Jane Merryman

Length of hike: 1.3 miles from East Beach to Torpedo Wharf

Difficulty: Easy

Best time: Any clear day

Highlights: Bay, bridge, city—what more could you want?

To get there: If you are already in San Francisco, take Marina Boulevard toward the Golden Gate Bridge. At the west end of the Marina Green, bear right on Mason Street into the Presidio; turn right into the East Beach parking area. From the Golden Gate Bridge, follow the signs to Lombard Street and take the first right turn into the Presidio. Continue on Halleck Street toward the bay to the stop sign at Mason Street. Turn right, then left into the East Beach parking area.

The trail: Ever dream of having a bird’s-eye view of San Francisco Bay? This walk features a great blue heron’s-eye view—about 5 feet off the ground. Forget the view you get from the freeway, traveling at 50 miles an hour. This one gives you a new perspective on the bay and the fabulous city at its edge.

            Many San Franciscans remember Crissy Field as the industrial backyard of the Presidio. Not since 1936 has Crissy been used as a first-line airfield. Until almost the end of the twentieth century, chain link fences, tumbledown sheds, and crumbling asphalt among acres of weeds sprawled under the Doyle Drive approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, separating well-kept Presidio lawns from the edge of the bay. Efforts began in 1998 to restore the shoreline to its original tidal marsh and dunes ecosystem. The present park, with its wildlife protection areas, picnic tables, bird watching sites, and bike and pedestrian paths, was dedicated in 2001.

            I like to make Crissy Field my base for urban explorations in several directions. I can park here and hop on PresidiGo, the free shuttle bus that serves all areas of the Presidio, a military post for more than 200 years, now one of America’s most unusual national parks. I can explore art galleries, World War II artillery bunkers, two cemeteries—one for veterans and their families and one for military pets—as well as 1,500 acres of lawns, woods, and meadows crisscrossed by hiking and biking trails. Or I can walk east past the yacht club, along the Marina Green to Fort Mason with its restaurants, museums, and exhibition space. The steps up the hill lead to the Civil War parade ground, historic houses, and the headquarters of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Beyond this is Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and Levi’s Plaza, a total of three easy miles one way. Shorter walks lead to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Exploratorium and to the classy Union Street shopping district.

            But on a blue, breezy day keep to the waterfront and head for the orange towers of the bridge. A path from the parking area leads to Crissy Field Center, which welcomes visitors from 9 to 5 Wednesday through Sunday. The Warming Hut, about a mile down the trail, is open every day. At both places you can pick up trail maps and other information about the area.

            Our walk, along Golden Gate Promenade, starts at the tidal marsh, restored by community volunteers and schoolchildren to an ecosystem rich in bird and plant species. The project aims to replicate what was there before the Spanish, Russians, and Americans arrived. Around the lagoon look for gulls, godwits, willets, buffleheads, and ruddy ducks, as well as herons and egrets.

            Beyond the marsh lies the historic airfield, named for Major Dana Crissy, an important site in the development of military and commercial aviation. Information boards highlight the geologic, human, and natural history of one of the oldest neighborhoods of San Francisco.

            Look for California native wildflowers such as pink armeria and seaside daisy, yellow lizard tail and beach evening primrose, orange monkeyflower, and white yarrow, as well as shrubs like baccaris, willow, and artemisia. In spring and summer big white flowers of beach strawberry, orange-red paintbrush, and lavender lupine bloom against a background of the world’s largest Art Deco bridge, often draped in fog.

            Next to the trail, on the other side of low dunes, the wind-furrowed bay laps at sand and boulders. Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, and the village of Tiburon in Marin County shimmer across the choppy water. You might see a tanker, low in the water, coming through the Golden Gate accompanied by a miniscule black and white tugboat. Perky red and white tour boats, sailboats, and a few intrepid sailboarders zip over the waves. Turn in the other direction and see the classical lines of the Palace of Fine Arts against the skyscrapers of downtown.

            Two New England-style buildings hug the shoreline. Once a lifesaving station, they now house sea life exhibits, open Wednesday through Sunday, developed by the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Look through the trees on the hill for the white markers of the military cemetery.

            The bridge looms larger, foghorns sound louder, as you approach the Warming Hut, a small snack bar with a menu only San Francisco would offer—choices such as goat cheese quiche and mesclun salad instead of hamburgers and french fries. Browse the bookstore for park-related books and maps. Torpedo Wharf juts out into the bay here, a popular venue for fishing and crabbing.

            Turn around now, or keep going to Fort Point, a brown brick pile huddled under the southern approach to the bridge. It was here that Jimmy Stewart rescued Kim Novak from the chilly waves in Hitchcock’s film Vertigo. The fort dates from the Civil War era, but I think of it as the place where Kim jumped in, a place like the rest of Crissy Field Walk, elegant and moody.