Kirby Cove

Kirby Cove had been on our list to hike for several years, finally did it and it was worth it. It's a pretty easy hike if you're generally active and in semi decent shape. Round trip with a little time at the beach was 1.15 hours. Parking is easy, plenty along the highway and right along the trail. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. There is a sign that states no dogs, but we did see quite a few. There was also a healthy coyote right next to the trail under a big tree just watching hikers. Appeared to be calm and quiet. Restrooms are located towards the bottom by the campgrounds that are only open seasonally. For those looking for the swing along the shoreline, sadly, it's not there. I love a hidden swing and was disappointed to see a bare tree. The beach below is pretty and a nice place for a picnic, and definitely not crowded. Definitely visit Battery Spencer overlook before you leave, it's just up a few hundred feet from the trailhead and worth it. Happy hiking and enjoy!

Kirby Cove is beautiful and relaxing to sit at the beach. I've only hiked down here but there is camping as well. The hike isn't too strenuous but there is an incline so it's not super easy for some people and can creep up on you if it's a hot day. Overall it's about a 3.5 mile hike.It's best to park at the parking lot where you can access walking on the bridge. From here you'd take the trail (Googlemaps calls it SCA trail, All Trails calls it the Coast Trail) up to Conzelman Road. It's worth it to check out Battery Spencer which you'll pass anyway. This is where you'd get the typical tourist postcard views of the San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge. Don't be surprised if it's really foggy and you can't see anything. That can happen sometimes.

Kirby Cove is a really special spot to visit in Marin County Sausalito if you like exploring Marin County and Northern California. This spot has amazing views of Golden Gate Bridge. You can come here for the day. It's an awesome camping spot. My organizer said he got the pass from Craigslist. There are toilets that don't flush and no sinks or showers(no running water). I brought two big bottles of water for cooking and cleaning. There are so called "raccoons" that come here looking for food and spot anything that smells including toothpaste. I didn't heed the warning overnight and some raccoons found an old toothbrush and went through a bag. It just gets messy so don't forget about hiding anything that smells. The campsite is nice and spacious. We had 5 people and 4 tents. We had a hammock hanging. The beach is a 5-10 minute walk away and has nice views. There's a secret cave, tunnel, and there was a swing. There's no real hiking trails nearby. The battery is fun to explore too. Really neat spot if you like adventures like this. Be careful at night and be careful. Somebody on our trip broke their arm slipping.

A little slice of nature sandwiched between metropolitan city and bustling streets! I never knew of this place even though I've lived here for the past three decades. That was until my friend invited me to go camping! It's open for day use, but the campsites themselves have to be booked three months advance on Recreation.gov(We use the App!). The campsites can be hard to get, but it is understandable as to why! Getting here can be quite an ordeal particularly in weekends. The roadway get congested, as it's a hotspot for tourists! That means a lot of cars stopping and slowing on the one way road to take pictures and wait for parking spots. So make sure you start venturing here early to check in at 1PM! Once you turn onto the oh so exclusive Kirby road, it's smooth sailing(if you can get the gate lock off!). It's all dirt road going down, but my Honda civic made it just fine. The walk to the campsites isn't far, but a wagon is useful. We camped at site 3!Our thoughts on Camp site 3:- Spacious, and hade 4 different platforms for tents! Would be great for big groups. - Nice open area, so don't expect any shade for this camp site.- closest to the parking lot- farthest from the beach, but appreciated when we were met by gusty strong winds.About the wind:- We camped here memorial weekend and while the weather was pleasant, it grew foggy quite often. The real bugger was the wind intensity. The way the campground is positioned, the wind just hits it dead on. Sent our campChairs flying and flattened our tents a few times. Be careful, bring enough tent stakes, and make sure you secure all your items! We were also woken up a few times at night when the gust of wind would come through and flatten our tents. If we came back to camp again, we would opt for campsites 1 or campsite 4 as you will have more wind break. * Also, no water at the campgrounds so make sure you bring enough to drink and wash dishes.

This was a fun hike with beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city. It's fairly easy trail and with the trip. It takes you down to the beach. It's definitely family friendly. I saw a lot of young kids on this hike. Definitely worth checking out!

As Madonna once profoundly said, "Beauty's where you find it, not just where you bump and grind it." Excuse me while I vogue. It's funny how the pandemic has opened up places I totally ignored back when I took travel for granted. This is a prime example of a hidden place that would've never made my radar had I not ventured to Battery Spencer for the spectacular view. It's a lot easier nowadays to park here due to the smart decision to make Conzelman Road a one-way route.That was when I noticed there was a paved road hindered by a gate. It went down the hill to parts unknown, but very few tourists gawking at the Golden Gate Bridge bothered to go down and find out. I decided to take a chance and was rewarded for my arguably adventurous spirit. First, there was a leisurely bucolic 1-1/2-mile walk nestled against the bluffs that led to an isolated beach. Even though the weather was quite pleasant, I was surprised only a handful of people had made it down here.The low-key vibe and lapping water made it a more becalming spot to look at the bridge than Battery Spencer, and there's even a campground if you want to stay overnight. I've heard about the swing they used to have hanging from one of the trees, but there was no sign of it anymore. The nondescript Battery Kirby is next to the beach, and the more graffiti-saturated Battery Wagner is just off the path and offers another nice view of the bridge. Take the time to go down to the cove. Totally worth it. Now go vogue.RELATED - Traveling north of San Francisco? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2tIHlkV

A lot of people go to Kirby Cove to get that Instagram shot of the swing. Not me....well since that swing is also often taken down when I go here. Originally, Kirby Cove was called "Gravelly Beach Battery" due to the gravelly beach that the battery was built on. When it was renamed after Lieutenant Edmund Kirby, a 1st U.S. Artillery during the Civil War, the surrounding campground and valley eventually took on his name. Now it's a campsite for day-use, picnic area and my favorite outdoor activity - hiking. To get here, you really gotta hike one mile to get to the bottom and the path here is one of the more scenic and picturesque in the Bay Area. But then again, I say that to every spot I hike at. However, with the Golden Gate Bridge so prominent as the backdrop, you can take a shot from different angles. The hike itself is pretty easy as it's all downhill, but coming back up is uphill with a gradual easy slope. Once you get to the campground below, you're greeted with Eucalyptus, Pine and Monterey Cypress Trees. Originally, this was not the case as very few trees grew in this wind-swept valley. The non-native trees were planted over the years as it was developed into a park under the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It creates a bristling and creaking sounds as the wind passes through the valley.On an early morning hike earlier this year, I was here solo and didn't see another person until later in the day. While I was down in the valley exploring the campground underneath the trees, there was a sound that would keep going on and off and it scared the heck out of me as I tried to figure out where it was coming from. My imagination ran wild as the sound kept going until I realized it was my phone ringing in my pouch. Dagnabit, I just scared myself silly for no reason at all. But since I was the only human there at that time, I let my fears get the best of me...but got a good chuckle out of it. You can spend some time exploring the valley and there's also the batterywhich it is named after. The beach is a serene and quiet area compared to the south side across the bay. It's quite a contrast, and a relaxing place to get away without venturing out too far. #YelpChallenge2020 review No. 85

This is my favorite hike in the area and for good reason, the views from the beach are incredible! It is an easy 1.5 mile hike in (down) but the hike back up will be a bit of a slog, due to it being all uphill. There is a campground and a day use area just before the beach that I plan to utilize some day soon. Just prior to arriving at the beach you can explore the ruins of an old military fort. Then there's the beach itself. No words or pictures could do this place justice. It truly is special. There used to be a swing down there but Rangers decided to not only take it down, but cut the tree it was attached to down as well. Maybe someone got hurt? Don't know.Towards the far side of the bridge end of the beach, if the tide's low enough, you'll be able to check out a little "cave" cut into the rock. Don't attempt it if you cannot walk on the sand with water at your feet, though. It's too dangerous otherwise.

This review is for the campground. We stayed in site 2.The coded locks on the gate for the drive down to the campground were hard to work with, but thankfully someone left one of them unlocked.By far the largest, non group campsite I've stayed at. There were 4 designated tent spots, a fire pit, 4 picnic tables, and bear box. There's no potable water, and pit toilets only. Pit toilets were in decent shape (I've been to worse).There's stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and just a short walk down to the beach.It's definitely windy and chilly so make sure you bring plenty of layers and gear to hold down your tent.Highly recommend you stay here at least once in your lifetime!!

I had been trying to get a spot here for years. Then...one magical morning a little blue A popped up. A as in, available. Site #1. I booked it and rubbed my eyes to make sure it wasn't a dream. The night before, reservation, anticipation, and nervous excitement consumed me. Would Kirby be as magical as it seemed? Would the windy cliff side drive down to camp terrify me?After a side trek through a tunnel because it's now a one way road, you are greeted by the beautiful and infamous Golden Gate. You feel super elite when you get out & use your code to open the gate & get your vehicle inside. The drive down is a bit windy and steep but it is maintained very well. My Altima had zero issues navigating it. We parked, grabbed a couple of the provided wheelbarrows and brought our stuff over to the best camping site in the world. Site 1 is furthest from parking and it's a pretty good trek. There is a handicap loop around the other sites. Hanging out in the beach, going to sleep under the soft glow of the lit up Golden Gate and exploring battery Kirby make this place phenomenal. It's like having a multi-million view, for $30 a night. There are actual tent pads in the 5 camping areas. Just pit toilets and it's hike in only, no RVs or sleeping in cars. As long as it's not a spare the air day, you are free to build a fire in the fire pit. You need to bring all of the water you will require. It got pretty windy and a little cold at times in August but really, nothing could dampen my spirits here. The only, only downside is that we had quite a few groups wander into our site & ask how to get down to the beach..and the stupid swing. It's 100% gone and there isn't even an area to hang it from now, so don't ask. You might want to bring your own beach access area sign & place it near the battery.We saw other campers on the way in and out, but never really had any interaction or interference with noise. Two of the sites are exposed to full sunshine. I saw one ranger check the toilet in the early morning but that was it. They leave you to enjoy the place, as long as you are respectful of this amazing little slice of paradise.