Valentina Vicent - West SF Art-infused Ocean Beach Hike

Rodin's bronze Thinker seated on a granite base in the Court of Honor, with the columns of the Legion of Honor behind it and a blue sky above — Rodin's *The Thinker* in the Court of Honor.

Stop 1 Lincoln Park

The Thinker at the Legion of Honor

Rodin's Thinker, brooding in a courtyard above the Golden Gate.

Start here, because this one is a must. The Legion of Honor opened in 1924 on a bluff in Lincoln Park, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the middle of its Court of Honor sits a cast of Rodin's The Thinker, one of the best-known sculptures in the world.

Rodin first imagined him as the brooding figure above The Gates of Hell, which you can also see in the Rodin garden at Stanford. Don't skip the courtyard.

Going inside is the optional part. The museum holds more than 90 of Rodin's sculptures, plus European paintings and antiquities, and its temporary shows tend to be good and quick to see, from Manet and Morisot to Wayne Thiebaud. Check what's on before you go.

Good to knowOpen Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 5:15 pm; closed Mondays and a few holidays. The Thinker is outside, and the museum's own article lists the Court of Honor among its free spaces, so you can likely see it without a ticket, but confirm before you go. Gallery tickets are sold on the museum's website, and booking ahead is recommended. 100 34th Ave at Clement St, with free parking in the museum's lots. Visit info ↗ The courtyard ↗ Map ↗

Rodin's Three Shades, three bronze figures leaning together with their heads bowed, under a domed ceiling inside the Legion of Honor — Rodin's *The Three Shades*, inside the museum.

A slow pan across a Wayne Thiebaud painting at the Legion.

Inside the museum Thiebaud

Here's the painting I loved in the Thiebaud show, in a short video showing the lush detail of the food and paint.

Stop 2 Lands End

The Lands End Trail

A cliff-top path with the Golden Gate in view.

The Lands End trail follows an old railroad bed along the cliffs at the city's northwest corner, through cypress and eucalyptus, with views across to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.

Along the way there are lookouts, the USS San Francisco Memorial, and side paths down to Mile Rock Beach by a wooden staircase (you climb back up). This is the nature half of the walk, so slow down and let the view do the work.

Budget about two hours at an easy pace, more if you detour. For the short stroll, skip the trail and start at the Lands End Lookout visitor center near the Sutro Baths, which has cute things for sale and really good ice cream. It's usually cold out here, but the sugar rush is a great booster for the rest of the day.

Good to knowFree, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The trail has dirt paths and wooden steps, so wear shoes with grip, and stay well back from the cliff edges. Sources put it at roughly 3 to 4 miles round trip, depending on detours. Visitor center hours change, so check before you go. NPS Lands End ↗ Map (Lands End Lookout) ↗

Sunlight bursting through tall cypress trees above a bright green meadow at Lands End — Cypress and a sunny meadow along the trail.

Stop 3 Lands End

Sutro Baths

The ruins of what was once the largest indoor pool complex in the world.

Adolph Sutro, a wealthy entrepreneur who later became mayor of San Francisco, opened the Sutro Baths on these cliffs in 1896: six saltwater pools and one freshwater pool, plus slides, swinging rings and a springboard, filled and recycled by the Pacific tides and a pump in a sea-level cave.

A fire in 1966, during demolition, destroyed the building. What remains is concrete walls, blocked staircases and a tunnel with a deep crevice. Walk it like ancient (but modern) outdoor ruins, with the ocean as the backdrop.

The concrete walls around the ruins are covered in graffiti, which gives the place a second life.

There are caves in the rocks here, too, and every so often there's a secret, speakeasy-style party in them. I won't print the details, but if you're interested, email me.

Tide timing

This is the idea, not a forecast. The cave and tunnel are for low tide only, and even then waves can reach them, so check the real tide and surf for your day, and skip the cave if you're unsure.

Today's tide chart ↗

Good to knowThe ruins are outdoors, with no entrance fee, and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The steps down from the trail are steep and the tunnel has a deep crevice, so watch your step. A posted warning says visitors have been swept off the rocks by large waves, so stay off wet rocks near the surf. NPS Cliff House and Sutro Baths ↗ Map ↗

Graffiti-covered concrete walls of the Sutro Baths ruins beside a cave mouth, with the Pacific and an offshore rock behind — Now: the ruins, graffiti and all. Then: the baths in their heyday (photo: National Park Service). And the path down.

Black-and-white historic photo of the glass-roofed interior of the Sutro Baths, with swimmers in the pools — Now: the ruins, graffiti and all. Then: the baths in their heyday (photo: National Park Service). And the path down.

The Giant Camera building at Point Lobos, a small white building shaped like a box camera, with visitors at its door

Stop 4 Point Lobos

The Camera Obscura

A building shaped like a giant camera, with the Pacific on a screen inside.

Beside the old Cliff House, a building shaped like a giant camera has housed a camera obscura since 1946, an old optical trick: a lens projects a live image of the ocean onto a screen inside a darkened room. The camera-shaped exterior came later, in 1957, but the optics inside date to 1946.

Even if the door is shut, the building and the cliffs around it are worth the walk, and the next stop is right below.

Heads upIt isn't always open, and I can't promise it will be when you arrive. It has run since 1946, apart from repairs after a 2023 storm, and its current status isn't clear. Check the Giant Camera's site before you plan around it, and treat it as a bonus. At 1096 Point Lobos Ave, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. giantcamera.com ↗ NPS page ↗ Map ↗

Fog over the Pacific at Point Lobos, with dark rocks and breaking waves below the cliffs — The view from the cliffs outside, on a foggy day.

Stop 5 Ocean Beach

The Ocean Beach surf overlook

The edge of the city, where the waves are the show.

Coming down past the Camera Obscura, you're at the north end of Ocean Beach, about 3.5 miles of sand where San Francisco runs out of land. It's one of the Bay Area's best surf spots, and in big winter swells the waves can be world class.

From up here you can often see surfers working the break below, so give the waves more than a few minutes before you move on.

If you want a book to go with the view, read Barbarian Days by William Finnegan, the surfing memoir that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize, with some of its most memorable chapters set right here. It's one of my favorite reads of all time.

Get your feet wet, and only your feet. Ocean Beach is a hardcore beach, so this is a paddle at the edge, not a swim.

Feet onlyOcean Beach has no lifeguards, and the park service strongly discourages swimming. Wading to the knee is allowed, but people have been swept out in about three feet of water, so ankle-deep is plenty. Rip currents, sneaker waves and cold water are the risks. Never turn your back on the ocean, and stay off the rocks. The NPS page is an older notice, so check current conditions with the park before you go. NPS beach safety ↗ Map ↗

Surfers waiting for waves in a grey sea off Ocean Beach, with white water breaking in front of them

Surfers outside the break at the north end of Ocean Beach.

Ocean Beach, from the north end

Drag to explore →

A curving road above Ocean Beach lined with yellow posts, with waves breaking in the distance — Where the road curves above the beach.

A wet, mirror-like beach at the north end of Ocean Beach, with the Cliff House on the headland at the right — Looking back toward the Cliff House from the sand.

Walkers on Ocean Beach looking north toward offshore rocks, with a bank of fog behind them — North, toward the rocks off the Cliff House.

People and a dog on the sand at sunset, walking toward the water at Ocean Beach — Before we got our feet wet.

Valentina crouching on the sand at Ocean Beach, hugging her dog as it licks her face, under a blue sky — After. Feet wet, one very happy dog.

Golden-hour light on Ocean Beach, with people at the waterline and an offshore rock under a pink sky — Golden hour on the sand.

Pastel houses along the edge of Ocean Beach, with a long graffiti-covered wall in front of them under a pink and purple sky — The houses on the edge of the beach, and the graffiti wall that leads up to the street.

A surfer in a wetsuit smiling beside a cream-colored camper van parked below a green hillside — Wetsuits and camper vans are part of the scenery.

Detail of the Labaudt fresco in the Beach Chalet lobby: bathers in 1930s swimsuits resting on a beach, with rocks and the sea behind them and a mosaic archway at the right edge — Bathers on the beach, from Lucien Labaudt's fresco, and the Beach Chalet lobby it wraps around. Photos: Beach Chalet.

The lobby of the Beach Chalet, with a wood-beamed ceiling and Depression-era frescoes along the walls — Bathers on the beach, from Lucien Labaudt's fresco, and the Beach Chalet lobby it wraps around. Photos: Beach Chalet.

Stop 6 Golden Gate Park

The Beach Chalet murals

Depression-era frescoes of everyday San Francisco, just inside the door.

The Beach Chalet, at the western edge of Golden Gate Park and across the Great Highway from Ocean Beach, was finished in 1925 and designed by Willis Polk. Just inside the entrance, Lucien Labaudt painted a fresco called San Francisco Life in 1936 and 1937, as a Works Progress Administration project. It wraps around all four walls of the lobby.

The scenes show everyday life in the city and the park, including real San Franciscans of the day, such as the park superintendent, John McLaren. Look for the man with six fingers hidden among the figures.

From the overlook, walk south along the water to get here. The Beach Chalet is also a brewery, with nice seating outside. The beers are great (I like lagers), and the burger is pretty nice too, although expensive. It's a good place to warm up before the last stop.

Good to knowAt 1000 Great Highway. The murals are on the ground floor, which is the Golden Gate Park Visitor Center; check the park's page for hours and whether there's a charge. The restaurant and brewery list daily hours (11 am to 9 pm on weekdays, 10 am to 9 pm on weekends when last checked), so confirm before you go. Muni's 18 stops on the Great Highway near the Beach Chalet. Park info ↗ Beach Chalet ↗ Map ↗

The Mollusk Surf Shop storefront at night, with its Surf Shop sign over the doorway and lit surfboards inside — Mollusk Surf Shop.

Stop 7 Outer Sunset

Mollusk Surf Shop and the bus back

A surf shop that doubles as an art gallery.

Mollusk is part surf shop, part gallery. It hosts art openings from time to time and over the years has shown artists including Thomas Campbell and Nathaniel Russell, so check the shop's site before you go. The artist-designed t-shirts are great, too. My favorite t-shirt came from here, and it's (you guessed it) a burger.

The Muni 18 gets you back to the Legion of Honor if you parked there. It stops on the Great Highway by the Beach Chalet and at Irving St and 46th Ave, a short walk from the shop. Board the inbound bus, which Muni labels "Inbound to Outer Richmond" and which ends at the Legion of Honor. Check Muni for current times.

Good to knowAt 4500 Irving St, in the Outer Sunset. Hours and shows change, so check the shop's site. Muni lists the 18 as running daily, with the Legion of Honor at the end of the line, and the N Judah ends at Ocean Beach. The Legion of Honor lists free parking in its lots. Mollusk Surf Shop ↗ Muni 18 ↗ N Judah ↗ Bus back to the Legion ↗

A hand-lettered red and cream kiosk reading Last Stop and First Stop, with apartment buildings behind it — Last stop, first stop, at the end of the N Judah line. In 2017 the city's arts commission approved a "First Stop, Last Stop" mural for this corner by sign painter Jeff Canham, a former Mollusk art director.

Another way home N Judah

The N Judah, another Muni line, ends a few blocks away at Judah St and La Playa St, by Ocean Beach, and runs back downtown. A hand-lettered kiosk at the end of the line reads Last Stop and First Stop, depending on which way you're headed, which is a good way to end the day.

Take it with you

The whole route, on your phone

The full day ↗ Short stroll ↗ Bus back to the Legion ↗

Google's directions follow streets and trails it knows about, so use them to get your bearings between stops. The full-day route runs from the Legion of Honor to Mollusk Surf Shop, and the last button shows the bus back. Check hours before you head out.

Good to know

Where can I see Rodin's The Thinker in San Francisco?

In the Court of Honor at the Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park. The museum lists the courtyard among its free spaces, so you can likely see the sculpture without a ticket, but confirm before you go. The galleries inside need a ticket.

Do I have to go inside the Legion of Honor?

No. The Thinker is outside, so the courtyard alone is a quick stop before the trail. Going inside is optional, and worth it if there's a temporary show you want to see or you like Rodin sculpture.

How long is the Lands End Trail?

Sources put the trail at roughly 3 to 4 miles round trip, depending on detours. This guide walks it one way, from the Legion of Honor toward the Sutro Baths, so plan on around two hours at an easy pace.

Is the Camera Obscura open?

Not always. It has run since 1946, apart from repairs after a 2023 storm. The National Park Service points to the Giant Camera's own site for details, so check there before you plan around it.

Can you swim at Ocean Beach?

No. The park service strongly discourages swimming: there are no lifeguards, and rip currents, sneaker waves and cold water are real risks. Wading to the knee is allowed, but people have been swept out in about three feet of water, so keep to your feet and never turn your back on the ocean.

Is there art at Ocean Beach?

Yes. The Sutro Baths ruins are covered in graffiti, the Beach Chalet has Lucien Labaudt's WPA frescoes (1936 to 1937) just inside the entrance, and in the Outer Sunset, Mollusk Surf Shop doubles as a gallery with the occasional art opening.

How do I get back to the Legion of Honor?

Muni's 18 46th Avenue ends at the Legion of Honor. It stops on the Great Highway by the Beach Chalet and at Irving St and 46th Ave. If you would rather head downtown, the N Judah ends at Judah St and La Playa St, by Ocean Beach. Check Muni for current times and stops.

Do I need a car?

No. The 18 reaches the Legion of Honor, and the 38 Geary has a stop at 48th Ave and Point Lobos Ave near the Sutro Baths. If you drive, the Legion of Honor lists free parking in its lots, and Lands End has a lot with no fee. Keep valuables out of the car.

Portrait of Valentina Vicent, smiling, in a rust-orange jacket

Who made this guide

Hi, I'm Valentina.

I'm a creative and art director in L.A. who has shaped packaging and campaigns for brands from Vita Coco to Fenty Beauty. Guides like this one are how I explore the world. If you liked the guide, you'll like the work.

See the work → More art guides →

West SF Art-infused Ocean Beach Hike

Choose your day

Short stroll: 2 to 3 hours

Full day: the whole coast