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

Segments

1. 
   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.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: jjron · GFDL 1.2
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.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Bob Collowan · CC BY-SA 4.0
3. 
   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 has 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 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.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Christopher Michel · CC BY-SA 4.0
4. 
   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.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Cmichel67 · CC BY-SA 4.0
5. 
   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.

   Read more on Wikipedia Photo: US-Army, from the National Archives · Public domain
6. 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.