Explore Sutro Baths and Hike The Lands End Trail in San Francisco
Located in the northwestern corner of the beautiful city of San Francisco, a coastal oasis awaits eager visitors and hikers alike; Lands End…
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Located in the northwestern corner of the beautiful city of San Francisco, a coastal oasis awaits eager visitors and hikers alike; Lands End.
From the moment you leave your vehicle, you’re treated to near non-stop stunning views of the city’s coast, Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Ocean, and Marin Headlands.
If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also get to check out many historic sights and subjects such as the USS San Francisco Memorial, Sutro Baths, Cliff House, and more!
You can spend your visit just exploring the ruins of the Sutro Baths or extend your visit by hiking this short, but beautiful stretch of California’s infamous, Coastal Trail.
So how do you get to Lands End? Is the trail dog friendly? How many miles is it? We’ll answer all these questions and more below. Let’s get into it!
Lands End Information
Lands End Lookout
The parking lot for Lands End is located in the Sutro Heights district of the city, just off of Point Lobos Ave.
Here, you can access the Visitor Center, Cliff House, Sutro Bath ruins, and the trailhead for the Lands End trail.
For GPS purposes, here is the address:
680 Point Lobos Ave. San Francisco, CA, 94121
Sutro Baths Ruins
From the parking lot, you’ll see a stairwell descending towards the ocean. This stairwell will take you down to the Sutro Baths ruins.
The Sutro Baths complex was a massive saltwater swimming pool owned by Adolph Sutro. They were built in 1894 and remained opened until 1964.
The complex was sold to real estate developers with the idea to build ocean-side condos, but a fire in 1966 put an end to that plan.
Now run by the National Park Service, all that remains of the baths are the concrete foundations, walls, and stairwells.
It may seem like nothing, but the ruins are fun to explore. You’re free to climb and walk on them but be careful! One misstep and you’re in the ocean.
To the right of the ruins is a tunnel carved into the rock. It isn’t long and there’s not much to see at the end, but it’s still a cool feature of the area.
Sutro Baths Upper Traill
On the concrete path to the ruins, you’ll notice a dirt path that spurs off up and to the right. This is the Upper Trail.
The view from above will give you an idea of just how massive the Sutro Baths complex really was.
Lands End Trail
Trailhead near Sutro Baths.
Trail Information
The trailhead on the lookout side of the trail is adjacent to the parking lot. If you’re facing Sutro Baths at the top, go right.
You can access the other side of the trail by parking near the Legion of Honor building and walking down the pathway along the road.
Trailhead near Legion of Honor off of Lincoln Highway.
The Lands End trail is a section of the infamous, Coastal Trail. A near 1200-mile trail stretching from Mexico up to Oregon.
The Lands End portion is 1.5-miles, one-way, along a mostly dirt path winding along beautiful coastal bluffs lined with Cypress trees.
The trail is easy-to-mild in difficulty, but does present a few moderately challenging stairwells at certain points.
The trail starts out (from the lookout side) on a wide path under Cypress trees, before opening up to an amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
About halfway through, the path narrows and turns into a more traditional hiking trail. For the most part, the trail is very shaded.
*Bathroom Alert: In short, there are none. Not on the trail, anyway. There are bathrooms at the Lands End Lookout visitor center and occasionally, there’s a portable restroom near Fort Miley at the dead-end.
Trail Detours & Features
If you just want to go from one end to another, you can. However, along the way, you’ll encounter a few cool detours you should consider taking.
Lands End Point
At around the half-mile point (coming from the lookout side), you’ll see a sign pointing towards a set of steep steps (pictured below).
This stairwell will take you down to three great detours; Lands End Point, Mile Rock Beach, and Lands End Labyrinth.
Halfway down the stairwell, where it flattens, veer to right to Lands End Point. It features a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
It makes for an excellent spot to take a break and take some photos. You could also enjoy a picnic here with your partner.
You’ll see remnants of a foundation that held some kind of military artillery. To the left of that is the Lands End Labyrinth (our photo didn’t turn out well at all. Sorry).
*If you’re interested in more locations around the city with military history, check out our articles about Kirby Cove and the Muir Beach Overlook.
Mile Rock Beach
Taking the second set of stairs will take you to Mile Rock Beach. There’s also a short, but sketchy, path from Lands End Point you can take.
The beach is small, but beautiful. What it’s most known for are the seemingly hundreds of rock stacks along the cove.
These were left by many visitors over the years and the rocks used in the Labyrinth above the beach were taken from here.
Eagles Point
Eagles Point isn’t a detour as it’s directly off the trail, but it’s worth mentioning as it provides the closest view of the bridge on the trail.
If you’re starting on the Lincoln Highway side of the trail, you’ll see it right away as it’s just past the trailhead sign on your right.
Legion of Honor
Legion of Honor is a museum located near the trail in Lincoln Park. They display a collection of ancient and European artifacts from the last 4,000 years.
The Beaux-arts building was built in a way to commemorate Californian soldiers who were killed in battle during World War 1.
We would recommend visiting before or after your hike. For more information or to purchase advance tickets, go here.
USS San Francisco Memorial
This memorial was built to honor the memory of the men who died on the USS San Francisco during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
The memorial was built out of materials from the actual ship. You can see the holes made by enemy bullets all around it.
Coming from the Sutro Baths side of the trail, you’ll soon come to an opening on the trail with the Golden Gate Bridge on full display.
To the right of this viewing area, you’ll see a steep set of concrete steps on your right (you can’t miss them). Take these to the top and go right.
Additional Information
When To Go
The Lands End Trail and Sutro Baths are accessible throughout the year, so there’s no real bad time to go.
The summer months will obviously be the hottest and will have the heaviest crowds. Aside from that, it’s pretty much your preference.
It was late November when my Dad and I hiked this and we experienced minimal crowding and perfect weather.
Most of the crowds we saw were at the Sutro Baths and it was close to noon by the time we reached that point.
Cliff Warnings
Scattered throughout the trail and at Sutro Baths, you’ll likely notice signs such as the one pictured above. It’s best to heed these warnings.
Unfortunately, there have been many deaths along this trail. One being a 17-year-old girl who lost her life after falling over a cliff.
When my Dad and I were here, someone had fallen off a cliff after entering a restricted area near Sutro Baths.
Thankfully, he was recovered by Fire & Rescue Personnel and survived his injuries, but it could have been much, much worse.
Is The Trail Dog and Bike Friendly?
Dogs, leashed or not, are welcomed all along the trail and at Sutro Baths. Bikes, on the other hand, are a bit more complicated.
Bikes are allowed between Lands End Lookout and the cut-off for Mile Rock Beach. From there, there’s a bike trail that splits from the main one.
The new trail you’ll be on parallels Lands End Trail, but higher up and will eventually terminate near the Legion of Honor building.
A Quick Note…
We’re often asked about the equipment we use to capture the photos on our website. Below, you’ll find Amazon links to them.
If you decide to purchase, Amazon will give us a small commission. This helps us keep the site running and doesn’t cost you anything extra.
“Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson (this book is an excellent resource for anyone getting into photography)
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