Running in San Francisco

The Presidio occupies the northern tip of the city, a former military post that served under Spanish, Mexican, and American flags for more than two centuries before closing as an Army base in the early 1990s. Much of its forest, thick stands of eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and cypress, was planted by the Army in the late 1800s to shield the post from coastal winds, and today those same trees shade a network of trails that feel far removed from the rest of San Francisco. Runners can link trails like the Ecology Trail and the historic Lovers' Lane, a paved path soldiers once walked into the city to meet up with their sweethearts, for routes that wander through forest before opening onto bluff top views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because the Presidio covers nearly 1,500 acres, it is possible to run here for an hour without repeating the same stretch of trail.

The trail network connects down to Crissy Field, so a run that starts in the Presidio's forest can finish along the flat waterfront path with the Golden Gate Bridge in view the whole way. Remnants of the site's military history remain scattered along the trails, including old barracks buildings, a national cemetery, and coastal gun batteries built into the bluffs. Fog rolls through the eucalyptus groves most mornings even when the rest of the city is clear, giving the trails a cooler, quieter feel than the streets just a few blocks away. Because the terrain here is hillier and shadier than Golden Gate Park, many San Francisco runners use the Presidio specifically for harder trail workouts rather than easy recovery runs.

Near the geographic center of San Francisco, Twin Peaks rises to just over 900 feet, making it one of the highest points in the city and a favorite destination for runners chasing a hard climb with a payoff at the top. A paved road circles below the two summits and a dirt path climbs directly between them, and either way the reward is the same, a panoramic view that takes in downtown, the bay, both bridges, and on a clear day the ocean beyond. Runners based in nearby neighborhoods like Cole Valley, the Castro, or Noe Valley often work Twin Peaks into a loop as a single hard hill effort in an otherwise flatter run. Because the peaks sit above the fog line more often than not, Twin Peaks can be sunny and warm even when the neighborhoods below are socked in.

The climb is short but steep enough that it shows up on plenty of local training plans as a dedicated hill repeat session, with runners making multiple trips up from one of the surrounding streets. Wildflowers bloom on the peaks' grassy slopes in spring, part of a protected natural area that has never been developed despite sitting in the middle of a dense city. Parking at the top is limited, so most runners approach on foot from below rather than driving up, which keeps the summit itself relatively quiet even on a busy day. For visiting runners with only one hard effort to spend in San Francisco, Twin Peaks is often recommended over the more crowded Golden Gate Bridge crossing for its mix of a genuine physical challenge and one of the best views in the city.