Red Tailed Hawk Walk

Red Tailed Hawk Walking Tour RouteThis walk allows new walkers, and those with a busy schedule to experience the beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area in more meaningful and healthy way. This trip takes you along the San Francisco coast and across the golden gate bridge with taking in the views of Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the bay.

You spend a night in a quiet Bed and Breakfast in the lavish sailing town of Sausalito, choosing from gourmet dining options. The next day you will hike across the fragrant and historic Marin headlands towards the ocean town of Muir Beach where you spend a quiet night at your cozy, quaint English style bed and breakfast steps from a sandy beach.

  • Our short getaway walking experience.
  • Iconic attractions of San Francisco Area including the Golden Gate Bridge.
  • Elegant accommodations in bayside and beachside towns.
  • Route: SF-Sausalito-Muir Beach.
  • 4 days/3 nights.

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Daily Walking Distances

Red-tailed Hawk Walking Tour Elevation Profile

Day 1
Arrive in San Francisco
Suggested Day Hikes (optional)unnamed2

Day 2
San Francisco to Sausalito
7-13 miles (11-20km)

Day 3
Sausalito to Muir Beach
7-14 miles (11-22km)

Day 4
Muir Beach to San Francisco

*Variable distance trail options are provided in your Trip Guide

Walking Itinerary Descriptions

San Francisco – Day 1

Arrive in San Francisco and enjoy this friendly, eclectic city. Each neighborhood offers something very different for every visitor. Ride the trolley cars, visit pier 39 and fisherman’s wharf, have Dim Sum in Chinatown, a taco in the Mission, and experience the city like a local. Short city walks and mini excursions will are suggested in your Trip Guide.

San Francisco to Sausalito – Day 2

Choose to take a longer walking tour though Golden Gate Park and along the rugged Western Pacific coast, or to take a shorter walk along the Marina District. Depending on your choice today, you will pass by the De Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Botanical gardens, and the Japanese Tea Gardens.
You will lunch with views of the bay and ocean, and then meander through the lavish Sea Cliff neighborhood via the Lands-end Trail carved from the steppes above the Pacific Ocean. Marvel at the historic Presidio, see old military batteries and walk across the Golden Gate Bridge with breathtaking views of Alcatraz, Angel Island and Point Bonita Lighthouse.

Alternately, you can choose to walk along the Marina’s historic Crissy field, bordering a former military base Fort Mason and Fort Point (now preserved for visitors). With the Golden Gate Bridge always in view, stroll along the Golden Gate Promenade Beach, where kite and wind surfers put on a show. Visit Fort Point and the Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center before you walk across the Golden Gate bridge.

Wind through Fort Baker, and descend into the boutique sailing town of Sausalito. Enjoy an afternoon of wine and cheese at your inn, nestled in a quiet hillside setting – a short hike to the heart of downtown and the waterfront.

Sausalito to Muir Beach – Day 3

Leave your cozy inn after a delicious well-appointed breakfast, walk through town to choose your trail lunch from a destination gourmet deli. Put it in your daypack and continue up hill through picturesque hills, by some spectacular homes inhabited by the rich and famous. You will come to the top of a hill, look back on the San Francisco bay, the wharf, Sausalito, Tiburon and Angel and Alcatraz Islands. The trails become more remote as you enter the bay area’s treasure: Golden Gate National Recreation Area: protected lands of Marin county. These lands have a rich history and a high biodiversity.

Along the trail today and tomorrow you will encounter native to California plants and animals. If you choose the longer route, you will visit historic Fort Cronkite buildings and batteries in the Marin Headlands. You can pop in at the Headlands Center For The Arts, the Marin Headlands visitor center, or visit enormous gun housings scattered on the hillside. Head to the beach, where magnificent waves crash on rock outcroppings, and where marine life can be seen up close. At the Marine Mammal Center you can see and learn about otters, harbor seals, sea lions and elephant seal pups that have been rescued from danger and are being rehabilitated for release. These centers are all free of charge. You will hook up with the original route via the Tennessee Valley trail which boasts magnificent coastal views the entire way. Winding your way through wilderness to the pristine waters of Muir Beach, you may see Deer, Elk, Coyote, Red Tailed Hawks, Egrets, and Herons. You will experience gorgeous vistas of these coastal mountains, seeing the city, bridge and bay from rare angles.

Arrive in Muir Beach ready to relax and watch a spectacular sunset – pint of beer, or glass of wine in hand.

*Option for a guided section of this trail – two hours hiking with an experienced naturalist can help you identify the plants, birds and other wildlife you encounter, and relay natural history of the area.

Muir Beach to Your Destination – Day 4

Your Custom Trip Guide will give you the option to get back to San Francisco by bus; walking and bus; taxi; or bus and ferry.

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