Fort Funston / Lake Merced Hike (Dogs Very Welcome, Social Distancing & Masks)

In the south west corner of San Francisco lies Fort Funston part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It features 200-foot high sandy bluffs over-looking the coast where the winds blow reliably wildly. One of the premier hang-gliding spots in the country. Dog Heaven, you will see hundreds of dogs through the trails and on the beach and owners will can take leashes off here. It is also home to the Fort Funston Native Plant Nursery. Sand Dunes: Plants with deep roots and a tolerance for harsh conditions are uniquely adapted to growing on a constantly shifting sand-dune landscape. The San Francisco peninsula was once covered with sand dunes, and today the peninsula's largest remaining dune field can be found at Fort Funston. Bank swallows (Riparian riparian) once migrated through California in great numbers, but today they are listed as a state threatened species; their only known coastal nesting sites are at Fort Funston and Año Nuevo.

Level: Intermediate plus (steep areas and chain climb down-must be approved)
Total Distance: 9+miles loop
Hiking Time: 3-3.5 hours
Elevation: 221 hill & 200 feet sand ladder, Total elevation 700 feet
Information: Free Parking, Dogs off leash, Restrooms & Water at trailhead and at Observation Deck.

GPS Coordinates for Trailhead:
Latitude: N 37. 726534° Longitude: W -122.502378°

Map: https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/fort-funston

NPS Map: https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/GOGA_X3-web_sm3-2.pdf

Directions: From 80 South or North, take John Daly Blvd, go west until you reach Skyline Drive, Right on Skyline Drive, then Right into Lake Merced; Harding Road, Boat House Parking is shortly through the entrance.

Meeting Point / Trailhead: Lake Merced; Harding Road, Boat house Parking Lot, 1 Harding Road San Francisco, CA 94132, we will meet by the logs in front of the Boat House.

Hike Route: Starting point, Harding Road, Boat house Parking Lot, take
Harding road Right, continue on path over bridge left after statue around Lake Merced path, cross street left around zoo, cross hwy 1, Left on bluff above beach, then uphill into Fort Funston, Right on the path - Coastal Trail, continue left, then at fork at Bench, Right uphill on Bunker Trail, stop observation deck (Group Photo), then continue Right on the Coastal trail up and down through the sand dunes along, at thorton beach up the hill to lookout break, then continue trail, down steep hill by chain, Right on Thorton bluffs then merge Right on horse trail down to Ocean Beach, Right on Ocean Beach, Lunch break at Logs on the beach, then continue Right on Ocean Beach, up the sand Ladder, then Left Horse trail, at Fork Short Right on path then off path on the left onto sand trail, downhill to Skyline, then cross skyline, Left Merced Path, Right Harding Road, and return to Boat house Parking Lot starting point.

Carpooling Link: (Sign up here)
https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/e32bzo

Carpooling Procedures:
No negotiating your carpool in the comments, this would be sending multiple emails to everyone. Add yourself to the carpool link. then use the contact info provided by the driver or rider to contact them directly.

Thank you .......

Legal Disclaimer: Under what we are about Section
https://www.meetup.com/Urban-and-Bay-Hikers/