Kirby Cove

I discovered Kirby Cove through pictures online and made it my mission yesterday to experience for myself. Once I found parking up on the main road, I ventured down to the trailhead that leads down to the beach.
It was a Saturday afternoon so the main road of the Marin Headlands was pretty crowded. However, I found as I walked farther down the trail towards the beach (the whole trail is about a mile), there were significantly less people. I loved this as it felt like Kirby Cove was more of a hidden local secret, even though the walk was relatively easy and short.
Kirby Cove speaks for itself and I feel any time of day you come would be amazing. I was a happy camper playing with my camera to get all kinds of shots and there were a couple other groups having a picnic or playing on the ropeswing.
Definitely check this place out if you’re in the area. The mile-​walk down the trail is worth the view!

I was lucky enough to snag a campsite here in November with some friends and had an absolute blast, even though we only stayed one night! The campsites are large and many are wheelchair accessible — made easier too by the wheelbarrows they keep in the parking lot to transit your supplies. It is very easy to access the beach, which is impeccably clean and fun to explore. Don’t forget to check out the rope swing!
We ended up with campsite 5 even though I was confirmed campsite 2. Oh well! We actually liked this site better and noticed that campsite 2 experienced more wind problems than we did. Two vault toilet bathrooms are in close proximity to campsite 5, also is en route to beach so you may see people walking close to your site along the path.
The only negative? Those pesky raccoons!!! People aren’t kidding when they say they are fearless and rogue thieves. I thought we had packed everything up in the bear locker around sundown but they were fast and nabbed not only our MARSHMALLOWS but we realized the next morning they snagged the breakfast eggs too. Evil little things. They travel in packs and bring «back up» bouncers to protect them as they plunder your camp snacks. Make sure you are using those bear lockers to their full potential!

This place is amazing, the views, the weather, the sound of the waves just perfect. It’s great because there are only 4 campgrounds, accessible bathrooms, most are clean. Bring plenty of water, there no faucets or anything like that so be prepared. Great bear boxes for food storage, trash cans right in the parking lot. They also provide carts to help you take your things to your site, we were in site #3 so it wasn’t too far, I felt bad for those all the way to end nearest to the beach (golden gate bridge view). It does windy so make sure to have a jacket with you. Before I forget the entrance is pretty tricky and easily missed, its right by the side off Vista Point, you will most likely encounter someone who thought their car would fit in that tight little spot blocking the entrance, with any luck they will be down soon if the wind didn’t blow them away up there. And good luck trying to find parking there while you wait, it has about 10 parking spaces for about 50 cars trying to park. The staff there are awesome, very helpful.
There are raccoons who are not afraid of people, they will go through your things to get food. We caught one playing with the zipper of our tent. The day we arrived the previous campers dumped beans on the side of our site so we had about a family of 7 eating and all around us looking for more food, so please don’t be lazy throw excess food in the trash bin not that hard to do. We also encountered some deer, they were giving us dirty looks as we passed by them.
And finally you will see a lot of hikers, I didn’t mind them since I saw that walk they had to make to get there, I salute them!
We were there for 3 days, we were able to leave the campsite park below (right by the golden gate bridge) and walk the bridge, took an Über lift to see Alcatraz, and the city came back our truck was still there (thank you baby Jesus) and everything in our campsite was just like we left it.
Perfect camping trip, can’t wait to go back!

Love the view from this area! The walk down to the campground was worth it. The area is quiet and not too much people. I would definitely go here again to hangout and for the view of course :)

Unfortunately didn’t get a chance to camp out here. But my boyfriend and I did get an opportunity to visit the rope swing by the beach. We hiked about a mile down to the beach from Marin headlands (where we parked our car). This place is truly a hidden gem. Thankful for whoever decided to put a rope swing by the beach.

I’m sure Kirby Cove is lovely… but how in the hell do you get a reservation for a campsite? It’s impossible. Whenever I check the calendar, everything is booked up. Wanna get a campsite on a weekend? Forget about it.
Seriously, I’ve been trying to get a reservation for months with no luck. And why are certain weekends X’d out versus Reserved?
So strange. At this point, I might just show up, set up camp and see what happens.

The best campground ever! I cannot wait to go back. We spent 2 nights at Kirby Cove (myself, husband, and 3 year old son) and fell in love! It’s so secluded and and peaceful! We had spot 1 which was the best closest to the Golden Gate Bridge and the private beach with the cute little
Swing. It was our first trip to San Francisco and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. They even had deer running around. Can’t wait to go back :)

Sorry for the one star, but sadly I’ve tried booking a site here for 6 seasons, and come out empty handed. You have better luck winning the Mega Million, awarded the Noble Peace Prize, finding Jimmy Hoffa’s body, or becoming the next Steve Jobs. No thanks to GGNRA. Doesn’t matter how well you prepare or monitor the «available» campsites, with only 4 on the cove, and a 3 month reservation window to acquire a coveted spot, you have three choices:
1. Online reservation opens at 10 am EST. (Coffee in one hand, the other on the mouse hovering over the «Book Dates» button at 6:58 am. A second in 7:00 am, slapped with «Site Not Available». Wow, that sucked, I’m going back to bed.)
2. The call center opens at 10 am EST. It’s 2015, if you’re still calling for reservation for spring/​summer camping at popular destinations… I’m Sorry.
3. Here’s where the 1 star comes in. Your last choice is: you are high on the totem pole within the GGNRA. Or related to one, or good friends with one. Because many times over, I’ve notice a suspicious trend during holidays, fleet week or other Bay Area events that allows you the beautiful view of the bay, campsites will have X’s on the popular dates (July 4^th weekend). Meaning the sites are blocked by someone within GGNRA (did a little research), and you’re sh*t out of luck. They can do so at any time, and change it to reserve.
Hey I get it. Your job has perks: unlimited access to hundreds of spectacular places, no permit/​parking fees, wear a fancy Ranger hat, and you block out campsites for yourselves rather than trying your luck like the rest of us. With only 4 campsites available, perhaps other options should be on the table for camping at Kirby Cove… employees shouldn’t be able to block out campsites, and 1^st come, 1^st serve.

Kirby Cove is a great little secret. A nice little beach under and just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a bit of a hike back up from the beach but a great place to picnic for the day with unforgettable views on the entrance of the San Francisco Bay. This is one of our National Parks little jewels. definitely worth the hike.

Definitely worth the 0.8 mile hike to get to the cove! Once you get to the bottom you forget that you’re going to have to hike back up. The pictures were well worth it plus the company wasn’t bad! Plus once you start hiking back up its really not that bad.

I’ve been fortunate to camp at Kirby Cove several times, most recently a couple of weekends ago. There are several things that make it special: 1) a fantastic natural setting; 2) incredible views of a a famous bridge; 3) a very limited number of nicely situated private sites (especially #1 and #4, the others are closer together); 4) the likelihood that your sleep will be disrupted by a foghorn; 5) the secret code you’re sent a few weeks before your trip that gets you past the gate and down the access road.
Awesome.

Great spot in the heart — outer of SF. Awesome views, cool beach, fun swing… good times. Didn’t see any raccoons at all. The horn is loud especially when it’s foggy. Only heard it a few times during the day but it was mostly sunny.
Felt special opening the gate to get to the campground, got a lot of looks from the folks at the first viewing area.
Couple of notes, once you get to the parking area, the campsites are pretty close — within 100 yards for sure. They also have wheel barrels for your stuff which was really cool. Not sure why people have preferences in sites, we got #4 and it was just as good as the rest. Actually even better cause it was not as windy at night.
All in all, a great day and would love to do it again, if I can book it in time.

Kirby Cove Campground is a nice camp spot right next to the Golden Gate Bridge.
My friend and I got here by parking at the lot for Battery Spencer and hiked a mile down the path towards the site. The gate is locked so there’s no way to get down unless you hike it. It was a nice warm day and the sky was pretty clear. When we went there was only one tent camping there. We kept hiking towards the ocean to look for the tree swing I’ve seen in a pic before. The beach was decently clean but too cold for my taste. We went to the end of the beach to find that the swing was broken):. I guess the branch that held it up broke. We went back up and found another tree swing, but it didn’t have a great view of the bridge like the other did. On the way back we saw an abandoned roofless house and decided to just explore it.
There’s nothing much around, but it’s a nice secluded area to check out and relax. A picnic would be nice here on a nice warm day. Hiking back up wasn’t too tiring, but I was sweating bullets anyway. The view from the beach was amazing as you can see the bridge and SF. I mainly liked this place for how secluded it was from everything with an amazing view. Try not to go when it’s foggy!

A really great spot to take in the natural beauty of the Marin headlands, while getting to see a beautiful view of SF. One of the coolest, most secluded spots in the bay area to hike and get a great view. You’ll get to see the Golden Gate bridge, and downtown SF in the distance. Karlthefog most likely will make an appearance! :)
If you reserve a camping spot through
, you will get a code that will allow you to open the gate and drive down to Kirby cove.
But even if you’re not camping, the hike down to see the scenery and abandoned buildings is really enjoyable and scenic. Basically: exit Alexander, and keep left at the fork. Then, turn left onto Alexander and make your first right. It’s about a 1-​mile hike down from where you park your car at Battery Spencer (where you’ll undoubtedly see a bunch of tourists outside of their parked cars taking pictures of the GGB. I did not see a label that says «battery spencer», but basically park in the little scenic viewpoint pockets that come off the road). Just walk down and discover for yourself what all the tourists at the top are missing out on!

I have yet to camp here, but definitely planning on it! I took a hike here with my friend and it was such a beautiful view of the bridge and the city! It’s a very easy hike and it might be a little hard to find parking at the top. The gate is locked to cars most of the time (unless the ranger will open it for you-​but that’s usually if you have a reservation for a camping spot), but you can walk right past it. You follow the trail down for about a mile then you’re at the campsites and the beach. Bring some lunch and it’s a very peaceful and secluded place to visit!

Awesome place to camp.
View is perfect and spots are great and make it easy to camp.
Not far from SF, I really recommend it!

This is a great place to relax on the beach and look at the beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I did not camp here, but we did the mile walk down to enjoy the scenery and watch the sunset.
To get here you just have to head down the path located to the right of the parking area for Battery Spencer. The gate will be closed because only cars that are registered to be camping there are allowed down, but anyone is allowed to walk down the path to get to the beach. The path is straight forward and there is almost no way you can get lost, and once you’re at the beach you know that your uphill climb back up will be totally worth it. There are not too many people at this beach, so you can enjoy a relatively nice and quiet picnic there. There’s also a cool branch swing hanging from the tree — we attempted to get on it but it took quite a bit of teamwork to get someone on there (we’re probably just doing it wrong).
Definitely worth the 2 mile round trip walk, so come on over!

Great place! Raccoons seems a bit bolder this year. I had a stick of gum in my wallet and one of them actually ran off with it! Can you believe it? Now they stole my ID and completely destroyed my credit. If that wasn’t bad enough another racoon seduced my wife and they ran off with each other in my car! That racoon’s cousin is a lawyer and somehow convinced the divorce court to give my wife everything and now I’m homeless.
But I digress, Kirby Cove is awesome. Just beware of the raccoons

2 mile round trip hike = Hours of fun in the sun, on the sand, by the surf.

This is definitely one of the coolest/​most memorable campsites I’ve ever stayed at.
I spent Halloween night 2012 here. It was rainy and spooky but I fell asleep with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I prepared breakfast overlooking my own little stretch of beach.
All of the other groups that were here were friendly/​cool or kept to themselves. One group was costume camping, which was awesome.
There are multiple campgrounds within Golden Gate Park, but I strongly suspect this is the crown jewel of them. There are only four campsites at Kirby Cove, plus one campsite reserved for the Park Service. It takes a little time to get in and out — you have to check in a couple miles away, then drive to the entrance, unlock/​relock a padlocked gate and drive a little ways in (only those staying at the campsite may drive down to the campground.) Depending on your site, it’s 0.25−0.5 miles from your car to your campsite. There are some wheelbarrows at the parking area to help you haul your gear.
The campground is known for raccoons, but I kept my food in the car or in the food locker and encountered none. But I did have a trio of deer saunter across the path in front of me — like 10 feet in front of me!
I got randomly lucky — this place was booked up (as it usually is) but there was a last-​minute, one-​night cancellation for campsite #1. (I had rented a convertible and driven up to Sacramento for a conference and decided to camp along the way — on the way up, one night at Mercey Hot Springs; on the return, one night here, and one night at Pismo Beach North Campground. All spectacular in different ways, by the way.)
Highly recommended — a unique camping spot, and a definite highlight of a particularly awesome road trip.