Fort Funston 2015-10-08

Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), Fort Funston is located on the south western side of San Francisco. Plenty of parking is available from the main entrance on Skyline Blvd. I had parked at the John Muir entrance (at the intersection of Skyline Blvd & John Muir Blvd) where about 8 cars can be parked off road on Skyline Blvd. 

An off leash dog park with trails by the ocean and atop 200 feet bluffs, this is as good as it comes from a dogs perspective. From John Muir entrance, we turned right on to Coastal trail and made our way to the beach on the north side of the park. Fort Funston is a popular spot with dog lovers, expect to find several dogs moving around off leash wherever you choose to go.

The north beach access is through two bluffs offering some fine views. The sand on the north beach was black and very quickly, Apollo got dirty from wading in the ocean. It is possible to walk along the beach in either direction. We, however, turned around and went on top of one of the cliffs leading to the beach. 

The cliffs are sandy and dogs can fall off them. Do exercise caution - I had Apollo on leash when we walked up here. We continued on coastal trail to the north and turned around onto Horse trail. Coastal trail continues further up north to Ocean beach.

Horse trail is located away from the beach and goes through some nice coastal trees. It was a warm day and the shade was welcome. Horse trail is well marked and goes all the way to the south side of the park, to the erstwhile Nike missile site. Along the way, you will have some great views of the city on your left.

Horse trail ends at the main parking lot by the missile site building. The second access to the beach is through the Stairs trail from this location. This is a steep climb down, nearly 200 feet down from the top of the cliffs. 

The beach sand in this location is not as black as the previous spot. However, from Apollo's perspective, it really didn't matter. He was completely wet and dirty, from playing in the ocean as well as with other dogs along the way.

We climbed back with Apollo clearly leading the way to the hang gliding spot. The observation deck on top offered great views of the Pacific. In addition, there were some more cold war artifacts in the observation deck.

We crossed over the parking lot, walked by Chip trail and took the stairs down John Muir trail to the trail head. While I did mention the various trail names, this is an open park with plenty of opportunities to walk free form. Most trails are also in beach sands; with fantastic views, beach sand slowing you down and your dog off leash, this is more a leisurely walk than a brisk hike. 

That said, our stroll added up to more than 3.5 miles for me. And I have to guess with all the running he did today, Apollo must have covered more than 5 miles by himself!

More pictures from our walk today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #FortFunston #GGNRA #CoastalTrail