Kirby Cove, Marin Headlands
The Golden Gate Bridge taken from the usually crowded vista point
One of our favorite places to take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge is the overlook at Battery Spencer. Nearby there is a trail head and I often wondered where it led to. I decided to do some research on the Marin headlands and eventually found a trail map. I discovered the trail lead to Kirby Cove. We promised ourselves that one day we would check it out. That day was today.
Check out the Google map at the end of this post to get an idea where Kirby Cove beach is. The trail head is off that winding road up the hill.
(Click on the photos for larger versions)
As usual we left before day break.When it began to get light, the sky was overcast with no sun visible at all. We hoped the weather would improve. Driving north on 19th Avenue in San Francisco we would normally see the southern tower of the bridge but not today. We wondered whether we would even be able to see the bridge from the beach but a plan was a plan.
I read a description of the trail before we left home and it sounded a bit daunting. To get to the beach is a steep one mile hike so obviously to get back up again is a very steep one mile climb, but we were up for it.
Oakland, on the other side of the bay, was hidden by fog as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz was hardly visible. We pulled into the vista point on the right at the end of the bridge. This place gets really crowded at weekends and even though there are lots of parking spaces they would all be filled in a few hours time. Now, at 7 o’clock in the morning, we have the place more or less to ourselves and, surprise, surprise, the sun was beginning to shine through the cloud cover. Maybe it will be a nice day after all.
Tom went a little way over the bridge to take photos and I wandered around the sidewalk. On my very first visit to California in January 1998, I was brought here straight from the plane. At that time, I was overwhelmed by the view of both the bridge and the city by the bay and today, 12 years later, I felt the same way.
The layout of the vista point has changed a little since that visit. Now there are more information boards and direction finders. I noticed a bronze statue on the island in the middle of the car park, so I went to investigate. It was of a sailor standing next to his kit bag. Nearby was a plaque commemorating all the sailors who passed this point on their way to serve their country, some of whom never returned. Reading the words brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. The statue reminded me of my father who was in the Royal Navy and served for 22 years. He was shipwrecked twice in the Second World War but thankfully survived both and lived to the ripe old age of 86.
The eucalyptus trees smell wonderful but really don't belong here
From the vista point car park, we drove a short distance to the Sausalito exit and then turned left to cross back under the freeway and headed to the Marin headlands. We parked by Battery Spencer and the trail head down to Kirby Cove was a few steps away.
At 7.30 we started walking down. There was a gate across the trail but it was easy to walk around. The trail itself is a gravel road. To the left of the road is a steep grassy slope down to the water. A small, and I’m sure inaccessible, beach is visible at the bottom. There is also a view of the bridge.
It was a lovely walk down. The trail turned inland and the bridge disappeared from view. Wildflowers abounded, some clinging to the rocks and others lining the path. Birdsong was all about and it was very peaceful. At first there was nobody else on the path, then we heard voices. Behind us another couple were walking down the trail and they had a dog with them. By the gate at the top of the trail was a sign saying bicycles were allowed but not pets or dogs.
We walked through a grove of eucalyptus trees. Apart from being non native, these trees are also very untidy. Their bark hangs down in strips looking as if they are shedding their skin – which in a sense they are of course. The ground is littered with their debris, including large boughs which have fallen off. The only positive aspect is the wonderful smell of them. Close your eyes and you can immediately tell that you are surrounded by eucalyptus trees.
Near the bottom we passed a whole array of large and majestic calla lilies. A couple of weeks ago they would have been in their full glory. Now they are beginning to go brown at the edges and to be a little wilted but still glorious none the less.
We passed a parking lot for the overnight campers. Here is one of a very few places where you can get a permit to camp on the Marin Headlands. Now the pervading smell is of woodsmoke and the sound of the breaking surf is added to the birdsong.
Kirby Cove Beach
After a leisurely half an hour walk, with numerous stops to take photos, we arrived at the Kirby Cove beach. Right above the beach is the old Battery Kirby. It was built in 1894 and decommissioned in 1934. I imagine it would be a fun place for kids to explore. From here you look down on the dark gray, gritty looking sand. On the grass at the top of the bluff, a lone Canada Goose sat looking out over the bay and a solitary fisherman stood knee deep in the surf. The bridge looked very close and imposing. This is a completely different view of it. There can’t be too many angles now we have not viewed the bridge but from every one it still looks wonderful.
We walked down onto the beach and I sat on an old wooden pontoon with extremely rusty ironwork and wrote in my journal. The sun felt warm and I would have happily sat there for ages but we had to move because the tide seemed to be coming in. We walked up to the picnic tables on the bluffs at the other end of the beach and watched the boats and one very large container ship exit the bay under the bridge.
At 9 am, we started our climb back up the trail. Our sudden movement disturbed a rabbit which bounded alongside the trail in front of me. It took us half an hour to climb up which I thought was pretty remarkable. We only stopped twice for a breather. At one point we watched 13 kayakers propel themselves across the bay and we wondered whether they were making their way to Kirby Cove. We passed nobody on the way up and yet there were loads of cars parked at the top. Not that we were complaining as we much prefer the peace and quiet of our own company.
Time to head into Sausalito for breakfast.
Here’s where Kirby Cove is:
May 13 2010 06:32 pm | Special Places
