Kirby Cove (Marin Headlands)
Golden Gate NRA · near Sausalito · SF Bay Area
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Elevation
- 30
- Campsites
- 4 sites
- Season
- April–October
- Fee
- Varies
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on Recreation.gov (opens ~3 months ahead) — only 4 sites, wildly competitive. A half-mile walk down from the parking gate to a cove beach with a jaw-dropping framed view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Vault toilet, no water — pack everything in.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Framed Golden Gate Bridge view · Only 4 hike-in cove sites · Fall asleep to fog horns & the bridge · One of the Bay Area's most coveted camps
- Best for
- Framed Golden Gate Bridge view
- Features
- Framed Golden Gate Bridge view · Only 4 hike-in cove sites · Fall asleep to fog horns & the bridge · One of the Bay Area's most coveted camps
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Camping detail
- Camp type
- walk-in
- Intl tip
- Reserve on Recreation.gov the moment the window opens (~3 months ahead) — only 4 sites, gone in seconds. Half-mile walk in; pack ALL water (vault toilet only). April–October. The framed Golden Gate Bridge view is the whole point. Combine with the Marin Headlands trails (trail running guide). A bucket-list Bay Area night.
The guide
Kirby Cove is the Bay Area's dream campsite — a tiny cove beach tucked beneath the Marin Headlands, directly across from the Go…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Kirby Cove (Marin Headlands) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.829, -122.483