Ocean Beach: Sand, surf and adventure
Do you really like long walks on the beach, or is that just what your singles ad boasts? You can prove it on Ocean Beach, which stretches more than four miles along the western rim of San Francisco, all the way to the southern boundary of the city. It isn’t the city’s only beach, but it’s easily the longest and widest.
Ocean Beach is not exactly a secret. It fills with thousands of sun worshipers on the occasional weekend day when it’s warm and the fog is out at sea—usually in September or October. But most of those folks are locals because out-of-towners either don’t know about it or assume it’s always chilly.
Only on those rare warm days does the beach sand get crowded, but even then, it’s only on the northernmost stretch of beach. Walk a short distance south of Golden Gate Park and the crowds think quickly. In fact, on weekdays and foggy days you may only see a few dozen people on your entire beach walk—fishermen, joggers, dog walkers and maybe a kite flyer. It can even get lonely, but then that’s why you placed the singles ad, right?
Walking south you will see the Coast Range that soars above Half Moon Bay; on the return trip you’ll be looking at the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais and the Point Reyes National Seashore. Looking out to sea, you’ll spot the Farallon Islands, a national wildlife refuge, and usually a container ship headed for the Golden Gate. On foggy days, of course, you will only see white.
In case you tire of walking on the sand, you can switch to one of the two paths—one paved, the other on mixed surfaces—that follow the beach for two miles south from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard. There’s also a long concrete esplanade from Lincoln Way to the north end of the beach below the Cliff House. These paths are all astride the Great Highway, which parallels the beach.
Even when a cold breeze whips along the beach, you can avoid it on most days by simply parking your towel at the base of the dunes that border the beach for miles south of Golden Gate Park. But don’t be tempted to swim or even wade into the cold surf, which has taken many lives. There are no lifeguards and the rip currents are notorious—too powerful for even strong swimmers to fight. Even the surfing is advanced. Stick to the sand and admire the powerful waves from there.
At low tide, Ocean Beach offers excellent seashell collecting (especially sand dollars) and running (with hard sand and no slope). Thrill seekers and the armchair thrill seekers who prefer to watch will enjoy the popular hang gliding spot directly above the beach at Fort Funston, which is also popular among dog owners for its off-leash areas. The high dunes at this retired fort are accessible from the beach via a maze of sandy trails. Like all of Ocean Beach, it’s part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Posted by Bob Cooper
