Hawk Hill

Lies in the Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate Recreation Area. Outstanding views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.
Observation point for the largest documented flight of raptors in the Pacific states.
Extensive World War II bunkers and tunnels lie in the hill.
Renovated trails and cleaned up WWII structures opened in October 2025.

Routes

From Morning Sun TrailHead

1 climb • 12.0 mi • 1,997 ft gain • 7 hr 8 min

Hawk Hill 0.4 mi route

1 climb • 0.4 mi • 51 ft gain • 13 min

Hawk Hill 10.9 mi route

1 climb • 10.9 mi • 2,295 ft gain • 5 hr 40 min

Hawk Hill 11.1 mi route

1 climb • 11.1 mi • 1,827 ft gain • 4 hr 56 min

Hawk Hill 12.3 mi route

1 climb • 12.3 mi • 2,051 ft gain • 4 hr 53 min

Hawk Hill 13.0 mi route

1 climb • 13.0 mi • 2,164 ft gain • 5 hr 14 min

Hawk Hill 13.3 mi route

1 climb • 13.3 mi • 2,296 ft gain • 5 hr 54 min

Hawk Hill 13.8 mi route

1 climb • 13.8 mi • 2,367 ft gain • 6 hr 29 min

Hawk Hill 15.4 mi route

1 climb • 15.4 mi • 2,864 ft gain • 7 hr 7 min

Hawk Hill 5.0 mi route

1 climb • 5.0 mi • 731 ft gain • 2 hr 33 min

Hawk Hill 7.9 mi route

1 climb • 7.9 mi • 1,386 ft gain • 3 hr 47 min

Hawk Hill 8.4 mi route

1 climb • 8.4 mi • 1,886 ft gain • 3 hr 36 min

Hawk Hill 8.5 mi route

1 climb • 8.5 mi • 1,562 ft gain • 4 hr 7 min

Hawk Hill 9.2 mi route

1 climb • 9.2 mi • 1,635 ft gain • 4 hr 12 min

Latest climbs

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"If you like hiking in gusty winds, watching dense fog blow across ridges, and having limited visibility, then today was a good day for you in the Marin Headlands. If you like having views of the bay, the ocean, San Francisco, or the Golden Gate Bridge, well, I should have chosen a different day to do this hike. 😉" — michaelwin • Jun 19, 2024

"I started my hike at 2:00pm and got backl to the car at 7:30pm. I hiked most of the day and ran for about an hour. It was a gorgeous day with perfect temperatures for a long hike. I watched part of the Sunset on Hawk Hill and finished it on Lower Hawk Hill. This was close to the longest hike I have done in the Marin Headlands. I got back to the car after dark and then decided to shed the backpack and do the last two peaks (Peak 197 and Peak 360) after dark with a headlight on. This completes my 50 Peak Challenge and I really appreciate the effort that was put in to getting this challenge set up. It was one of the coolest things I have done." — jeffreybossaller • Feb 25, 2023

"South Marin Highlands Loop from Morning Sun Trail including Richardson, Slacker Hill, Hawk Hill, Hill 88, FAA Hill, and other minor bumps. A beautiful fall day that made me want to get out on the Pacific." — klotito • Nov 27, 2020

"Easy parking just off of the 101, below Spencer Point. Started on the California Coastal Trail which is also part of the ADT California Segment 9 and the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Proceeded north to the Slacker Trail (also part of the California Costal Trail). Took a left and headed south west. Was going to head up smaller unnamed hill on way to Slacker Hill, but found route was closed, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory doing studies in the area. So continued on to Slacker Ridge Trail and made way to the summit. Amazing views of the whole Bay Area with out all the people around jumping in and out of their cars. Headed back down to the Slacker Trail. Continued on to Hawk Hill using Conzelman Road. Again amazing views. Hawk Has several tunnels, bunkers and concrete pads, remnants of a missile site. Used Conzelman back down to the truck. Great weather, in the 50’s, partly cloudy, no rain. " — Mtstalker • Dec 19, 2019

"Did an awesome 14 mile hike in the Marin Headlands today with NorCal Women Adventurers. Started in Sausalito and went over to Hawk Hill. From there we hiked to Point Bonita, but the lighthouse was closed :(. Got to see some harbor seals, though! We had lunch at the Marine Mammal Center before hiking up to Hill 88 descending to the cars." — kaylam87 • Feb 24, 2018

"Marin Headlands Golden Gate Recreation Area Morning Sun TrailHead 12.27 Miles Ascent 2,024 ft (-2,027) 5 Peaks 2 Geocache(s) 1 Trackable 1 PathTag 7 BenchMarks 6:34 Total Time" — jminkema • Feb 10, 2018