Barbary Coast Trail

Cool way to get some SF history from a self-guided tour. My rating assumes you get the $10 audio tour from their website, which is entertaining and engaging -- if you were to just walk from point to point without any context, I'd maybe rate it 3 stars (though some of the sites have informational signs).

Wow! Just....Wow!Every day I am more I more amazed by our great city & its incredible history. If you want to learn wonderful tidbits about places you pass every day, this is the tour for you! Or if you ARE a tourist who is looking for a somewhat non-touristy thing to do, this is the event for you!"From the days of the Gold Rush and the Barbary Coast, to the 1906 earthquake and the Beat renaissance, San Francisco's history is rich with dynamic events and storied characters" And it's so true!!!Start it at the US Mint, right beside Powell Street Station.....wind your way around the Cable Car Stop, through Chinatown, the Financial District & North Beach on down to Fisherman's WharfThe tour can take as long as you want - in the 3.8 miles total, you can stop in the various buildings, shops, & churches to look at even more history or just breeze on by after the description is completeDiscover plaques on the buildings I never noticed before that commemorate the great people & feats accomplished to build our great city.....and to ensure you stay on the "trail", there are bronze "compasses" embedded along the sidewalks to guide you on your wayBest part about this tour?? You can download it to your iPod & listen at your leisure.....they also include map pdfs to print at home.....it's a complete kit for only $25!! No time limits & no "tipping" the presenter at the end.....BRILLIANT!Rainy or cold? No problem - you can pick up the tour at another dayWanna go again? No problem as you have the details saved to remember them fondly over & overThis is definitely something I'll do again & again

4.5 star trail because I kept getting lost. Approximately 2 hour trail.Bring a booklet/map of the trailAdventure out to SF for a few hoursRely on those trail markersBring water, a jacket, and good shoes...And expect time to get lost... A LOT! :PRain or shine, it's still a nice walk!You will truly enjoy the views of the city!!From the beginning to the end of this trail I always seemed to get lost and miss where those metal markers went. I thought the trail started at Mission and 5th, but I only saw one on Market and 5th. Just after seeing 2 of those markers on the ground I got lost again. haha And I ended up walking on Grant, but found the markers by Maiden Lane. There was some construction going around the Coit Tower, so the trail by there deadended. By Fort Mason, I didn't see where the trail ended so I kept walking... and walked all the way to the marina. ahahaha So I probably did a 4.8 mile walk today. Good exercise! Nice views! And fun to walk through the city! :)If I could improve this trail, I'd not go in circles in Chinatown next time and just walk through Chinatown into North Beach.

Historic!Walking Tour!San Francisco!The Barbary Coast Trail is just plain awesomeness wrapped in historic awesomeness. Too vague for you? Let's get specific:The trail winds through the streets of SF, from the Old Mint near Market St. all the way out to Aquatic Park and up to Nob Hill. It's a lengthy walk for sure, so give yourself plenty of time to stop and soak up the history.We grabbed the guide booklet at the SF Tourism shop at the Powell St. Bart station for $9. A worthwhile investment! From there we headed off, following the golden seals that dot the sidewalks along the trail. How many are there? Well, we counted somewhere around 160-ish. Waaay too many to count!Highlights of the trail include:Maiden LaneRoss AlleyJackson Square Historic DistrictHyde Street PierSure, you might find yourself off course now and then; those markers can be tricky to spot sometimes! But it's like a treasure hunt. There's always a little nugget of history right around the corner, even in plain sight! I learned so many awesome historic facts at places I had visited before.On the down-side, as the trail got down to Pier 39 it lost some of its luster. Perhaps it was the throng of tourists, or because I had been there many many times before. To offer some advice, skip that part. Check it out separately along with Hyde Street Pier. The Nob Hill section is great as well, but can be done another time as well.The Barbary Coast trail lived up to all my expectations and then some! This would be fun for anyone, but especially a local. It's so awesome to find history right in our backyard. And San Francisco is full of it!

This walking trail is a great way to see historical sights through the city especially related to two significant time periods for San Francisco, the Gold Rush and the earthquake of 1906. The trail is just under 4 miles long and starts at the Mint and at Aquatic Park. There are bronze trail markers that guide your path. You can take the tour, but I recommend doing it on your own so you can linger or speed through the sights and stop in at all the modern delights along the way. I ordered the guide, which is helpful. You get the map and the historical information on the landmarks so you can plan ahead and make sure you see what interests you. I like to wander and diverge from the path though so we spent half a day, but you could speed through in a few hours if you wanted to. If you don't rush, you really get to see things you wouldn't spot from a car or a tour bus. Stop to shop, eat and drink, there are great places on the path or slightly off of it. This guy put together a map of places to eat and drink along the way that you can add to, but you can also just map it out and do your recon on yelp.http://spume.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/eating-drinking-on-the-barbary-coast-trail/Wear comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking and hills involved. At the end of the trail you can catch the cable car, bus or taxi back.Great for tourists and natives.

Take a day and walk the historic trail. You'll be glad you did. The trail goes from the Marina and ends up at the US Mint south of Market, or vice versa. Great way to see San Francisco from its tourist areas, to some very neat neighborhoods you most likely have never visited. A series of bronze medallions and arrows embedded in the sidewalk connect the trail's historic sites. Along a 3.8-mile path (mostly flat or gently sloping), the trail weaves its way through Downtown, Union Square, Chinatown, Portsmouth Square, Jackson Square Historic District, Old Barbary Coast, Beat San Francisco, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower, Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco Martime Historical National Park, Ghirardelli Square and Nob Hill. Along the way, you will see:- 20 historic sites- 5 local history museums- historic sailing ships- lively pubs- outdoor cafes- panoramic viewsHere's the overview map:http://www.barbarycoasttrail.org/trail_map.htmGet a map at a local bookstore or off a web site. Not only does it show the trail, it give insightful comments as to the history of each location. To be a certified "Trail Walker" you have to step on all 170 bronze markers. Join the club, it's great fun. Fantastic way to spend a day in SF. Of course you can stop along many of the 100's or eating places to check out the local cuisine, and get some drink refreshments. A hidden treasure of a walk, most locals do not know about. Tally ho!

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a tour with Daniel Bacon, creator of the Barbary Coast Trail. I can't say enough about the experience, both from a docent standpoint and in terms of the content - both were very, very cool.I spend a lot...maybe too much... time reading up on San Francisco history, so I was aware of some of what transpired within these blocks, but Daniel opened my eyes to so many more of the hidden stories (and boats!) than I realized existed.Further, hearing these stories in the locations where they took place - locations I pass by daily without much though - put everything in a whole new light for me. I went with a group of coworkers on a company function, and some of my coworkers had no clue that anything had ever really happened around our quiet little office, so there was plenty of wonder and awe expressed by the group after the tour.This city, man...it's great. Daniel Bacon and the Barbary Coast Trail make it even better.

This thing should really get some more reviews. A.T. and I checked this self-guided tour out yesterday. We started at 5th and Mission near my work and had a very leisurely walk through the city. It was really great because we've gone for nice walks before but this one took you through streets and alleyways that you don't usually walk through.Some highlights: The Pacific Heritage Museum is nothing too special but it is FREE. We were the only two in there. They had an exhibit on the old old mint, and the rest of the museum had paintings by a Taiwanese artist. Strange combination but we enjoyed it.I've always loved going to Vesuvio and City Lights Bookstore, and this tour took you right by both of them. We partook.Waverly Place was great. I love functional alleyways. My back window looks out on an alleyway and I would just love if there was some little bar out there. But so far I have found that only Chinatown actually uses their alleyways for anything interesting. For shame.Portsmouth Square: It was neat seeing all the old folks gamble away their quarters on top of old cardboard boxes with a beautiful view of the city skyline.We skipped the last third of the tour because we were a little tired and who really needs to see Fisherman's Wharf again?When I have another visitor out here I'd like to take them on this tour.

Today, we walked the guided tour with my class and enjoyed Daniel Bacon's colorful storytelling about our city's history.We learned about: the Gold RushEmperor Norton (all true San Franciscans know about him!)the Pony ExpressCommercial Streetthe origins of the name "Barbary Coast"Even though I was familiar with some of these stories, Daniel was able to make them entertaining for me AND my students. Now that's saying a lot.If you don't want to set up a personal tour, I suggest getting the booklet, a pair of good walking shoes, and take a walk around downtown to get some insight about the vibrant past of San Francisco.

Our office just completed a 2-hour guided Barbary Coast tour led by Daniel Bacon. The outing was a success! Daniel Bacon is like your PhD history professor, animated raconteur. He's been doing this for years, so he knows how to engage his audience and hold their interest. Even an SF old-timer like myself learned tons of fascinating tidbits about the City. Everyone had a great time.