Every Trail Tells a Story
Slacker Hill
Best insider’s perch for the Golden Gate Bridge and skyline
Short climb, huge payoff: a panorama that rivals Mount Tam
Sunset magic-watch the Pacific swallow the sun, then race the dark back down
The short hikes to Slacker Hill yield a big reward: a superb 360-degree panoramic vista of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and Marin Headlands. While its trailheads are close to popular bridge viewpoints, Slacker Hill itself is a destination off the tourist track and something of a Bay Area insider’s hike. You can’t be a slacker-that is to say, one who avoids work or effort-to get to the top of this hill.
The hill’s unassuming grassy dome doesn’t look like much from the roadside, but the view from its summit rivals any in the region. Stand on top and you’ll see why locals whisper its name with pride: Golden Gate Bridge perfectly framed against San Francisco’s skyline, Alcatraz floating in the bay, Angel Island beyond, and on clear days even Mount Diablo and the Farallon Islands. Look the other way and the rugged ridges of the Marin Headlands spill toward the Pacific in golden waves of grass.
Getting to the trailhead takes a bit of doing and it’s best to plan your outing for times of low traffic. You have two options to hike Slacker Hill: a half-mile ascent from Conzelman Road or a longer route that begins from a trailhead near the Golden Gate Bridge. If you want to factor trailhead parking into your choice of hikes, know that the lot by the bridge holds nearly 50 vehicles, the one off Conzelman Road has a mere 10 parking spaces.
For hikers seeking more mileage, SCA Trail offers attractive longer options. The well-built, well-maintained path was named for the Student Conservation Association, which organizes young people for hands-on conservation work across the country-including these Golden Gate parklands. From the SCA Trail, the Coastal Trail, and ultimately Slacker Hill, you’re rewarded with a perspective of the Golden Gate few tourists ever see: the bridge from the north, glowing red in the late-afternoon light, with the whole sweep of the city as a backdrop.
On foggy days, the hill may seem to vanish into the mist, and your summit reward is a shifting curtain of white that can part without warning to reveal the bridge in all its glory. It’s a gamble worth taking-an insider’s payoff for those who put in the short climb.
From the bridge: Start the longer jaunt to Hawk Hill at the Golden Gate Bridge North Tower parking lot. From Conzelman Road: Northbound on Highway 101, take the first exit past the viewpoint-Alexander Avenue. Bear left on Alexander, which leads under the highway. Turn right on Conzelman Road to an intersection (rotary) with McCullough Road, where you’ll turn right into the parking lot.
(Short Way) Follow the narrow trail lined with lizard tail and monkeyflower for a few hundred feet, cross the road and join Coastal Trail (a fire road) at a gate. Coastal Trail climbs through coastal scrub community that seems to have a longer-than-usual wildflower season-perhaps because of the fog drip.
After a 0.25-mile ascent, reach a junction and go right. Another 0.25-mile climb takes you to the flat summit of Slacker Hill. A longer, but not particularly difficult way to the top of Slacker Hill is by way of Coastal Trail, which leads north from the bridge 1.3 miles to a junction with SCA Trail. Coastal Trail then bends west and intersects the short length of fire road leading up to Slacker Hill.
Longer routes: From its junction with Coastal Trail, SCA Trail leads over the Bunker Road Tunnel to meet Rodeo Valley Trail that, in turn, takes you to Rodeo Lagoon and Rodeo Beach. Another option is to continue on SCA Trail to Morning Sun Trail, which offers great bay views as it switchbacks down to Sausalito.