San Francisco's Best Hikes for Ocean Views

San Francisco is known for vivid seascapes—from the Golden Gate spanning the bay, to white waves crashing on yellow cliffs, to green meadows meeting blue water. It's also famous for the fog that rolls in from the sea, blanketing the coastal hills and valleys. Though views are sometimes shrouded, they are often all the more sensational in the mist. The only way to feel the many moods of this dynamic coastline is to hike and re-hike many miles of it, in all the various conditions it experiences.

To begin your explorations, try the trails on this list. They capture some of the best coastal scenes to be found, though it's tough to narrow down from such an aesthetic and extensive landscape. Use these selections as a starting point, then find your own favorite ocean overlooks in the Bay Area.