Lands End, San Francisco: history, Sutro Baths, how to get there and hours

Lands End in San Francisco is a stretch of coastal trails at the city's northwestern corner, at the end of Point Lobos Avenue. It is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, run by the National Park Service (NPS). The trails follow rocky cliffs above the ocean, through cypress and eucalyptus, to views of the Golden Gate. Below lie the ruins of the Sutro Baths, and the Lands End Lookout visitor center at 680 Point Lobos Avenue tells the area's story. Entry is free.

History of Lands End and the Sutro Baths

Long before Europeans arrived, the Yelamu Ohlone lived here in seasonal settlements. Spanish settlement of San Francisco, which began in 1776, ended their traditional life. The Spanish named the westernmost point Point Lobos for the sea lions that hauled out on the offshore rocks, and under Mexican rule the coast became part of a land grant called Rancho Punta de Lobos.

After the Gold Rush a private company built a toll road, Point Lobos Avenue, to reach the area. By the 1860s a horse-drawn stagecoach ran every Sunday from downtown. The first Cliff House was a fashionable resort for wealthy visitors; it burned.

Adolph Sutro, a self-made millionaire, bought land here in the 1880s and ran a passenger steam train from downtown for a five cent fare. He paid for the Sutro Heights gardens, the Sutro Baths and the 1896 Cliff House. At Merrie Way stood his Sutro Pleasure Grounds; by 1898 they had a wooden roller coaster, the Scenic Railway, and the Firth Wheel rose over 120 feet.

The baths covered three acres. The NPS says seven pools of different temperatures sat under glass, and high tide could fill all 1.7 million gallons in just one hour. They held 10,000 people at a time and rented 20,000 bathing suits and 40,000 towels. The NPS dates their development to 1894 and its Lands End guidebook gives 1896 for the opening.

In 1897 the baths became the site of an early civil rights case. On July 4, John Harris, a Black San Franciscan, paid the 25 cent fee but was refused the pools while his white friends went in. He sued under the Dibble Civil Rights Act, and the jury found for him, awarding $100.

Sutro died in 1898. The Depression, reduced transit and new health codes cut attendance, and an ice rink in the building could not pay for it either. Developers bought the site in 1964 for high-rise apartments and began demolition; in 1966 a fire destroyed what was left, and the apartments were never built. The ruins have been part of the national recreation area since 1973.

What to see at Lands End

• Lands End Lookout, by the Merrie Way lot: exhibits, a gift shop and accessible restrooms. Outside is a tactile model of Lands End with Braille labels; an audio-described tour is available at the desk.
• Sutro Baths ruins: concrete walls and pools just north of the former Cliff House, where Geary Boulevard meets the Great Highway. The Cliff House restaurant is closed; the NPS hopes to reopen it.
• Coastal Trail: north along the edge of the city on cliffs above the ocean. From the Legion of Honor overlook you can return by the El Camino Del Mar Trail.
• Shipwrecks: the Ohioan (1936), Lyman Stewart (1922) and Frank Buck (1937) can be seen from viewpoints; the NPS dates the wrecks to October 1936, 1922 and 1937. At low tide the Ohioan's stern post and boilers show from the northwest vista point; the other two lie along the Coastal Trail toward the Legion of Honor.
• USS San Francisco memorial: the cruiser took 45 hits and suffered 25 fires at the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. An improved overlook stands next to it.
• West Fort Miley batteries: a grassy picnic area among three turn-of-the-century gun emplacements.
• Sutro Heights: the gardens Sutro paid for, near the baths, with the Camera Obscura, there since 1946.

How to get to Lands End

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy says public transit is the best way to come. Near the Lookout is the 48th Ave & Point Lobos Ave terminal of Muni's 38R Geary Rapid, which runs from Salesforce Transit Center along Geary, weekdays 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The local 38 Geary runs 24 hours, with some trips to the same 48th Ave & Point Lobos Ave stop and some to Fort Miley and the VA Hospital. The 18 46th Avenue ends at the Legion of Honor, daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

By car there are two lots: Merrie Way by the Lookout, where the wheelchair-accessible trails start, and the lot at the end of El Camino Del Mar, with stairs down to the trails. Both have accessible spaces. The NPS fee page lists no parking fee there, only EV charging at the Lands End Lookout lot.

Hours and tickets

Hours and prices checked November 5, 2026 on nps.gov and parksconservancy.org. Golden Gate National Recreation Area charges no entrance fee except at Muir Woods. The Lookout hours (daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) come from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the NPS partner; nps.gov does not list them, so call the Lookout at (415) 426-5240 before you go. The NPS posts trail closures and surf warnings on its Alerts & Conditions page.

Tips before you walk

• Stay on trails and keep away from cliff edges. The NPS says that if you see cracks in the ground, do not go beyond them.
• Never turn your back on the ocean. Unexpectedly large waves can wash far up the shore and pull people in, or knock them off rocks. Avoid slippery rocks.
• Watch the tides and the weather; the NPS warns that both change.
• River otters may approach people. Keep your distance and never feed wildlife, which federal law forbids. Report encounters or attacks to Park Dispatch at 415-561-5510.
• The trail from Merrie Way is accessible as far as the accessible overlook at the El Camino Del Mar lot; past it come stairs and uneven ground.

More of the city is on what to see in San Francisco, and the San Francisco city guide covers the rest. Start at the Lookout, 680 Point Lobos Avenue.

Questions people ask

Does it cost anything to visit Lands End and the Sutro Baths?

No. Lands End and the Sutro Baths ruins are part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which the National Park Service says charges entrance fees only at Muir Woods. No price is listed for the Lands End Lookout visitor center, and the NPS fee page lists no parking fee at Lands End.

Which bus goes to Lands End?

Muni's 38R Geary Rapid runs from Salesforce Transit Center along Geary to its 48th Ave & Point Lobos Ave terminal near the Lands End Lookout, weekdays 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The 18 46th Avenue ends at the Legion of Honor.

Is Lands End dangerous?

The National Park Service asks visitors to stay on trails, keep away from cliff edges and not go beyond cracks in the ground. Unexpectedly large waves can pull people off the shore or knock them off rocks, so never turn your back on the ocean and avoid slippery rocks.

What happened to the Sutro Baths?

Adolph Sutro's baths opened in 1896 and held 10,000 people. After his death in 1898 attendance fell and the building became an ice rink. Developers began demolition in 1964 for apartments, and a fire in 1966 destroyed what remained. The ruins have been part of the national recreation area since 1973.