## Overview

 Kirby Cove is located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge at historic Battery Kirby. Visitors are awarded breathtaking views of San Francisco, its famous Golden Gate Bridge, and the rugged Pacific Coast of northern California. Please note: The parking area for the campground is a short walk from the campsites, so RV or car camping is not allowed at Kirby Cove Campground.\_\_ 
## Recreation

 Hiking, picnicking and taking in the beautiful views from Kirby Cove are among the park\'s most popular activities. Visitors also enjoy exploring Battery Kirby, a historic army battery in use from 1898-1934. The Point Bonita Lighthouse and Nike Missile Site SF-88 are also close to the campsite. 
## Facilities

 Kirby Cove offers five overnight camp sites and one day-use picnic site, all reached via driving on a steep access road. The day-use site is available as an accessible picnic site for persons with a disability or otherwise limited physical mobility. Sites 2 and 5 are available as accessible campsites for persons with a disability or otherwise limited physical mobility. Contact the Marin Headlands Rangers at (415)-331-1540 to inquire about accessibility. Kirby Cove gate codes can be made available to any park visitor with a physical disability, but only during the months that the campground is open. See the Need to Know section for instructions. 
## Natural Features

 Kirby Cove offers a coarse-sand beach with spectacular views - when it\'s not foggy - of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and northern San Francisco, including the historic Presidio. The cove is nestled at the foot of the craggy Marin Headlands and has beach access. A steep, mile-long trail to the cove begins at the parking area above Battery Spencer on Conzelman Road. The path descends through a stately grove of Monterey, cypress, pine and Blue Gum eucalyptus. Coastal sage and colorful Lupine dot the hillsides. Temperatures are mild year-round. Expect lows from 50-55 degrees and highs from 60-65. Fog is prevalent in the summer months from May-Sept. It is best to bring clothing that can be layered. Lightweight summer clothes are rarely comfortable to wear at Kirby Cove. 
## contact\_info

 For facility specific information, please call (415) 331-1540. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The San Francisco Bay Area has no shortage of fun and interesting things to do and see. Awe-inspiring Muir Woods National Monument, with its old-growth coastal redwood forest and numerous hiking trails, is just a 20-minute drive from Kirby Cove. Mount Tamalpais State Park, with hiking and sweeping views of the Bay Area, is another 10 minutes past Muir Woods. Downtown San Francisco offers a myriad of restaurants, shops, museums and tourist attractions. Fisherman\'s Wharf, Alcatraz Island and Chinatown are popular destinations. Visitors love riding San Francisco\'s world famous cable cars up and down the city\'s hilly streets. 
## Charges &amp; Cancellations

 The Kirby Cove Day Use Site must be cancelled or modified more than 14 days before your check-in date otherwise it will be considered a late cancellation.\_\_ You may also refer to [Recreation.gov\'s Rules &amp; Reservation Policies][1].\_\_To initiate a refund request more than 7 days after your reservation, call the recreation.gov call center at 877-444-6777. 

[1]: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies

Kirby Cove Campground — Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Kirby Cove is a campground different than I have ever experienced before. You’re clearly very close to everything (i.e. San Francisco), while feeling like you are away from everything at the same time.

The campground is located in the spectacular Golden Gate National Recreation Area and down a 1-mile dirt road from Hwy. 1\. You’ll get a gate code when you make a reservation so you can access the road.

All sites are walk-in, so depending on which site you get you might want to bring a cart of backpack to haul your gear to your site. We camped in site #1, which was awesome, but also the furthest from the parking lot at about 800 feet each way.

The views from site #1 are spectacular. You’ve got front row seats to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco to your south. The site is located on a bluff just above the Kirby Cove beach.

Battery Kirby is right there at the campground and interesting to explore. Active from 1898 to 1934 the battery in quite interesting to walk through, despite the vandals that have clearly spent a lot of time there. Aside from the battery there isn’t a lot to do at the campground and we spent half a day picking up garbage at the beach.

There is however a ton of wonderful hiking in other parts of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, but you will need to drive to access the other trailheads.

Before camping here we were warned about the fog horn going off all night, but we didn’t hear it once during the night, so maybe we got lucky.

Great views, but lacking in things to do at campground

Absolutely beautiful site under a canopy of trees and protected from stiff winds. Three minute walk to the beach with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. You will pass Battery Kirby on the way to the beach. There are only five sites at this campground so you will be secluded. Carry in water and firewood.

Kirby Cove site 5

You can't find a better spot to see the Golden Gate bridge and the SF city skyline! The weather is almost always chilly in the evening and night so be prepared with jackets and GOOD sleeping bags.  Honestly you could get away with a 0 degree bag here, which is so un common in Marin!

Be sure to walk the GG Bridge while you are here, even with the amount of people always present it is worth it.  During the night go up to the look out point just south of the 101 exit before the golden gate.  It is the closest and best location to view the GG Bridge at night with all its lovely lighting!

Very good location to get out and about and see historical sites of SF coast + IFFY Weather

Very easy to get to from San Francisco. We had amazing views of the bridge and the city and were lucky enough to have a clear day (which is rare in SF!). We biked across the Golden Gate bridge and back. We hung out on the beach and had amazing views of the Golden Gate bridge from there. We had a great time in this area and would definitely recommend. 

Great for a trek from San Francisco

Aoit a half mile hike or less to the camp sites, a locked gate at the entrance and only five sites. If you can get a spot, camp here. It's worth every bit of time. The camp has it's own beach and is right by an old missile sight you can check out. Highly recommended.

Awesome views, quiet night. 

Kirby is a unique and unforgettable experience. Make sure you’re on top of the reservation window on recreation.gov, because there are only 5 super popular spots. Site 001 is the most popular for the views, but any of the sites are good, and most work well with groups of up to 10 people, and 2-3 medium size tents. Tent pads are provided, so try and avoid bribing your 15-person tent cabin. 

Plan ahead:
1- if the fog roles in, prep for an all-night symphony of fog horns. Bring ear plugs. 
2- the raccoons are vicious and fearless. Store all food and ANYTHING with a scent in the bear box. If you plan to leave your cooler outside of the bear box make sure it has a lock or secure latch. 
3- you get a gate code and parking pass to drive down, but have to walk your gear the last 500-1,000 ft. to your site. Wheel barrows are provided, but packing a bit on the lighter side is best. 
4- No water is available, so make sure to bring enough for drinking, cooking, washing up, and putting the fire out. 

Fun:
Relax and let the Insta-gold views fill up your like quota, but expect to be joined by plenty of day trippers making the long hike down to the beach. Expect it to empty back out again around dinner time. Spend your day on the beach or exploring the rest of the Marin Headlands. Check out the Nike Missile site, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Rodeo Beach, and the endless miles of hiking and biking trails. 

Highly Sought After Camping Within Spitting Distance of San Francisco

Nearly impossible to reserve, the five sites at Kirby Cove are large and spread out, giving the feeling of true isolation while being a two minute walk from the beach under the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s spectacular. You can Uber there if you have to. If you forget the salad at home, just go get it. SF and Marin are less than 15 mins away. The foghorns can be quite loud at night so consider earplugs. Good luck getting a weekend res!

Couldn’t imagine a better city adjacent site

This is an incredible spot, if you can get a reservation. Worth hiking to for the day if you can't. Right at the base of the Golden Gate with an easily accessible beach. BRING EARPLUGS. The fog horn doesn't quite if its foggy. And its LOUD

The best place in the city!

Great time camping here in early November 2022.  Stayed in spot 4, its furthest back into the canyon and I think it helped cut down on the wind.  The walk to the beach was 60 seconds and the ocean can be seen from the site. 
Cool ww2 structures. 
You get a code to open the gate uptop and drive down to park for your stay.

Strange semi loud sounds during the night reminded me of the show Lost.
Wind and rain hard in the night but the morning brought beautiful skys.

I would camp here again in a heartbeat. 

Spots are separated substantially from each other. 

Spot 4 looked like it had pads for 4 tents. 

Spot 1 looked like they could see the bridge from it, but directly on the wind path. 



Fantastic secluded camping

My family and I spent two nights at campsite #5.  We had a really great experience here!  

  

We visited Kirby in March 2024 and the weather was not as bad as I thought it would be.  The temperature was in the 50's for the most part.  There was decent amount of wind but not enough to make a stink about.  I was comfortable in pants and a sweatshirt the whole time, never had to break out my jacket.  During the day, it was warm enough to wear a t-shirt.  It rained a little bit overnight both nights we were there but we were equipped to deal with the conditions.

  

Each site has three square shaped wood-framed plots to pitch your tent on.   Two of them are covered in a bed of rocks and one of them was raised about two feet off the ground.  The third plot on our site did not have rocks.  I would recommend bringing a tent footprint to prevent the rocks from damaging the bottom of your tent.   Our site's fire ring was equipped with a thick steel BBQ grate that swivels laterally over the fire ring.  Our fire ring's grate covered a good portion of the fire ring so it was useful for cooking.  I'd like to note that not all campsites are equipped with the same style of fire ring as our site had.  Campsite #5 also had three picnic tables (two of them were bolted to the ground, one of them was not) and a bearproof storage container.

  

The campgrounds itself is relatively small (only 5 overnight sites).  You will receive a gate code emailed to you upon reservation which you will need to unlock a gate that leads you down a long dirt road to the bottom of a valley where the campgrounds are located.  The parking lot is sort of small but finding a spot wasn't an issue.  The parking lot is sitting on top of a hill, overlooking the entire campgrounds.  The sites themselves aren't too far away from the parking lot, but hauling your gear back uphill to your vehicle after camping a couple nights can be tiresome.  There are a few pit toilets scattered throughout the campgrounds that were relatively clean.  There is no running water at Kirby, so make sure you bring enough water!  The old military ruins (I believe from the late 1800's)  were also cool to explore.  The views of the Golden Gate and the city are breathtaking.  We got to watch between 10-12 large shipping vessels float in and out of the bay, very cool!  

  

All in all, we loved our stay at Kirby and will definitely be camping there again during the warmer months!