On our first day in San Francisco we opened our hotel room’s curtains and were greeted by blue skies and sunshine – two things we had not seen for quite some time back in the UK. In order to make the most of the nice weather we decided to head for the waterfront in order to see as much of San Francisco’s coastline as we could in just one day. Here is our walk from the Ferry Building and Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge..
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After a short walk from our hotel down Market Street and through the financial district, we emerged at the Embarcadero with the picturesque Ferry Building directly in front of us.
We first made for the water-side of the building where a promenade took people along the front as far as the striking Bay Bridge. The views across the bay at the various islands were really beautiful and gave us a taste of what was to come.
Once we had satisfied ourselves with the views we made for the closest entrance into the Ferry Building, once the transportation focal point for anyone arriving by train into San Francisco. As its name suggests, the Ferry Building was also the point in the city from which travellers and commuters could travel across the Peninsula by ferryboat. With the building of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge however, the Ferry Building was rendered obsolete and sadly much of its structure was lost when converted into office space. However back in 2003, the landmark building was reopened as a public food market having been restored to its former glory. Many ferries also operate from the building’s terminals transporting people across the bay.
Once we had had a good look around the marketplace we continued on our way along the Embarcadero, passing various piers and fisherman, as we went. A while later we arrived at our next stop-off point, the famous Pier 39 located at the edge of the Fisherman’s Wharf district. As we arrived we were surprised to find the pier relatively quiet – probably due to the fact it was only 10am and it was Easter Sunday. Despite this many of the shops were open and we enjoyed a browse in some of the shops. A highlight for Jack was the ‘Lefties’ store which had all sorts of wonderful things for left-handed people – notebooks, pens, mugs – you name it, they had it!
Unleashing our inner kids we also jumped aboard the carousel, before heading to the end of the pier where we stopped for a while to enjoy more amazing views across the bay; from just one spot we could see Angel Island, Alcatraz Island, the Bay Bridge and of course the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Around the corner we found the famous sea-lions who call the nearby marina home. It was pretty amazing to see so many of these creatures in the wild and we spent a good fifteen minutes or so just watching them bask in the morning sunshine.
Leaving our rather noisy (and smelly) marine friends behind, we made a quick pit stop in Boudin Bakery to pick up something to nibble on, before heading to the Aquarium of the Bay where we spent an hour or so learning about the local aquatic animals from the San Francisco Bay and neighbouring rivers and watersheds as far as the Sierras. (If you want to read more, I have a whole post on our visit to the Aquarium of the Bay which can be found here!)
We were soon back on our way, walking through the lively Fisherman’s Wharf area filled with restaurants, shops and numerous street performers. Whilst it was tempting to stop at a number of the inviting eateries, we put our best foot forward and continued to walk along Jefferson Street until we made it into the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This took us around a man-made lagoon fronted by a small sandy beach and enclosed by a horseshoe-shaped pier – not a bad place to stop on a sunny afternoon!
At the far side of the park our path began to climb and we were soon up amongst the trees looking down onto Fort Mason, a former United States Army post which served for more than 100 years primarily as a coastal defence site and subsequently as a military port facility. Fort Mason was also the principle port for the Pacific Campaign during World War II. As well as the wealth of history that we were surrounded by, the headland also provide yet more great views, particularly over toward the Golden Gate Bridge, which was getting ever closer.
Emerging through the trees into an open grassy area filled with picnickers and sun-worshippers, we made a quick drinks stop, before making our way further west along Marina Boulevard. At the far end of the marina we found a Dynamo Donuts kiosk and decided it would be rude not to stop and try one of their legendary donuts. After much deliberation as to which of the flavours to go for we opted for hazelnut chocolate lavender and blood orange mimosa – not your traditional donut flavour but they were absolutely delicious!!
Fuelled up with sugar, the next stretch took us along the edge of the Crissy Field Marsh, which some research tells me was once an US airfield. Pretty hard to imagine nowadays as the area has been restored to tidal wetlands and appears to be a sanctuary for all sorts of coastal creatures.. As we walked along the wetlands we stopped a few times to enjoy our surroundings. Both Jack and I love nature and were keen to look out for different species of birds local to this part of the world. Just as we turned to continue on our way a little creature caught our eye and we spotted our first (ever) hummingbird. They really are such beautiful (and tiny) little things.
Eventually, we made it through the vast expanse of Crissy Fields and found ourselves walking along right along the west bluff waterfront with the beautiful Golden Gate directly in front of us. The vast size of the bridge was really put into perspective as we neared its enormous rusty-red towers.
With the aim of getting onto the bridge, we began another mini-hike up and along the paths into the Presidio, a park characterized by many wooded areas, hills, and scenic vistas overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Like much of San Francisco’s waterline, the Presidio was once the site of a US military fort and had been a fortified location since the 18th century when New Spain established it to gain a foothold in Alta California. There isn’t much evidence of its days as a fort left but instead is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area managed by the National Park Service.
Some paths were rather steep but as we inclined we were rewarded with stunning views – in one direction we had the bridge and to the other, wonderful views across the sparkling waters of the bay to Sausalito.
At long last we made it to the top a little out of breath and ready for a short breather. I could think of worse places to catch my breath than this place with one of the most famous and iconic bridges in the world just metres away. Spanning the one mile strait across the bay from the city of San Francisco across to Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge is even bigger than you could imagine and most definitely deserves its title as one of the ‘Wonders of the Modern World’. First opened in 1937, the bridge was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world with a span of 1,280m and a height of 227m.
Having caught our breath and taken lots of photos from this new perspective we were excited to make our way onto the bridge. I had always wanted to rent a bike and cycle across the bridge but not trusting myself or my steering we opted to go by foot. Walking along the pathway on the city-side of the bridge, we began to understand quite how long, tall and high up the bridge is and even after fifteen or so minutes of walking, we weren’t even close to the middle. We had however made it to the first ‘tower’ and it was here that we decided to stop, enjoy the view back towards to city and eventually turned around and headed back for dry-land.
Back on the Presidio we bee-lined for the nearest café. It was nearly 4pm and we hadn’t had anything substantial to eat all day. It was time to treat ourselves to a very American hot dog! Well deserved I think!
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I really hope you enjoyed reading my post on our walk from Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re up for walking it’s a great way to see so many sights and enjoy the amazing views of the Bay. Do let me know what you thought in the comments below. Love V x
