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The Best Golden Gate Bridge View Spots
Have you seen incredible photos of Golden Gate Bridge views online or in a book or magazine or on a postcard? They were almost certainly taken from one or more of the spots in the list below. I’ve sorted them based on their location relative to the Bridge, posted a photo I took from each spot, and added maps to help you get to each location to take your own great photos.
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View from the West (Pacific Ocean)
From the North (Marin)
Conzelman Road Parking Lot — Small parking lot adjacent to the Bridge. Close-up Golden Gate Bridge photo spot for great views.
Battery Spencer above the Golden Gate Bridge — (Pictured at the top of this page.) Old coastal defense fort hidden on the cliffs, and a great Golden Gate Bridge view area directly overlooking the north tower.
West Battery Spencer Parking & Golden Gate View Point — Road turnout just uphill from Battery Spencer.
Slacker Hill Parking Lot & Golden Gate View Area — Road turnout with benches west of Battery Spencer on Conzelman Road.
Conzelman-McCullough Roundabout & Parking Lot — Parking lot, trailhead, bathroom and view area at a major Marin Headlands crossroads roundabout.
Hawk Hill Parking Lot & Golden Gate Bridge View Area — Location at one of the highest points of the Marin Headlands that looks down on the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.
Battery Rathbone-McIndoe — Abandoned fort in the western Marin Headlands with partial view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Note: Railings have been stripped from facility so it’s dangerous. Please use extreme care.
View from the East (San Francisco Bay)
From the North (Marin)
Vista Point — View area just at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Fort Baker — Part of the GGNRA, located at the foot of the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Presidio Yacht Club — Located at Fort Baker, just inside the Golden Gate Bridge
From the South (San Francisco)
Round House Cafe — Small cafe built into the deck of the Golden Gate Bridge as part of the original design.
Strauss Plaza and the Southeast Parking Lot — View area adjacent to the toll plaza on the southern end of the Bridge.
Fort Point — Fully preserved Civil War era stone fort directly below the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Views of the Western Golden Gate Strait
Many visitors are surprised to see that the strait spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge extends another two miles to the west from the location of the Golden Gate Bridge before widening as it meets the Pacific Ocean. Some vantage points in San Francisco and along the Marin Headlands offer wonderful views of the Golden Gate Strait, but the Bridge is hidden behind coastal bluffs.
From the North (Marin)
Upper Fisherman’s Parking Lot & Golden Gate View Area — The parking lot for the trail to Black Sands Beach, with great views of western San Francisco across the strait.
Lower Fisherman’s Parking Lot & Golden Gate View Area — Serves a trailhead and the nearby SF-88 Nike Missile Site and Museum. Great views looking across to Land’s End in San Francisco.
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