Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California: A Visitor's Guide

Ocean Beach extends along the entirety of San Francisco's western edge, and continues on well down into the South Bay. To get here, just drive up the Great Highway to the northernmost half of the city - there are public lots both near the San Francisco Zoo and near the Cliff House, and streetside parking is available in many places just off of the beach.

The weather is cold and foggy frequently, and almost always windy, sometimes severely so. If you come here with images of tropical beaches in your mind, you'll quickly be disappointed. The current is far too strong to swim except for a few of the most hardcore souls and the water is almost always freezing.

So what's the point of Ocean Beach? It offers a quite beautiful view of the Pacific. When the weather is good, usually from August to October, it can be warm enough to tan and lay out in the sun. At night, there's a longstanding tradition of having bonfires. It's great for a walk and a Serious Contemplation, you can find sand dollars and other little treasures along it, and if you go far enough south you might see local residents riding or walking their horses along it. Also, if you're a skilled surfer, this is a challenging spot that is quite popular and usually sees people riding the waves year round.

There's not much in the way of refreshments nearby. Java Beach is the closest stop near the beach, at the end of the MUNI tram N-Judah line on Judah Street. They're good for coffee, decent sandwiches, bagels and sweets, and stay open fairly late (9 p.m. or so) most nights. On Judah there's not much else but a couple of cheap-ish hotels, a dive bar/Pittsburgh sports bar named Pittsburgh's Pub, and probably the city's sketchiest 7/11. If you want to load up for a picnic, there's a Safeway not far away just north of the west end of Golden Gate Park (look for the windmill), but if it is at all windy out (as it usually is) you'll likely get little dark grains of sand in all your edibles. Bottled beverages are the name of the game here, hang on to the lid.

Public restrooms are only found at the entrance to the beach near the MUNI N-Judah stop. They're pretty sketchy, and don't count on them to be clean, have toilet paper on hand, or even have a working door on the toilet stalls (local hobos camp around here and don't mind prison style pooping either.) If you're really in a pinch your best bet is to trek over to the Safeway, or ask nicely at Java Beach (they may force you to buy something.) There is also a restroom much farther south, at the parking lot nearest the San Francisco Zoo.

The parks service has placed fire rings between Lincoln and Fulton streets on the beach, and these are the only places where it is currently legal to have a fire (and only after dark.) These rings are first-come, first-served. Alcohol is technically not allowed on the beach, but I don't think that actually stops anyone. If you park in the lot just south of the Cliff House, be aware that it closes at 10 p.m. every night, and the tow trucks begin circling immediately.

Speaking of the Cliff House, Sutro's at the Cliff House is a very expensive restaurant - expect to pay at least $40 per person. The Camera Obscura is pretty neat, though, at about 1/10 of the price for admission.

If you visit the beach section parallel to the foot of Ortega Street during low tide, you can see what remains of the ribs of the hull of the clipper ship King Phillip, which ran up on Ocean Beach back in 1878. It was bought and scavenged for salvage, and the remains of the hull were blown up and thought to be underwater, until they made a reappearance several years ago.

One last important point of note - many of the dunes areas contain marked spots that are protected nesting grounds for the endangered snowy plover, so please be careful if tromping through the dunes, especially after dark.