Headlands Lookout Bluff View Walk
Location: Conzelman Road, Sausalito, Marin Headlands
Starting Point: Start from Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach parking lot with toilet facility, approximately 0.8 miles past Hawk Hill, where the westbound one-way section of Conzelman Road starts.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Marin Headlands info link (Golden Gate National Recreation Area/National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/marin-headlands.htm
Marin Headlands map link:
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Distance:
The short unnamed trail along the bluff that starts from the Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach parking lot is only about 0.2 miles, but this short bluff walk offers amazing views and can connect to many other trails to make longer hikes.
Considerations:
• The parking lot stop for Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach is on the left side of one-way Conzelman Road with a restroom building visible. Watch carefully so as not to miss the turn as it is several miles to make the Bunker Road/McCollough Road/Conzelman Road loop back to this point.
• The unnamed bluff top trail for this walk starts with a narrow trail cutting up the hill across the lot from the pit toilet building.
• Weekend parking can be a challenge at popular trail areas. There is some roadside parking in addition to the official parking lot.
• As with any trail, keep an eye out for poison oak. Scrubs like Tecnu are helpful if someone comes in contact.
• Check for ticks, especially when walking along denser brush and grass.
• This short stretch of trail fades out with a steep, rocky incline down to the road near a treacherous cliff. Don’t risk a fall in the wrong direction. Backtrack a bit for a safer climb down to Conzelman Road, or enjoy the scenery in reverse walking back.
The trail:
I’d seen on a map of the Marin Headlands that there was a short, unnamed trail hugging the bluff top starting at the parking lot for Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach. We parked. Facing the hill across from the toilet facility, it took a minute to find the break in the coyote brush where the narrow footpath rose up a steep hill to higher ground.
There wasn’t a lot of steep climbing after that initial rise, but this is not a frequently used trail so the coyote brush, poison oak and other plants made for a narrow squeeze in some stretches.
The views, however, were glorious. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed behind us past the hill we’d driven down to get to the trailhead. San Francisco and its beaches were to our left, sailboats dotting the water between.
Looming to our right were the grayish green hills of the Marin Headlands. In front of us was the outcropping where Point Bonita Lighthouse stands, light shimmering off the water in the cove between us and the lighthouse.
A turkey buzzard did its drunken flying dance along the cliff as we looked ahead on our short trail.
We heard a loud rustling noise behind us, too loud for a bird or a lizard. I have yet to see a mountain lion but they’re in the area so we’re always on the alert. The rustling in the brush got louder and we turned back again to see a perky deer pop up through one of the deeper areas of coyote brush. She looked back at us calmly, then sprung off on her merry way.
The views were great over the very short distance, and we planned to cut back down to Conzelman Road at the end of our unnamed trail, but saw that it faded into a steep and rocky descent that could have us slipping far down the cliff to the water on one side, or sliding down a rocky spot to the road on the other, so we backtracked enough to find a break in the brush to get down to the road with less potential for a fall.
We continued hiking ahead for further adventures covered in another post, but the return walk along Conzelman Road is also scenic. There is some car traffic along this stretch but there are more bicycles than cars.
This was a great little adventure to check out a small, unnamed trail that looked interesting on the map, and offered great views. This is a good one for people who don’t mind pushing through some brush in tight spots on a trail, watching carefully for poison oak, and keeping an eye out for ticks when finished, especially in light of the deer who was enjoying the same space.
This area is near many other Marin Headlands hikes which can be found under the Marin section of Hike Search by Area, but from the same parking lot, hikers can also enjoy a visit to Black Sands Beach.
(Headlands Lookout Bluff View Walk Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Trail with No Name” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop 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. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
Location: Conzelman Road, Sausalito, Marin Headlands
Starting Point: Start from Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach parking lot with toilet facility, approximately 0.8 miles past Hawk Hill, where the westbound one-way section of Conzelman Road starts.
Info links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Marin Headlands info link (Golden Gate National Recreation Area/National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/goga/marin-headlands.htm
Marin Headlands map link:
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/map_mahe_150429_508_2021.pdf
Distance:
The short unnamed trail along the bluff that starts from the Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach parking lot is only about 0.2 miles, but this short bluff walk offers amazing views and can connect to many other trails to make longer hikes.
Considerations:
• The parking lot stop for Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach is on the left side of one-way Conzelman Road with a restroom building visible. Watch carefully so as not to miss the turn as it is several miles to make the Bunker Road/McCollough Road/Conzelman Road loop back to this point.
• The unnamed bluff top trail for this walk starts with a narrow trail cutting up the hill across the lot from the pit toilet building.
• Weekend parking can be a challenge at popular trail areas. There is some roadside parking in addition to the official parking lot.
• As with any trail, keep an eye out for poison oak. Scrubs like Tecnu are helpful if someone comes in contact.
• Check for ticks, especially when walking along denser brush and grass.
• This short stretch of trail fades out with a steep, rocky incline down to the road near a treacherous cliff. Don’t risk a fall in the wrong direction. Backtrack a bit for a safer climb down to Conzelman Road, or enjoy the scenery in reverse walking back.
The trail:
I’d seen on a map of the Marin Headlands that there was a short, unnamed trail hugging the bluff top starting at the parking lot for Upper Fisherman’s/Black Sands Beach. We parked. Facing the hill across from the toilet facility, it took a minute to find the break in the coyote brush where the narrow footpath rose up a steep hill to higher ground.
There wasn’t a lot of steep climbing after that initial rise, but this is not a frequently used trail so the coyote brush, poison oak and other plants made for a narrow squeeze in some stretches.
The views, however, were glorious. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed behind us past the hill we’d driven down to get to the trailhead. San Francisco and its beaches were to our left, sailboats dotting the water between.
Looming to our right were the grayish green hills of the Marin Headlands. In front of us was the outcropping where Point Bonita Lighthouse stands, light shimmering off the water in the cove between us and the lighthouse.
A turkey buzzard did its drunken flying dance along the cliff as we looked ahead on our short trail.
We heard a loud rustling noise behind us, too loud for a bird or a lizard. I have yet to see a mountain lion but they’re in the area so we’re always on the alert. The rustling in the brush got louder and we turned back again to see a perky deer pop up through one of the deeper areas of coyote brush. She looked back at us calmly, then sprung off on her merry way.
The views were great over the very short distance, and we planned to cut back down to Conzelman Road at the end of our unnamed trail, but saw that it faded into a steep and rocky descent that could have us slipping far down the cliff to the water on one side, or sliding down a rocky spot to the road on the other, so we backtracked enough to find a break in the brush to get down to the road with less potential for a fall.
We continued hiking ahead for further adventures covered in another post, but the return walk along Conzelman Road is also scenic. There is some car traffic along this stretch but there are more bicycles than cars.
This was a great little adventure to check out a small, unnamed trail that looked interesting on the map, and offered great views. This is a good one for people who don’t mind pushing through some brush in tight spots on a trail, watching carefully for poison oak, and keeping an eye out for ticks when finished, especially in light of the deer who was enjoying the same space.
This area is near many other Marin Headlands hikes which can be found under the Marin section of Hike Search by Area, but from the same parking lot, hikers can also enjoy a visit to Black Sands Beach.
(Headlands Lookout Bluff View Walk Hike Notes were originally paired with the “Trail with No Name” Insights post.)
Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. Browse hikes on the main Hikes page or on the Hike Search by Area page, and scroll to the bottom of each hike page to see full photo galleries.
If you’d like to support HikingAutism, check out the Support/Shop 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. The Links page lists a loose collection of helpful information links. Feel free to share and follow on Facebook at HikingAutism, follow on Twitter at @HikingAutism and Instagram at lisalouis777
