Since the wind forecast was unfavorable for wing foiling at Crissy Field, Inna and I decided to head to Noe Valley instead, to meet up with Alex and to have lunch with him nearby. The drive to Noe Valley was surprisingly quick—normally, I need 90 minutes to reach Crissy Field, as driving through Golden Gate Park is usually quite slow. It took just about an hour to reach Noe Valley from our home in San Jose.
After meeting Alex, we decided to walk to Anatolian Tavern, a Turkish/Mediterranean restaurant that Alla recommended. We had a long, 30-minute walk, going up and down the many steep hills of Noe Valley before we reached it.
On the way there, we walked around Mission Dolores Park, where we had magnificent views of the city.
With beautiful sunshine and warm weather, we decided to eat lunch outdoors. We looked at the menu, which had new dishes I had not seen before, and ordered the following:
- Appetizer: Lunch-Meze
- Main: 2 x Lahmacun
- Drinks: 6 x Turkish Tea
The Lunch-Meze were excellent, though a bit small for 3 people. The Lahmacun, a thin-crusted flatbread with meat, was excellent too.
After lunch, we thought about playing miniature golf and walked to the nearby Holey Moley Golf. However, we found the miniature golf a bit too kid-focused and decided to head to Lands' End for a hike along the seashore. I ordered an UberX (much cheaper than Waymo) and in about 25 minutes, we reached the Lands' End Eagles Point trailhead.
We hiked the Lands' End trail (2.5 miles one way) west for one hour. We really enjoyed the breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Sutro Baths.
Here is how ChatGPT describes the hike:
Land's End Hike
You start at Lands End Trail Eagles Point and walk west toward Sutro Baths.
The National Park Service describes the Eagle Point section as about 1.7 miles one-way, following the old roadbed of the Ferries & Cliff House Railroad. The trail has some stairs and occasional steeper sections, but most of it is a fairly comfortable packed-dirt or paved path.
I'd allow roughly 1½–2 hours, rather than treating it as a simple 45-minute walk, because there are so many places worth stopping.
What you'll see along the way
1. Eagle's Point
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Excellent opening views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands
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Looking back toward the bridge gives you one of the classic Lands End perspectives.
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This is a particularly nice place to start because you're immediately on the bluffs rather than spending much time walking through the city.
2. Cypress and coastal forest
The trail winds through Monterey cypress and coastal vegetation, alternating between wooded sections and exposed cliffs. The scenery changes constantly, which makes the hike much more interesting than a straight shoreline walk.
3. Mile Rock / shipwreck views
There are viewpoints toward Mile Rock Beach and the rocky Pacific coastline. At favorable tide and visibility conditions you can sometimes see remnants of shipwrecks below the cliffs.
There's also a spur down toward Mile Rock Beach, but I'd regard that as optional—the main trail is more enjoyable if you're trying to keep the hike relaxed.
4. The coastal bluffs
This is the best part of the hike for me. You get repeated views of:
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Golden Gate Bridge
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Marin Headlands
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Pacific Ocean
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Point Reyes on exceptionally clear days
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Farallon Islands in the right conditions
The combination of fog, cypress trees, cliffs and ocean makes this feel much more remote than you actually are.
5. Sutro Baths
Eventually you descend toward the spectacular ruins of the old Sutro Baths. Sutro Baths
The baths were an enormous Victorian-era saltwater swimming complex built by Adolph Sutro in the 1890s. The complex burned in 1966, leaving the concrete foundations and pools that you see today.
This is a particularly good ending because the hike changes character from coastal trail → historic ruins → crashing Pacific surf.
How difficult is it?
I'd call it easy to moderate, with the important qualification that it isn't completely flat.
The NPS lists the Eagle Point-to-Sutro portion at 1.7 miles and notes stairs, while the broader Lands End trail has compacted aggregate/pavement with some sections reaching fairly steep grades.
One important point: it's better as a one-way hike
The really nice thing about Eagle Point → Sutro Baths is that you don't have to retrace your steps.
You can arrange transportation so that one car is at each end, or use a rideshare. That makes this a much more satisfying hike than doing the same trail as an out-and-back.
The full Lands End trail system extends roughly between Sutro Baths and Eagle Point, and the NPS map shows the various viewpoints and side trails.
My assessment
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|
| Scenery | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Golden Gate views | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ocean/coast | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Historical interest | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Difficulty | ⭐⭐ |
| Crowds | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Photography | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | 9/10 |
Best time: late afternoon, particularly if you can finish around sunset. The Golden Gate and Pacific light can be spectacular.
After the hike, we decided to return to Noe Valley for an early dinner at 17:45. Inna made dinner reservations for 2 at Fiorella Noe Valley, near Alex's new San Francisco residence, and I ordered an UberX to take us there.
When we arrived, it turned out there were no tables for 3 available, but we were offered a seat at the bar (which we accepted). Later on, someone canceled, and we were able to sit down at a normal table.
We ordered the following items from the menu:
- Appetizer: Stone Fruit & Stracciatella, OG Baby Lettuce Salad, Nonna's Meatballs
- Main: Burrata Pizza Pie
- Drinks: Far West Nu Dry Cider
We really enjoyed the Stone Fruit & Stracciatella, the Baby Salad, and the Meatballs. The Burrata Pizza was pretty good too.
After dinner, we had a relatively short, one-hour drive back to San Jose.
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