SF's Best Historic Hikes

You could spend every weekend on a different trail in the Bay Area. For years. Without repeating. And every single one would be worthy of your time and blistered feet.

Compiling this list, then, was like picking our eight favorite children from a crowd of thousands.

What sets these ones apart is a certain je ne sais quoi: whether it’s crossing through a tule elk refuge or standing on a perch above the S.S. Tennessee, run aground in 1853 with hundreds of gold seekers on board.

Enjoy.

TENNESSEE VALLEY TRAIL

HOOD: MARIN HEADLANDS | TIME: 1-2 HOURS | DISTANCE: 3.4 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: WETLANDS, SHOREBIRDS, MOUNTAIN LIONS AND A LAGOON

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Tennessee Valley is named for the sunken S.S. Tennessee, which in 1853 mistook Tennessee Cove for the Golden Gate and beached — though it safely deliveed some 500 passengers, most of whom had come to San Francisco seeking gold.

Post-game meal: Fred’s Coffee Shop

Trailhead: Tennessee Valley trailhead. MAP

DIPSEA TRAIL: MUIR WOODS TO STINSON BEACH

HOOD: MUIR WOODS | TIME: 4-5 HOURS | DISTANCE: 9.5 MILES (OUT AND BACK)

NATURAL WONDERS: WATERFALLS, OCEAN VIEWS, GRASSLAND, ONE SUPER-TOUGH HILL

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Muir Woods, where you can join the trail, was once the terminus of the Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railroad, aka “The Crookedest Railroad in the World.”

Post-game meal: Parkside Cafe, Stinson Beach

Trailhead: Muir Woods NM. MAP

BEAR GULCH TO HIGH PEAKS

HOOD: SOUTH BAY | TIME: 4-5 HOURS | DISTANCE: 6.7 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: LOOK UP AT THE RIGHT TIME AND YOU COULD SEE CONDORS

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Arrowheads have been found throughout the park, a memorial to 10,000 years of inhabitance by Native Americans. Also, Pinnacles is the newest national park, named so in 2013 by President Barack Obama.

Post-game meal: La Plaza Bakery, Soledad

Trailhead: Bear Gulch parking lot. MAP

MOUNT LIVERMORE SUMMIT: NORTHRIDGE TRAIL TO SUNSET TRAIL

HOOD: THE BAY | TIME: 3 HOURS | DISTANCE: 5.9 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: LITERALLY THE ENTIRE SPARKLING BLUE BAY, WITH SONOMA AND NAPA VISIBLE IN THE DISTANCE

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Angel Island is the Ellis Island of the West, and around one million immigrants crossed the Pacific to enter the U.S. here between 1910 and 1940. Before that, Angel Island was a key disembarkation point for troops returning from distant wars.

Post-game meal: The Codmother food truck in Fisherman’s Wharf

Trailhead: Angel Island ferry at Pier 41, San Francisco. MAP

RUBICON TRAIL: CALAWEE COVE TO VIKINSHOLM AND BACK

HOOD: LAKE TAHOE | TIME: 4 HOURS | DISTANCE: 8 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: LAKE TAHOE IMMEDIATELY BELOW YOU, FIR FOREST, SANDY BEACH AT CALAWEE

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Lora Knight built the Nordic castle Vikingsholm, her summer home, in 1929, after traveling to Scandinavia with her Swedish nephew, an architect, to study local architectural styles.

Post-game meal: Evan American Gourmet Café

Trailhead: Calawee Cove parking lot at D.L. Bliss State Park

TOMALES POINT TRAIL

HOOD: POINT REYES | TIME: 4 HOURS | DISTANCE: 310 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: TULE ELK HERDS, CRASHING PACIFIC WAVES, OMNIPRESENT COASTAL FOG

SWEAT LEVEL:

History: Coast Miwok people once lived here, harvesting abalone, crab, clams and mussels along the shoreline.

Post-game meal: Mac and cheese at the Cantina at Cow Girl Creamery

Trailhead: Pierce Point Ranch Trailhead, 40 minutes from Bear Valley. MAP

LANDS END TRAIL, CLIFF HOUSE TO CHINA BEACH

HOOD: LANDS END | TIME: 3 HOURS | DISTANCE: 5 MILES

NATURAL WONDERS: WILDFLOWERS, CYPRESS GROVES, GRASSLANDS ABOVE THE OCEAN