Key:
• Red tracks: Beginner and intermediate routes...

No journey to San Francisco is complete without a trip to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and there's no better to experience it than by bike.

Take your time weaving through the crowds on the eastern...

This short trail provides a great way to see the bluffs near the Presidio and offers views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin that are hard to beat. The trail is marked moderate because there are...

Bay to Breakers is a century old road race through San Francisco celebrated in equal parts for its athletic challenge and notoriety.

Although the 7.46 mile race hasn't changed much over the years,...

We take you on a counter-clockwise Grand Tour of San Francisco, on an 18 mile cruise around the best sites of the city.

We visit famous landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cycle along the...

There are many neighborhoods in San Francisco that are great to explore with children. This guide aims to capture some of the city's most popular sites in a walkable half-day format. By starting at...

Nestled in prime real estate between retail-happy Union Square, the bustle of the Financial District and the beatnik funkiness of North Beach, Chinatown beckons to tourists and locals with its...

The Golden Gate Bridge is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful bridges in the world, and the opportunity to walk across at least part of it should not be missed. The bridge spans 1.7...

Away from the hustle of the city, Angel Island offers a retreat to tranquility surrounded by magnificent San Francisco Bay views.

This six mile biking tour is great for both beginners and...

The United States Army created this trail in 1980 so that San Francisco residents could walk through the woods near their homes. Parts of this trail are through open grass areas while other ares are...

The entire bay area ridge trail is about 510 miles long and circles the entire bay. This short section winds through San Francisco's Presidio District and has some great views of the bay as well as...

We trace a route along the shores of San Francisco Bay, over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the picturesque towns of Marin Country to take you on a tour you'll never forget.

Beyond the...

Discover the quieter side of the San Francisco Bay across the Golden Gate Bridge in the former fishing village of Sausalito.

You'll find this a perfect place to browse the little boutique stores that...

Just a few short miles from the bustle of San Francisco lies the relative peace and quiet of the Marin Headlands where you can enjoy Golden Gate views among rolling hills and soaring raptors.

Our...

The scenic Embarcadero is a memorable way to connect two of San Francisco's biggest attractions, and is also a conveniently short and flat route.

Union Square is the center of San Francisco's...

We help you navigate the streets of San Francisco, picking the best route through the concrete jungle to reach the celebrated Golden Gate Park.

Our route takes you from the bicycle lanes of Market...

This section of the California Coastal Trail runs from the Cliff House near the Sutro Baths all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge and passes many landmarks including Baker Beach, the Seacliff area,...

This walking tour through the heart of downtown San Francisco provides an engaging mini-history class on the architecture of one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the United States.

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Known for its vibrant Latino culture, colorful murals and hip, artistic spirit, the Mission is experiencing a second coming with a new crop of restaurants, boutiques and more.

While some locals have...

As the Mamas & the Papas suggested in their hit 1967 song, "if you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair." Good advice, especially if your visit includes a stop in the...

The nation's first urban National Wildlife Refuge is a jewel on the San Francisco Bay. Its 30,000 acres of open bay, salt pond, salt marsh, mudflat, upland, and vernal pool habitats are constantly...

At the easily accessible Candlestick Point SRA, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, the East Bay Hills, San Bruno Mountain, and downtown San Francisco.

This walk highlights...

Wildflower lovers will love the springtime scenery of Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, but when the blooms have faded this East Bay park still has plenty to marvel at. Eagle-eyed hikers in autumn and...

Crissy Field is a stunning park site within the Golden Gate National Parks. Crissy Field's 100 acres of wild, windswept shoreline are a favorite place for walkers, joggers, boardsailors, bicyclists,...

The Pulgas Water Temple was built at the terminus of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct as a monument to the new water system. It’s located within the watershed, just south of Crystal Springs reservoir. An...

Established as a national wildlife refuge 100 years ago, the Farallon Islands are centered in one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. While off limits to the public, a handful of scientists...

Phleger Estate is a gorgeous swath of second-growth redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains just west of Silicon Valley.

It's a remote section of Golden Gate National Recreation Area that gets few...

If you've got the legs for 15 miles of ups and downs along the fabulous terrain near California Highway 35, aka Skyline Boulevard, then this hike deserves a spot on your to-do list.

The route passes...

Most Bay Area residents have felt the earth move—quite literally. You probably know that the San Andreas Fault runs nearly the length of the state. But did you know that you can see the fault for...

This is a mobile tour to complement the 'Treasures from San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum' exhibit, or a virtual tour for friends and family who won't have the opportunity to see...

North Beach is one of San Francisco's distinct, famous, and oldest neighborhoods, dating back to the village of Yerba Buena in the 1830s. Today Little Italy is home to the city's Italian American...

the Mission is now experiencing a second coming with a new crop of restaurants, boutiques, and more. -By Jaime Gross

San Francisco is green, clean, and organic—the architecture is high-tech and eco-friendly, and the food is excruciatingly fresh and local. Is this the world’s first true 21st-century city? In the...

The over-the-top Aussie entertainer Dame Edna thinks San Francisco, with its literary haunts, is simply smashing.

The hikes included in this package include but are not limited to, your seeing waterfalls, whales, various wildlife and a wide variety of birds, trees and plants, mushrooms and berries, the ocean and...

Within a relatively compact 40 square miles one can find showy Victorian manses and elegant Art Deco skyscrapers; the sprawling, verdant oasis of Golden Gate Park, along with some shockingly good...

San Bruno Mtn Bicycle is about 18.2 miles long and located near San Francisco, California. Highlight is a long uphill and downhill in semi-rural setting with great views and an excellent shoulder for...

Beyond the aroma of cappuccino and focaccia, the café tables spilling onto the sidewalk, and the convivial air, North Beach is alive with the spirit of the Beatniks, those revolutionary artists who...

North America’s oldest Chinatown is a sensory immersion: You’ll hear clicking abacus beads, catch a whiff of incense, and gaze up at the buildings’ flaring pagoda flourishes and varying flags (the red...

The Castro came out in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, when gay men started buying Victorians in the once-sleepy suburb. Today, the neighborhood is one of San Francisco’s most vibrant areas, best known for being...

Wedged between the Civic Center and the Western Addition neighborhoods, Hayes Valley is home to some of the best food, design, and clothing the city has to offer. Just twenty years ago the area was...

Although “The Haight” is best known for being the center of ‘60’s hippy culture, there’s more to the strip between Baker and Stanyan streets than just smoke and nostalgia shops. One look beyond the...

In the late 1800s, the newly rich started setting up in Pac Heights, and to this day it remains a place mostly inhabited by the moneyed. The area is largely residential with a stretch of Fillmore...

The Embarcadero, which traces San Francisco’s eastern shoreline, memorably demonstrates the good that can come from a natural disaster. After the 1989 earthquake, the old freeway was torn down,...

Industrial roots give this “South of Market” neighborhood a bigger scale than the rest of downtown. (Although now industry is more often high-tech than wholesale.) Several outstanding museums cluster...