Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
Shake off the restlessness of the months spent working from home on your Zoom screen. Head to the Marin Headlands and climb Slacker Hill to renew your perspective on the world. You will find panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Area with a somehow intimate yet powerful view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The half-mile hike up Slacker Hill is short and steep, but the view at the top is worth the climb. The top of Slacker Hill, a wide, flat space amidst grassy green (or golden) rolling hills, is a great place to explore on a sunny day or from which to watch the sunset over the Pacific. You might spot the occasional coyote, which could be interesting for some (and terrifying for others).
I first went to Slacker Hill with a friend a couple of years ago. About halfway through the hike, we were already met with an incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I took dozens of pictures from that halfway spot because it was inconceivable to me that the view could get any better. But my friend finally urged me to keep hiking and once I reached the top, I was speechless. The view from the halfway point seemed like nothing compared to what just met my eyes.
Slacker Hill provides simultaneous views of the East Bay, San Francisco, Lands End and the Golden Gate Bridge from a very high viewing point, unique in comparison to viewpoints closer to the Golden Gate Bridge that don’t give the same views of the city skyline or the expanse of San Francisco. From such a high point, you can see the Bay Bridge on the left, leading into downtown San Francisco with a perfect view of its skyscrapers and piers on the water. In the middle, just past the Golden Gate Bridge, is a full view of Sutro Tower and Twin Peaks, and behind it, the silhouettes of the rolling San Bruno hills. On the right-hand side, San Francisco’s Richmond and Outer Sunset districts with their perfectly parallel streets are cut in half by Golden Gate Park, which distinguishes the two neighborhoods. I could stand at the top of Slacker Hill for hours, focusing on different neighborhoods and taking in every detail of the city that this expansive view offers.
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
In a non-COVID year, 10 million tourists from across the globe walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Others are wowed by the views of the bridge from points throughout San Francisco’s Presidio and Crissy Field and well-known lookouts such as Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands. These easily accessible viewpoints tend to be pretty crowded, even on the foggiest San Francisco days.
What is most unique about bridge-watching from Slacker Hill is the paucity of people. The tourists are elsewhere. One can often go up to the Slacker Hill viewing point, get breathtaking, one-of-a-kind views of the city and not run into a single person — and most definitely not run into a slew of tourists. Even when there are others around, the top of Slacker Hill’s broad expanse gives everyone their own space to enjoy the scenery alone.
Slacker Hill is definitely worth the drive and hike to get a fresh perspective when everyone has been stuck in their homes for so long.
Photo by Gabe Castro-Root
If you go:
Drive north on 101, take the first exit on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, exit 442, onto Alexander Avenue. Follow Alexander Avenue to the right, then take a slight left onto Bunker Road. Follow Bunker Road through the tunnel, then turn left onto McCullough Road and follow onto Conzelman Road. Continue up about a mile until you hit the roundabout. Exit the roundabout at the first opening to turn right into the coastal trail parking lot. It is generally easy to find parking. The trail exits west from this parking lot, crosses Conzelman Road and proceeds somewhat steeply up a fire road to the top of Slacker Hill (follow the signs to the Golden Gate Bridge). In just a short 0.4 miles you will reach a vast flat field with a sweeping view spanning miles — of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge in the distance, the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge and views of the city of San Francisco — from the Embarcadero to Land’s End.
