Kirby Cove Beach(Golden Gate National Recreation Area)

Located at the base of the Marin Headlands, Kirby Cove Beach – also called Kirby Beach, Kirby Cove Campground Beach, and Kirby Cove – is a popular curve-shaped beach with dark brown sand and many pebbles in the San Francisco Bay Area.  This beach is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  SFGate magazine listed this beach in an article titled “Want to avoid tourists? Head to these great San Francisco beaches instead” and the San Francisco Chronicle also listed it as one of the 50 best beaches for Labor Day weekend in 2018.  In addition, Sunset Magazine also listed it as one of the “best beaches in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.”

Although Kirby Cove San Francisco does not have lifeguards, this beach and the area near it have many other amenities including hiking trails, a rope swing, pit toilets, barbecue pits, picnic tables, and observation areas.

Dogs are not allowed here.

Kirby Cove Beach offers many fun activities including hiking, biking, swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, camping, boating, fishing, picnicking, jet-skiing, water-skiing, paddleboarding, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the water here has gentle waves.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors than other Sausalito beaches. 

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, this beach offers an excellent Instagram-worthy view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay, especially at sunrise or sunset.  There is a sea cave in the left part of Kirby Cove Beach – you can explore this cave at low tide.  If you like camping, there is a Kirby Cove campground near Kirby Cove Beach that offers a fun oceanfront Kirby Cove camping experience – if you plan to camp here, you can visit the National Park Service’s website for more information on the campsite details.  If you like hiking, there are trails near the beach that offer a fun Kirby Cove hike.  If you like picnicking, the picnic site above the beach offers a fun oceanfront picnicking experience. 

You can also explore the ruins of a nearby coastal battery called Battery Kirby – this site offers an interesting insight into local history.  Another nearby historic coastal battery that you can explore is Battery Wagner.

Kirby Cove Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.  However, disabled visitors can park their cars closer to Kirby Cove’s picnic areas so that they can easily access them – if you are planning to park your car here, you can contact the local authorities at (415) 331-1540 for more information.

Getting to Kirby Cove Beach is easy – from San Francisco, you need to drive north on United States Highway 101 and then cross the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.  Once you cross the bridge, you then need to turn towards Conzelman Road.  There are multiple free parking lots near the beach.  Once you park here, you need to hike to Kirby Cove through a slightly steep mile-long access road named Kirby Cove Road.  This access road to Kirby Cove begins at the parking area above Battery Spencer on Conzelman Road.  This gravel road will lead to a set of stairs – these stairs will then lead you to the beach. 

We recommend visiting this beach at low tide because at high tide much of the beach is underwater.

We recommend checking the local weather reports before visiting this beach because the weather here can sometimes get foggy and windy.

This beach received its name from the nearby coastal battery called Battery Kirby.  In addition, this coastal battery received its name from a United States Army officer named Edmund Kirby – Kirby served in the American Civil War and was killed in action in 1863. 

There are many attractions near Kirby Cove Beach.  Battery Spencer was initially built as a military installation built in the late 19th century.  This site offers an interesting insight into the local history – it also offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the strait of Golden Gate, especially in mornings and sunny days.  Fort Baker is a fortification that was built in the mid 19th century – the fort and the surrounding areas offer many fun activities including hiking, biking, wildlife watching, picnicking, boating, kayaking, and canoeing.  This fort has many interesting historic structures and it also has a museum.  Hawk Hill is a 923-feet tall hill that is known for being a famous bird watching site and many visitors come here to see migrating raptor birds - you can explore the hill’s vibrant biodiversity through hiking trails.  This hill also has a World War Two-era installation named Battery 129.  Fort Point National Historic Site has a fortification that was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the mid 19th century in the “Third System” architectural style.  This site has been featured in many TV shows and films and it also organizes many fun events including historic re-enactments, crabbing demonstrations, and guided candlelight tours.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, the Walt Disney Family Museum offers interesting exhibits dedicated to the life and works of eminent animator and film-maker Walt Disney.  This museum also offers interesting artistic exhibitions and it also hosts a fun animation festival – this museum is set in historic buildings that were built in the late 19th century. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Kirby Cove Beach.  Farley has a relaxing ambiance and it also offers a variety of excellent seasonal dishes including poke, salads, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and short ribs.  The Trident Sausalito is a famous waterfront restaurant that has beautiful 1960s-style psychedelic artwork and it is known for serving excellent seafood – it has also been praised by many publications including Pacific Sun and Marin Magazine.  Sessions at the Presidio is a gastropub that offers a variety of gourmet dishes for lunch, brunch, and dinner including chicken, pasta, salads, risotto, steak, and seafood – it also has a nice wine collection.  Sausalito Bakery and Cafe offers many delicious dishes including bagels, salads, sandwiches, and eggs – it also offers excellent desserts and refreshing beverages.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Venice Delicatessen is known for serving excellent sandwiches.

If you are looking for a hotel near Kirby Cove Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Hotel Drisco offers many amenities including a fitness center, bike loaner facilities, a DVD library, evening wine reception, and complimentary breakfast.  The 4-Star Cavallo Point is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a gym, a spa, multiple restaurants, a tea bar, cooking classes, and bike rental facilities.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Argonaut Hotel that offers many amenities including an exercise room, a restaurant with a terrace, a lounge, board games, bike rental facilities, an xbox console in the lobby, and complimentary wine reception.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star The Gables Inn that is set in an 1869 building and it is conveniently close to some of the major attractions around Sausalito.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel Sausalito & Suites was built in 1915 and has Mission-style architecture.