Kirby Cove Campground

A small campground (only five sites!) but totally worth staying at. Every campsite has a view of the golden gate bridge and it’s absolutely stunning. You do have to walk your stuff in, but if you’re handicap you can contact a park ranger and they will give you another code for the second gate, so you can drive right up to your site. There are parking spots in front of site 2 and 5 and one closer to 1. The bathrooms are just pit toilets, and unfortunately people leave their trash in them. There are trash bins at the parking area though.

Hidden gem just outside San Francisco with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and mouth of the SF Bay! 5 campgrounds, quiet beach, sea lions & soothing tide! Great spot for watching boats and shipping vessels going through the Bay. We saw a cruise ship as well!

Wow what a place to stay! We were in the coveted site #1. The swing seat is gone, so the ropes were just hanging, kinda sad, but we had no idea site one was so big! It has three tent pads, three tables around the fire pit/bear locker area, and another table at the top of the hill. We had a great time exploring the battery, beach, and surrounding areas. Some things of note: the tent pads do NOT accommodate a 15’ tent, as the site suggests. We wound up hanging the end of our tent off the pad, and using that area for storage, rather than at the foot of our beds as planned. Also, the ground outside the pads is hard, so be prepared if you think you may go outside it, and bring heavy duty stakes. The website makes it seem like the fog horn is quite loud, however, none of us (including sensory sensitive kids) thought it loud at all. More present was the Golden Gate Bridge’s singing in the wind. It is not a bad sound though! Do research and be ready for the season’s weather. Our days were foggy and cool, with a steady offshore breeze. We just bundled up! Be prepared for camp stove cooking, because some days are spare the air days where campfires are prohibited! The restrooms were kept clean and the dumpsters were as clean as they could be. Poison oak is prevalent in the unkept areas, so stay safe on the trails. Overall a great campground, and worth the fight to get a reservation!

Hands down coolest campsite of all time. You have to plan ahead to get a reservation but we decided to camp because we didn’t want to pay the ridiculous cost of hotels in San Francisco. Anyone can walk down to the Kirby Cove Campground but only those with reservations can drive down (they give you a code to unlock the gate - make sure you squeeze the lock closed before you pull it open). Once you get to the parking lot, they provide wheel barrows to take your things down to the camp sites. From there is it just a short walk down to the secluded beach and a magnificent view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We definitely want to come back again.

After 2 years of trying to get a site here, I finally got one and stayed for 2 nights at site #4. This is the farthest from the beach but is shaded and has the view of the ocean. This is the most primitive campground we stayed since it doesn't have running water so you have to plan ahead and really need to haul your stuff from the parking lot and if you're lucky, there is a 2 wheeled push cart you can use to carry your stuff. It's a lot of work and it's something I can say I've done that but I'm never going back again. This is if you have kids but it would be different if I'm camping alone or with your buddies. Site #4 can hold up to 4 tents but some areas have moist soil even in the summer. There are raccoons and maybe one got successful on the 2nd night. So make sure you have a lockable cooler. Coyotes were also near our site on the first night. They were howling much of the night and maybe that is why the raccoons were not able to pry open my cooler on the first night. There is no swing. That is long gone. Hikers came down here looking for it.