A short network of trails twists around the part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area known as Lands End. This far tip of San Francisco’s peninsula has incredible views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, tall sea cliffs, wind-warped cypress groves, historic ruins, and shipwrecks. All these highlights are located within a relatively small area and can be linked in one concise hiking loop.

The Point Reyes lighthouse dates back to 1870 when it warned ships of the rocky Point Reyes Headlands. It is today replaced by an automated light, but the National Park Service maintains the old lighthouse as a historic and scenic landmark. Getting to it requires only a short and slightly uphill walk on a paved path overlooking the ocean, then going down 308 steps. The path is lined in some places with shady cypress trees and in others, you'll enjoy wide-open cliff-top views.

Tomales Point is the remote, northernmost tip of the large peninsula that is Point Reyes National Seashore. Its windswept hills and wave-battered bluffs receive the brunt of Pacific Ocean force, sheltering the calm Tomales Bay behind it. This weathered spit of land is nearly void of trees, and instead covered in grasses and coastal scrub habitat. It is very green at most times of the year, and bursts with more color in the spring.

Mount Diablo is the prominent mountain that rises east of the Bay Area, visible from San Francisco and most of the cities around. At 3,849 feet above sea level, and the highest point for many miles, views from the top are simply incredible. You can see out over the Bay and all the terrain that surrounds it. The Grand Loop, shared here, is a circuit linking multiple trails around the mountain’s higher elevations.

The promenade provides a walking tour of San Francisco’s urban park next to the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, with a wealth of activities to explore. One highlight is, of course, the view, but there are many more attractions along this waterfront. There is a wide, sandy beach with gentle waves, grassy picnic areas, and a tidal marsh that attracts a bounty of birdlife.

This short but somewhat steep loop leads from the state park visitor center to the top of Mount Tam’s East Peak. Along the trail you will get great views in all directions around the mountain. The trail is named for the boardwalk at its beginning, but this soon leads to a regular dirt and rock path that ascends more steeply.

Muir Woods National Monument is a small plot of public land that protects some of the oldest and largest trees in the Bay Area. The famous residents are coastal redwoods, which grow to be taller than any other tree on Earth. Many trees in Muir Woods reach higher than 200 feet and are nearly 1,000 years old. They are protected here even though similar forests have been cut down in much of California. Therefore, Muir Woods is one of the best places in the state to see an intact old-growth forest.

Dipsea is well-known by trail runners in Marin County, and by many in the greater Bay Area, as the course of an annual race as well as an every-day favorite for fitness. This 7-mile footpath links some of the best scenery between Mill Valley and Stinson Beach, passing through Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais State Park. It begins in an urban forest, dives into deep redwood groves, climbs to rolling grassland and panoramic ridgelines, and finishes at the beach.

San Bruno Mountain is the pronounced ridgeline rising from the metro area near South San Francisco. Its summit and signal towers on top are visible from all around. Despite the development, this mountain is still a great hiking destination because of the sweeping views, intact ecosystem on its slopes, and convenient access from the city.

This out and back hike links two of the best beaches in the Marin Headlands, and all of the green rolling hills in between. You’ll enjoy views along the craggy coast, over the boundless ocean, and to Mount Tamalpais—all on a clear day, that is. This shoreline is often foggy, but even without the views, this hike is worthwhile—the fog adds a mystique to your perception of the landscape.