Battery Townsley, Marin Headlands
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Coastal Trail above Rodeo Beach/Fort Cronkhite, Mill Valley, California 94941
Starting Point: Trailhead at Fort Cronkhite/Rodeo Beach parking lot
For driving directions, input “Fort Cronkhite parking lot” into your GPS map system.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Battery Townsley information links (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/battery-townsley-preservation.htm
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/battery-townsley.htm
Marin Headlands Map link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Fort Cronkhite Information and Map link (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/fort-cronkhite
San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite MUNI bus info link:
https://www.parksconservancy.org/services/marin-headlands-express
Distance:
Battery Townsley is about a half mile uphill climb on the Coastal Trail from the Fort Cronkhite parking area at Rodeo Beach. The distance is short, but offers a bit of cardio challenge with its uphill grade.
Considerations:
• The Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach is fairly large, but there is also parking along Mitchell Road with paths to the beach.
• Bathrooms (as well as beach showers) are available at the Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach.
• There are some pretty steep drop offs along the cliff side stretch above Hawk Tail Beach (which I did not know had the name Hawk Tail Beach until looking up info for these hike notes… that deep split between cliffs always reminds me of school lessons on the Bay of Fundy). Keep an eye on children or others who may not be as attentive to fences and steep drops.
• There is weekend bus service from San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite. See link above.
• For those climbing on gravel paths above and around the battery, use caution as the rocks make for some steep, slippery slides.
The trail:
You can’t have a bad start to a hike when the launch point is Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands near Fort Cronkhite and the Marin Headlands Visitor Center. I have been to Rodeo Beach countless times, on warm days and cold, sunny and overcast, and the scenery has never been less than stunning.
The trailhead leading up to Battery Townsley (and likely destinations beyond, such as Hill 88, which will be covered in a future post) starts at the beach end of the parking lot, right at the end of Mitchell Road. (A nearby hike from the Marine Mammal Center to Battery Townsley will also be covered in a future post.)
A brief uphill climb leads to a sign marking a sharp left up a path lined with charming wood fencing. The wooden fence leads straight toward the Pacific, and then makes a sharp right to continue uphill facing north.
The minimal barrier that keeps one from falling down the steep cliff into the deep cove of Hawk Tail Beach is worth making a stop at for the glorious view above the steep, narrow beach.
Continue uphill and make a right at trail signs indicating the path toward Battery Townsley and points beyond. The trail that follows north along the coast edge is also pretty, but won’t get you up the hill (which goes along a pretty wide paved fire/maintenance road).
A steep curve facing back toward Rodeo Beach offers glorious views southward, including San Francisco cityscape details on a clear day. The road crests into a flat area at the top of the hill around a left curve. Hikers are faced with a 68 foot long, 16-inch caliber gun from World War II. (See info links above.) This is where walkers can see the Battery Townsley entrance. Walk through to the ocean view side, and maybe sit on the concrete for a snack break.
Look westward over the Pacific, and on a really clear day, you may get an amazing view of the Farallon Islands.
One of my favorite parts of hiking up to Battery Townsley is more about sound than sight. There is a buoy bell that can be heard in the distance, which invariably makes me think of the opening scene in “Jaws” when the young girl is swimming in the moonlight by the buoy. (This stretch of coast has its share of great white sharks!)
The view going back down the hill feels very different. Instead of facing the rounded, sometimes mist-covered hills looking north and east, hikers are treated to the westward ocean view, south facing San Francisco, and then the treat of walking along the charming wooden fence while watching surfers catch waves at Rodeo Beach.
(Battery Townsley Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Unexpected Light” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location: Coastal Trail above Rodeo Beach/Fort Cronkhite, Mill Valley, California 94941
Starting Point: Trailhead at Fort Cronkhite/Rodeo Beach parking lot
For driving directions, input “Fort Cronkhite parking lot” into your GPS map system.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Battery Townsley information links (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/battery-townsley-preservation.htm
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/battery-townsley.htm
Marin Headlands Map link (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Fort Cronkhite Information and Map link (Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/fort-cronkhite
San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite MUNI bus info link:
https://www.parksconservancy.org/services/marin-headlands-express
Distance:
Battery Townsley is about a half mile uphill climb on the Coastal Trail from the Fort Cronkhite parking area at Rodeo Beach. The distance is short, but offers a bit of cardio challenge with its uphill grade.
Considerations:
• The Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach is fairly large, but there is also parking along Mitchell Road with paths to the beach.
• Bathrooms (as well as beach showers) are available at the Fort Cronkhite parking lot by Rodeo Beach.
• There are some pretty steep drop offs along the cliff side stretch above Hawk Tail Beach (which I did not know had the name Hawk Tail Beach until looking up info for these hike notes… that deep split between cliffs always reminds me of school lessons on the Bay of Fundy). Keep an eye on children or others who may not be as attentive to fences and steep drops.
• There is weekend bus service from San Francisco to Fort Cronkhite. See link above.
• For those climbing on gravel paths above and around the battery, use caution as the rocks make for some steep, slippery slides.
The trail:
You can’t have a bad start to a hike when the launch point is Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands near Fort Cronkhite and the Marin Headlands Visitor Center. I have been to Rodeo Beach countless times, on warm days and cold, sunny and overcast, and the scenery has never been less than stunning.
The trailhead leading up to Battery Townsley (and likely destinations beyond, such as Hill 88, which will be covered in a future post) starts at the beach end of the parking lot, right at the end of Mitchell Road. (A nearby hike from the Marine Mammal Center to Battery Townsley will also be covered in a future post.)
A brief uphill climb leads to a sign marking a sharp left up a path lined with charming wood fencing. The wooden fence leads straight toward the Pacific, and then makes a sharp right to continue uphill facing north.
The minimal barrier that keeps one from falling down the steep cliff into the deep cove of Hawk Tail Beach is worth making a stop at for the glorious view above the steep, narrow beach.
Continue uphill and make a right at trail signs indicating the path toward Battery Townsley and points beyond. The trail that follows north along the coast edge is also pretty, but won’t get you up the hill (which goes along a pretty wide paved fire/maintenance road).
A steep curve facing back toward Rodeo Beach offers glorious views southward, including San Francisco cityscape details on a clear day. The road crests into a flat area at the top of the hill around a left curve. Hikers are faced with a 68 foot long, 16-inch caliber gun from World War II. (See info links above.) This is where walkers can see the Battery Townsley entrance. Walk through to the ocean view side, and maybe sit on the concrete for a snack break.
Look westward over the Pacific, and on a really clear day, you may get an amazing view of the Farallon Islands.
One of my favorite parts of hiking up to Battery Townsley is more about sound than sight. There is a buoy bell that can be heard in the distance, which invariably makes me think of the opening scene in “Jaws” when the young girl is swimming in the moonlight by the buoy. (This stretch of coast has its share of great white sharks!)
The view going back down the hill feels very different. Instead of facing the rounded, sometimes mist-covered hills looking north and east, hikers are treated to the westward ocean view, south facing San Francisco, and then the treat of walking along the charming wooden fence while watching surfers catch waves at Rodeo Beach.
(Battery Townsley Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Unexpected Light” Insights post.)
Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page. Check out selected articles and interviews under Media. Click World Walks to see or share favorite family-friendly walks! Stay in touch with Lisa Louis and HikingAutism via Contact. See products with inspiring designs that support the efforts of HikingAutism under Support/Shop. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links.
Check the Home page for the broader background story. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photo galleries at the bottom of each hike page! Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
