Lands End: In San Francisco but at the edge of the world

San Francisco is a city of contrasts—rich and poor, mansions and tents, skyscrapers and towering trees. It’s a bustling tech hub yet a nature-lover’s paradise. It’s a city teeming with people, yet it manages to maintain a neighborhood feel. It's a “big” city, all wrapped up in 49 square miles. One of my favorite places makes me feel as though I’m worlds away from tech giants and big stores, far from the crowds and noises of the city: Lands End, where trails wind through trees far above the sea and where sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge reward nearly every step.

Nestled in the northwest corner of the city, Lands End was always easily accessible from wherever I was staying. During my weekend stays at The Metro Hotel on Divisadero, accessing Lands End was a two-Muni bus journey (the #24 and either the #38/38R or #5). During my summers at Loyola Village on Anza, the jaunt was a straight shot on the #38/38R; sometimes, I’d run the 3+-miles to the beach and walk up past the Cliff House to the Lands End Lookout overlooking Sutro Baths. That stretch—the beach, the Cliff House, the baths, the trees, and the trail—is one of my very favorites.

I’m not sure what it is about the area that makes me love it so; perhaps it’s the view of the Pacific Ocean, such a different landscape than its sibling, the Atlantic, that greets me at home in New Hampshire. Perhaps it’s the way the land meets the sea in such dramatic fashion. Perhaps it’s the way the bridge—that gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge—peeks out from the trail, offering dramatic vistas seemingly at every turn. And then there’s the labyrinth—a cool, kind-of-hidden rock maze just off the main coastal trail.

After day after day of rain during my visit this past March, my hopes weren’t high for a walk on the trails at Lands End. Still, I wanted to head out—just in case. If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you know you can experience multiple climates within the same day—sometimes within the same hour. That day, my last in the city, I decided I’d throw on jeans and waterproof low hikers, a long-sleeve tee, my Patagonia quarter-zip, my Patagonia down vest, and my Gore-Tex rain jacket. For good measure, I tossed in my Patagonia Nano Puff bivy jacket. I was, if nothing else, prepared for whatever weather SF decided to throw at me. I packed my cameras and lenses, laptop, iPad, cables, and chargers and figured I’d head out to the beach and hunker down at a coffee shop to load photos and to write. I hopped on the bus and headed west to the beach.

First stop: the Lands End Lookout. I had a nice chat with the woman working at the desk, and I got a few more stamp cancellations for my passport book.

By the time I finished up in the visitor’s center, something miraculous was happening: the sun was out—and seemed to be staying out. While I wasn’t thrilled about wearing jeans and lugging around a backpack heavy with tech stuff and camera stuff, there was no way I was going to let this sunny afternoon pass me by. I snapped a photo of the trail map for easy reference, grabbed a granola bar, a bag of mixed nuts, and a water from the concession area, and headed out toward the coastal trail, a 1.6-mile trail with incredible views. I figured I’d take it to the end, jumping off the trail to visit the labyrinth, and then see where I ended up. And what a trip it was…

First, those trees. I can’t even put into words the way I love the silhouette of the trees against the blue skies and the ocean just beyond.

As I walked the trail, I was amazed—as always—the way the Golden Gate Bridge would appear seemingly out of nowhere. And yet, there it was. Ironically, even though the sun was out, I decided to experiment with some black and white shots as well.

I continued walking, making my way down to the labyrinth, a very cool maze of perfect rocks set against the most perfect backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. The labyrinth is marked on the map you can get at the Lands End Lookout, but there’s no sign leading to it. I had been there once before several years ago, and when I had asked the woman at the visitor’s center about the turn off, she said she thought there was a yellow trash can at the point where you’d hang a left. I figured I’d take my chances trying to find it—and sure enough, there was a trash can. I followed the trail down and up to where I could see the labyrinth and, just beyond, Mile Rocks Light.

I continued my walk and decided to walk further on to Baker Beach. For some reason, I had never made it over there before, and I can’t believe I was missing out on one of the most spectacular views of the bridge. I walked through neighborhoods of incredibly beautiful homes—a security camera on every tree, it seemed—and wondered if their occupants ever grew tired of their view (I doubted it). I made my way past China Beach and, pretty wiped and shoulders aching, finally arrived at Baker Beach. And boy, was it worth it.

While at Baker Beach, I happened upon an interesting sight—a graffiti-covered sailboat that had washed ashore a few days prior. My timing could not have been better; just after I finished snapping photo after photo, the sailboat was unceremoniously pulled out from its sandy trench and dragged across the beach. Whatever came of it after that point, I have no idea. But that afternoon, I snapped photo after photo, all the while wondering how “Lucky Lady” had become “Bad Vibes Bob.”

From Baker Beach, pooped from the unplanned day’s excursion, I hopped a bus and rode it back to Divisadero. Too tired to walk more but hungry, I lucked out at the restaurant across the street: The Little Chihuahua. While I can’t for the life of me remember what I ordered beyond the chips and guac, I remember the meal hitting the spot. And with that, my few days in San Francisco had come to and end. Tomorrow, G and I would be heading down the coast. First stop: Big Sur.