San Francisco Waterfront: Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate

Almost everything worth seeing in San Francisco sits on the water, and the northern waterfront lets you string it together in one line. This route starts among the sea lions and crab pots of Fisherman’s Wharf, runs the Embarcadero seawall, detours uphill for the city’s most photographed block, and then follows the bay west through old army land to the Golden Gate Bridge — which you walk.

It is around thirteen and a half kilometres. The waterfront is flat and easy; the Lombard Street detour and the climb to the bridge deck are the only real hills, and both are short. Bring layers, always — the wind off the Golden Gate does not care what the forecast said.

Getting there. Start at Fisherman’s Wharf. The Powell–Hyde cable car and the F Market historic streetcar both end nearby, and Muni buses run along the waterfront.

Permits & tickets. The whole route is free. The Golden Gate Bridge sidewalk carries no toll for pedestrians, and Fort Mason and Crissy Field are open public parkland.

Good to know:

Time your day around the fog, not the calendar. Summer mornings here often start grey and burn off only toward the afternoon, and some days they never do.
The bridge’s east sidewalk is the pedestrian side and it closes in the evening; check the hours before committing to a late crossing.
Walk out to the first tower and back if you are short on time — the view does not improve much past it.

Day 1

The northern waterfront to the bridge

Fisherman's Wharf → Golden Gate Bridge 13.5 km

Navigate this day

A west-running line along San Francisco’s northern shore, from the wharf to the middle of the Golden Gate.

Segments

Fisherman's Wharf 1 km 📍 Map

Pier 39 → Hyde Street Pier

Boardwalk and piers

Start on the northern waterfront, in the neighbourhood and tourist district that grew out of the city's fishing fleet. It is unashamedly touristy and worth an hour anyway: the sea lions hauled out on the docks at Pier 39, the crab stands, and the historic ships at the far end. The Aquatic Park Historic District is usually counted as part of the wharf. About 60 minutes.

About this place

Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and tourist attraction in San Francisco, located in the northern part of the city's waterfront. The Aquatic Park Historic District is often considered to be part of Fisherman's Wharf, though some neighborhood descriptions treat it as a separate area. Historically a working fishing port which also had seafood restaurants that were a draw to outsiders, the fishing docks declined during the 1960s and 1970s while tourist development became dominant.
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Photo: jjron · GFDL 1.2
The Embarcadero 3 km 📍 Map

Hyde Street Pier → Ferry Building and back

Flat waterfront promenade

The Embarcadero is the eastern waterfront of the Port of San Francisco and a major roadway, built on reclaimed land behind a seawall about three miles long. Walk south along the piers to the Ferry Building's clock tower and its food hall, then turn back north — or shortcut the return on the F streetcar. Around 90 minutes out and back.

About this place

The Embarcadero is the eastern waterfront of Port of San Francisco and a major roadway in San Francisco, California, United States. It was constructed on reclaimed land along a three mile long engineered seawall, from which piers extend into the bay. It derives its name from the Spanish verb embarcar, meaning "to embark"; embarcadero itself means "the place to embark." The Central Embarcadero Piers Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 2002.
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Photo: Bob Collowan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lombard Street's crooked block 1.5 km 📍 Map

North Beach → Lombard & Hyde

Steep city streets and stairs

The only real climb of the day, up Russian Hill. Lombard Street runs east–west from the Presidio to the Embarcadero, but it is famous for one steep block with eight hairpin turns switchbacking down through flowerbeds. Walk down the stairs beside it rather than the road. The view east over North Beach to the bay is the reason to bother. About 45 minutes.

About this place

Lombard Street is an east–west street in San Francisco, California, that is famous for a steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns. The street stretches from The Presidio east to The Embarcadero. Most of Lombard Street's western segment is a major thoroughfare designated as part of U.S. Route 101. The famous one-block section, claimed to be "the crookedest street in the world", is located along the eastern segment in the Russian Hill neighborhood. It is a major tourist attraction, receiving around two million visitors per year and up to 17,000 per day on busy summer weekends, as of 2015.
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Photo: Christopher Michel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Down to Fort Mason 2.2 km 📍 Map

Lombard & Hyde → Fort Mason

City streets, then park paths

Drop back to the water and into a former United States Army post on the bay in the northern Marina District. Fort Mason served the Army for more than a hundred years, first as a coastal defence site and later as a military port — during the Second World War it was the principal port for the Pacific campaign. Today the piers hold galleries and food, and the bluff above gives you Alcatraz. Around 50 minutes.

About this place

Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California is a former United States Army post located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense site and subsequently as a military port facility. During World War II, it was the principal port for the Pacific campaign.
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Photo: Cmichel67 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marina Green & Crissy Field 2.5 km 📍 Map

Fort Mason → Crissy Field

Flat shoreline path

Flat, open and usually windy. Crissy Field is a public recreation area on the northern shore of the peninsula, just east of the Golden Gate Bridge, with restored tidal marsh and beaches where a military airfield used to be. Kitesurfers, joggers and dogs, with the bridge growing steadily larger ahead of you. About 45 minutes.

About this place

Crissy Field is a public recreation area on the northern shore of the San Francisco Peninsula in California, United States, located just east of the Golden Gate Bridge. It includes restored tidal marsh and beaches.
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Photo: US-Army, from the National Archives · Public domain
Walking the Golden Gate Bridge 3.5 km 📍 Map

Crissy Field → Golden Gate Bridge, Marin side

Paved climb, then bridge sidewalk

Climb the path up to the toll plaza and step onto the sidewalk. The bridge spans the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific, linking the tip of the peninsula to Marin County, and the American Society of Civil Engineers counts it among the Wonders of the Modern World. Expect noise, wind and a long drop. Around 90 minutes to cross.

About this place

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. The structure links San Francisco—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. It also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and is designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95. Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.
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Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0