Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco

Off Point Lobos Avenue, just up the hill from the Cliff House, is this paved area offering one of San Francisco's most spectacular views complete with the sounds of foghorns and barking seals in the distance! To the west, overlooking Seal Rocks and the Pacific, is a memorial to the men lost on the U.S.S. San Francisco at the Battle of Guadalcanal. The bridge of that ship forms the monument itself and the holes ripped into the metal are the result of damage received during the battle. To the north, overlooking the Marin Headlands, are binoculars with preset coordinates, all the better to view Mount Tamalpais or the Farallon Islands. Guides near the binoculars offer a short history of the Port of San Francisco and the shipwrecks that have occurred in these waters. Some rather steep hiking trails lead down from here to the ruins of the Sutro Baths. The Coastal Trail, also steep, leads east from Fort Miley towards Fort Mason by way of China Beach and Baker Beach. Admission is free.