Lobos Valley, Lobos Creek Trail Boardwalk, San Francisco, CA
(scroll to bottom for photo gallery)
Location:El Camino del Mar, slightly northeast of 25thAve., intersection with Howard Road, San Francisco, the Presidio
Starting Point:Use street parking along El Camino del Mar or try the Howard Road Parking Lot where the Lobos Valley sign marks the entrance of the Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk.
Info/Links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Lobos Creek Valley Trail info link (Presidio.gov):
https://www.presidio.gov/trails/lobos-creek-valley-trail
Lobos Creek Valley project info link (Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/projects/lobos-creek
General info link describing Lobos Creek Valley in the Presidio (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/lobos-creek-valley.htm
Map links:
Under Google Maps, input “Howard Rd Parking.” The intersection for this parking lot road and El Camino del Mar/Lincoln Blvd. is where the Lobos Valley signpost and Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk starts.
Presidio Map (National Park Service) (see lower left of map for Lobos Creek Valley Trail):
https://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/upload/2018-Presidio-Map-for-Web.pdf
Presidio Map (Presidio Trust) (see lower left of map for Lobos Creek Valley Trail):
https://www.presidio.gov/transportation-internal/Shared%20Documents/presidio-trails.pdf
Distance:
The Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk is approximately half a mile long. You can walk out and back, to walk a mile, or you can curve around to the left on the dirt trail that leads back around the buildings in the parking lot to the Lobos Valley sign and Lobos Creek trailhead.
Considerations:
• Park on El Camino del Mar/Lincoln near Howard Road, or try the Howard Road parking lot, but check signs for parking rules.
• Toilet facilities are not available in the immediate vicinity, but there is a restroom building in the north parking lot and port-a-potties in the south parking lot at Baker Beach. This is not far as the crow flies, but requires driving north on Lincoln Blvd. and turning left onto Bowley St. to get to the Baker Beach parking lot, which can be crowded on sunny weekend days. (Or you can walk up the one way exit road to Baker Beach, directly across El Camino del Mar/Lincoln Blvd. from the Lobos Valley trail start.)
• Pay attention to trail signs regarding plant and animal life. Restoring and protecting sensitive plant habitat is why the boardwalk is there. Coyote information signs are here as they are everywhere else around San Francisco.
• Check out the free Presidio bus service, PresidioGo, which stops a short ways away at Bowley Street, and has multiple lines taking riders around the Presidio.
The trail:
This is a great little nature walk right within San Francisco proper, complete with explanatory flora and fauna signs and a laminated information handout that you can pick up and drop off again at the start of the trail.
At the very southwest corner of the Presidio, where El Camino del Mar becomes Lincoln Blvd., and right near Baker Beach, the Howard Road parking lot entrance is also the starting point of the Lobos Valley.
The large information sign at the trail start says, “Lobos Valley,” while the trail sign says, “Lobos Creek Trail.”
The boardwalk keeps feet dry (sign says slippery when wet, use caution) above the restored dune ecosystem, bringing back native wildflowers and birds that were once prevalent here.
Lobos Creek is a fresh water creek that used to be a water source for early inhabitants of San Francisco. The boardwalk presents the natural habitat on dry land just above Lobos Creek. To walk closer to the creek and get to Baker Beach, check out previous hikingautism.com post, Lobos Creek to Baker Beach.
The boardwalk meanders through low brush, signs explaining the habitat along the way. At the end of the official boardwalk, a dirt trail leads forward, allowing walkers to walk through a woodsy forest section up to the Lobos Valley Overlook, or to turn left and make a loop back toward the parking lot and trailhead. Walkers can also keep their shoes clean and just go back along the boardwalk.
This is short, no-hills walk that we take when we just need a little bit of easy outdoor time. I still haven’t read all the information on the signs, so that, and the opportunity to see different plants in season, are good reasons to go back.
(Lobos Valley Boardwalk Stroll Hike Notes were originally paired with the “In Our Own Backyards” 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:El Camino del Mar, slightly northeast of 25thAve., intersection with Howard Road, San Francisco, the Presidio
Starting Point:Use street parking along El Camino del Mar or try the Howard Road Parking Lot where the Lobos Valley sign marks the entrance of the Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk.
Info/Links:
For all web links, if a link doesn’t jump directly, copy and paste into browser.
Lobos Creek Valley Trail info link (Presidio.gov):
https://www.presidio.gov/trails/lobos-creek-valley-trail
Lobos Creek Valley project info link (Parks Conservancy):
https://www.parksconservancy.org/projects/lobos-creek
General info link describing Lobos Creek Valley in the Presidio (National Park Service):
https://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/lobos-creek-valley.htm
Map links:
Under Google Maps, input “Howard Rd Parking.” The intersection for this parking lot road and El Camino del Mar/Lincoln Blvd. is where the Lobos Valley signpost and Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk starts.
Presidio Map (National Park Service) (see lower left of map for Lobos Creek Valley Trail):
https://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/upload/2018-Presidio-Map-for-Web.pdf
Presidio Map (Presidio Trust) (see lower left of map for Lobos Creek Valley Trail):
https://www.presidio.gov/transportation-internal/Shared%20Documents/presidio-trails.pdf
Distance:
The Lobos Creek Trail boardwalk is approximately half a mile long. You can walk out and back, to walk a mile, or you can curve around to the left on the dirt trail that leads back around the buildings in the parking lot to the Lobos Valley sign and Lobos Creek trailhead.
Considerations:
• Park on El Camino del Mar/Lincoln near Howard Road, or try the Howard Road parking lot, but check signs for parking rules.
• Toilet facilities are not available in the immediate vicinity, but there is a restroom building in the north parking lot and port-a-potties in the south parking lot at Baker Beach. This is not far as the crow flies, but requires driving north on Lincoln Blvd. and turning left onto Bowley St. to get to the Baker Beach parking lot, which can be crowded on sunny weekend days. (Or you can walk up the one way exit road to Baker Beach, directly across El Camino del Mar/Lincoln Blvd. from the Lobos Valley trail start.)
• Pay attention to trail signs regarding plant and animal life. Restoring and protecting sensitive plant habitat is why the boardwalk is there. Coyote information signs are here as they are everywhere else around San Francisco.
• Check out the free Presidio bus service, PresidioGo, which stops a short ways away at Bowley Street, and has multiple lines taking riders around the Presidio.
The trail:
This is a great little nature walk right within San Francisco proper, complete with explanatory flora and fauna signs and a laminated information handout that you can pick up and drop off again at the start of the trail.
At the very southwest corner of the Presidio, where El Camino del Mar becomes Lincoln Blvd., and right near Baker Beach, the Howard Road parking lot entrance is also the starting point of the Lobos Valley.
The large information sign at the trail start says, “Lobos Valley,” while the trail sign says, “Lobos Creek Trail.”
The boardwalk keeps feet dry (sign says slippery when wet, use caution) above the restored dune ecosystem, bringing back native wildflowers and birds that were once prevalent here.
Lobos Creek is a fresh water creek that used to be a water source for early inhabitants of San Francisco. The boardwalk presents the natural habitat on dry land just above Lobos Creek. To walk closer to the creek and get to Baker Beach, check out previous hikingautism.com post, Lobos Creek to Baker Beach.
The boardwalk meanders through low brush, signs explaining the habitat along the way. At the end of the official boardwalk, a dirt trail leads forward, allowing walkers to walk through a woodsy forest section up to the Lobos Valley Overlook, or to turn left and make a loop back toward the parking lot and trailhead. Walkers can also keep their shoes clean and just go back along the boardwalk.
This is short, no-hills walk that we take when we just need a little bit of easy outdoor time. I still haven’t read all the information on the signs, so that, and the opportunity to see different plants in season, are good reasons to go back.
(Lobos Valley Boardwalk Stroll Hike Notes were originally paired with the “In Our Own Backyards” 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