rodeo beach

Great beach if you like to visit somewhere wild (in February) with an interesting lake trapped by the beach. Very big breakers with surfers so a beach that you have to treat with respect for swimming depending on the weather. A few well behaved dogs on the beach (there is a leash requirement). Combine with a visit to the Mammal rescue centre up the road. Fabulous that something this wild is so close to a major city.

If you'd like to add some running to your hedonistic San Francisco weekend head to Rodeo Beach and the Marin Headlands. Go early morning and it's only about 30+ minutes from the city. I did a 30km trail run on the Sunday and was back in the city by early afternoon for a late lunch and a much deserved cocktail. We took a taxi out and the city bus back. It is an amazing place - yes it is windy (gale force); yes, it was raining (torrential)- and yes it is stunningly beautiful.

The trail to the beach is really popular with the locals. And if you go over the hills on the north you arrive at Muir Beach. From this trail you get exercise and a brush with nature. Bobcats are seen along here regularly. Watch for the wildflowers in the springtime. The History of this beach is an awesome story.

This is a really beautiful beach in Southern Marin, right across the Golden Gate Bridge. Clean, lots of parking, small BBQ area. Dogs allowed apparently since there were several...all well behaved. Mostly a pebble beach with little sand, which I prefer since it's easier to walk on and not as dirty with sand everywhere. We were here on a warm January Sunday and found parking just fine. Visit Marine Mammal Center if you have time since it's 5 minutes away.

The beach was lovely, the waves and the view were awesome, and several of the kids literally got blown over by the unusually strong winds while we were hiking around the first day! The second day was much calmer, we took a spectacular hike that left from the western edge of the beach, really fun.

Bring a camera and something to wipe your feet off with (muddy) before going back into the car. Spectacular views of the waves and topography and wildlife.

When exploring this area above the Golden Gate Bridge, you should extend and give this a quick visit. The late afternoon is a good time for photos.

Nice for long strolling at low tide, lots of small rocks for the children to stuff into their pockets. Dogs running loose EVERYWHERE, uncomfortable with children who are not used to large dogs hurleling at them!

After our obligatory visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, we ditched the tourists and drove out to nearby Rodeo Beach. Our journey required passage through the one-way Bunker Road Tunnel, which transported us to a brilliant new world. In the light at the end of the tunnel, we found Rodeo Beach, an enchanted pocket of pebbly rainbow sands. The colorful pebbles, eroded from native outcrops, spend their entire lives tumbling in the heavy local surf.Bright, reddish-orange carnelians are a minor constituent of the rainbow sands. To the ancient Egyptians, carnelians ensured safe passage of the spirit into the afterlife. As such, they are featured prominently on King Tut’s famous gold and lapis death mask.It took us about five minutes of focused sand sifting to find a single pinhead-sized carnelian grain. In between, we were mesmerized by the enormous waves, and serenaded by the thunderous booms of their rolling collapse. Surfers lacking adequate expertise were pummeled and flung by the formidable surf. After walking the half-mile long sand spit, we returned to the darkness of the one-way Bunker Road Tunnel, protected on our passage by the image of a bright reddish-orange carnelian.

It may not be the best beach in the San Francisco area but it is a nice stop if you are exploring the area. A beautiful beach with crashing waves against huge rocks. The “sand” is really made up of tiny rocks and has a greyish black look overall. There are trails that lead up behind the beach for a bird’s eye view. The water is cold but it is nice to walk along and enjoy the beauty. We saw surfers, photographers and there were plenty of dogs running around enjoying the beach.There is good parking and bathroom facilities.

Been at Rodeo Beach a couple of times - can´t see, why it´s so popular. Nothing to see, nothing to buy, nothing to eat, boring beach - but some nice waves.

Very beautiful beach. It is quite cold, we almost cannot swim but it's nice to be in the water for a while or just relax and watch people on board surfing. A lot of lovely dogs around!

This is a quick trip from San Francisco. Just 15 minutes after crossing the bridge. Many swimmers and surfers. We also saw many painters and some hikers.Parking, shower and bathroom facilities are available.

Sand, gravel, cold water but picturesque. There were a pretty good number of people there today (100) but it wasn't crowded.It's long which is nice for taking a walk. Unfortunately a lot of dogs with irresponsible owners were at the beach today. There were nice waves though and a large group of surfers was enjoying that at the end of the beach.I also wanted to say the bathrooms in the main parking lot are pretty good for a beach, auto flush, running water, air dryers for hands, but no soap dispensers in an otherwise fully functional restroom...

Great location to experience the sunset from the beach or from the roads cliff side. Decent waves for local surfers. Be prepared with a sweatshirt incase the fog moves in, very quiet beach perfect for relaxing and taking in the view.