Our guide to the top five
beaches in San Francisco will help you to choose an awesome beach excursion
for a sunny day. Whether you choose the sun and nude options at Baker
Beach or the sweeping beauty of Ocean Beach - San Francisco is a great place
for a day at the best beaches. The beaches of San Francisco are beautiful, but they
might not be what you think of when you think of hanging out at the beach. San
Francisco is known for its fog, and that fog comes in through the ocean so
that even on the warmest days of the year, a chill can usually be felt in the
ocean air. Not too many people actually go swimming in the beaches here, and
those who do often wear wetsuits to keep out the cold. However, if you get
past the first step, the water can be quite refreshing, and even if you don’t
go in to the water, you can enjoy beach activities on the shore. Take a jacket
along to keep out the cold or take a blanket along for a more romantic way to
warm up. Keep in mind that the nicest beaches in the area on those on the
Pacific Coast, but the warmer beaches are those located on the bay. The
following are the top five beaches in the San Francisco area.
San
Francisco's #1 Beach:
Ocean
Beach The adjective which best describes Ocean Beach is
“pleasant”. That might not sound like a very descriptive word but when you are
surrounded by a bustling city which offers every activity your imagination
might be able to conjure up, pleasant can sometimes be a nice respite. That is
why Ocean Beach is the best of the beaches in San Francisco; it offers a break
from city life and lets you remember that you are so close to nature when you
are here. And yet, it is easy to access so that you don’t have to go far at
all to get back to the busy life you left behind. Ocean Beach is the largest
of the San Francisco beaches, taking up the entire west side of San Francisco
and offering a Panoramic View of the Pacific Ocean. It offers approximately
five miles of peaceful surf and sand, where both locals and visitors go to
meditate, reflect and let their imaginations get a little bit more of a
natural influence than is possible in the city itself. Although it is a quiet
beach, it is not unpopulated. On warmer days, surfers come here to practice
their skills, writers come to jot in their journals and dog walkers bring
their broods to enjoy the mixture of leashed and unleashed dog-friendly areas
located here. Even on warmer days, though, it can get kind of chilly on this
strip of sand, so make sure to stop in at Java Beach coffee shop for a warm
drink or enjoy a hot meal at the Cliff House.
#2
Baker Beach It is known by many as the “nude beach” but Baker
Beach is actually the best of the beaches for clothed (or yes, unclothed)
people of all ages. It is located just on the western side of the Golden Gate
Bridge, providing the best ocean view of that most famous of San Francisco
landmarks. Perhaps because of this striking view, Baker Beach is also the most
crowded of San Francisco beaches, but that’s not a bad thing. This is the
beach to head to when you are looking for some fun. Interested in picking up a
volleyball game on the shore? Seeking to do some ocean-side kite flying? Dying
to practice for your Extreme Frisbee competition? Baker Beach is the place for
doing all of those things. Swimming, surfing and sandcastle-building are also
frequently enjoyed activities on Baker Beach.
#3
Aquatic Park This is an urban beach, meaning that it is
located right in the heart of the city. Travelers enjoy this beach because it
is so close to the tourist spots of Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square
and locals enjoy this beach because it is a nice little get-away which is easy
to reach when coming home from the office or before heading out for the
evening. Aquatic Park visitors can pick up a sourdough bread bowl filled with
clam chowder or get a famous Ghirardelli Sundae and take it over to the steps
at this beach to enjoy it out in the open air. There is a wading area here
where children and adults alike enjoy the rippling soft waves hitting the
shore. This is a bay beach, not an ocean beach, so the water is softer and the
sand is easy to walk along. There is also a paved walkway along a portion of
this beach, making it accessible to visitors in wheelchairs or bicyclists out
to see the water. Make sure to see Hyde Street Pier and the Maritime Museum
while you are in the area.
#4
East Beach This beach is commonly known as China Beach, named
after the history of Chinese fishermen who camped here in days past. It is
located in Pacific Heights, at the intersection of Seacliff and 28th
Avenue. This is one of the safest beaches for families, with shallow
waters for the kids to play in and lifeguards on duty during the summer. There
are also picnic areas here with grills available so people who want to get out
and enjoy some barbecued food at the beach will find East Beach to be the best
location. Travelers who want to make sure to see all there is to see in this
neighborhood will want to make stops at the Exploratorium and Crissy Field on
the day they visit this beach. This is also the beach closest to the Golden
Gate Bridge on the Bay Side.
#5
Stinson Beach – People who have explored all of the beaches within
San Francisco should cross the Golden Gate Bridge and venture over to the
Marin County Beaches to see something new. Stinson Beach is reached after a
peaceful winding drive which leads through beautiful Muir Woods. It makes an
excellent day trip location for San Francisco locals and visitors, offering
easy access to state park hiking and facilities for picnicking and swimming.
By: Kathryn Vercillo, Copyright SFTRAVEL
LLC
