Hike: Bay Area Ridge Trail - Presidio to Golden Gate
I’ve finally decided to write about my adventures to encourage others to explore the outdoors. Let’s start with the trail that marked my first excursion on the Bay Area Ridge Trail (BART) a few years ago in San Francisco, CA. If you’ve hiked around the Bay Area, you may have seen signs indicating the Bay Area Ridge Trail which is a series of multi-use trails encompassing hundreds of miles around the bay. As a New Year’s resolution I decided January 1st 2017 would be the day I start making my way around it one hike at a time.
I had been on hikes with the trail markers for BART but never followed them purposely. Now they bring a sense of familiarity and motivation. I headed to the Presidio with two friends and parked at Gold Clubhouse near Arguello Gate, which was quick and easy. At first we were a little confused about how to get to the trail but with the help of the few trail markers, we found our way! The sign shown above is the first one we saw across the visitor parking lot but we had to turn back toward the parking lot and continue North to find the correct trail. Within a few minutes we found the Spire, a neat tree, and a gorgeous walkway lined with lush trees.
The trail started off mostly flat and then weaved slightly in some secluded areas. After some quiet and quaint scenes we came to an opening that reminded me of hillside views in Europe with homes overlooking the ocean fitted closely together. The hike was very lush and had a nice mix of seclusion in some areas and urban development in others.
Near the end of the hike we walked toward the Golden Gate Bridge which presented a nice transition from green foliage to iconic views. We found a banana slug along the way that I almost sat on! Overall the hike was incredibly pleasant, easy to get to, and definitely a crowd pleaser.
Some parts were shaded from the sun, so in the cooler months an extra layer would be a good idea. There are plenty of spots worthy of a photo and since it’s so close to the ocean the air felt incredibly fresh. On the Bay Area Ridge Trail website the 2.7 mile hike is rated as EASY. For more information on this section of the Bay Area Ridge Trail check out (link).
