Hike · 28 min northwest
Muir Woods National Monument
Easy paths through old coast redwoods in a quiet canyon just north of the city.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; best on weekdays
- See the official site for current fees
Day Trippin' › California › From San Francisco
Day trips from San Francisco
From San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge is about 15 minutes away, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom under 40 minutes, and Alcatraz Island under an hour. The best day trips from San Francisco, by drive time.
172 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from San Francisco
- Muir Woods National Monument 28 min northwest
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 36 min north
- Winchester Mystery House 48 min southeast
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 1 hr 15 min south
- Lick Observatory 1 hr 21 min southeast
- Old Sacramento State Historic Park 1 hr 25 min northeast
- Point Reyes Lighthouse 1 hr 27 min northwest
- Pinnacles National Park 2 hr 11 min southeast
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park 2 hr 12 min northeast
- Empire Mine State Historic Park 2 hr 23 min northeast
Within an hour from San Francisco 31 spots
Theme park · 36 min north
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Roller coasters, a water park and live animal shows in one park in Vallejo.
- Full day · Easy
- Check calendar; fall and winter events on select days (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Landmark · 48 min southeast
Winchester Mystery House
A huge odd mansion in San Jose with stairs to nowhere and doors that open to walls.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Island · 53 min north
Alcatraz Island
Ferry to the old island prison with an audio tour and big city views.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round when ferry is running
- See the official site for current fees
Small town · 35 min south
Half Moon Bay
A coast town with a historic main street, beaches and pumpkin patches in fall.
- 3-5 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; pumpkins in October
- Free to visit
Food town · 51 min north
Oxbow Public Market
Food hall by the Napa River in downtown Napa with cheese, oysters and coffee.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Open daily (confirm before you go)
- Free entry
Viewpoint · 28 min northwest
Muir Beach Overlook
A short walk to a clifftop lookout with old coast defense bunkers and ocean views.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Bike trail · 31 min east
Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail
A smooth paved path through the East Bay hills that follows an old rail line. Good for easy bike rides.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
1 to 2 hours from San Francisco 67 spots
Theme park · 1 hr 15 min south
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Classic seaside amusement park with a wooden coaster, arcade and a wide beach next door.
- Half day · Easy
- Open daily in summer; limited days in winter (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Observatory · 1 hr 21 min southeast
Lick Observatory
Historic hilltop telescopes above San Jose with a long winding road and big views.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Grounds open daily; visitor center hours limited (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Historic site · 1 hr 25 min northeast
Old Sacramento State Historic Park
A riverfront district of Gold Rush and railroad-era buildings with wooden sidewalks, under Tower Bridge.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Landmark · 1 hr 27 min northwest
Point Reyes Lighthouse
A historic lighthouse at the end of a long peninsula road with steep stairs and winter whale watching.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round; open Thursday to Monday (confirm before you go); whale season Dec to Apr
- See the official site for current fees
State park · 1 hr 9 min east
Mount Diablo State Park
A tall peak in the East Bay with a summit road, wide views and many trails.
- Half day · Easy to strenuous
- Year-round; spring wildflowers; summit views best on clear days
- See the official site for current fees
Island · 1 hr 11 min north
Angel Island State Park
Ferry to a bay island with a loop road, hiking, bike rentals and old military sites.
- Full day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round; reduced ferry in winter (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Small town · 1 hr 15 min north
Napa Riverfront and Downtown Napa
A walkable downtown with tasting rooms, shops and river views.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free to walk
Aquarium · 1 hr 54 min south
Monterey Bay Aquarium
World-famous aquarium with kelp forest, jellyfish and sea otters, right on the water.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
2 to 3 hours from San Francisco 52 spots
National park · 2 hr 11 min southeast
Pinnacles National Park
Spires and talus caves from an ancient volcano, plus condors and good hiking trails.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round; best Oct-May
- See the official site for current fees
Historic site · 2 hr 12 min northeast
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
The place in Coloma where the 1848 gold find set off the Gold Rush, with a replica sawmill, a museum and gold panning on the American River.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- California State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Historic site · 2 hr 23 min northeast
Empire Mine State Historic Park
One of California's richest hard-rock gold mines, with a stone owner's cottage, formal gardens and the old mine yard.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission (per person); trails free
Historic site · 2 hr 25 min east
Columbia State Historic Park
A whole Gold Rush town kept as it was, with stagecoach rides, gold panning, old saloons and costumed shopkeepers.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Waterfall · 2 hr 39 min south
McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Short walk to an overlook of an ocean waterfall dropping onto a beach.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
State park · 2 hr 49 min east
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Giant sequoias in the North Grove on an easy, mostly flat loop, where the big trees first became famous in the 1850s.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (best May to October)
- California State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Small town · 2 hr 54 min northwest
Mendocino Village
A seaside village on a bluff with art galleries, shops and Victorian houses.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free to walk
Viewpoint · 2 hr 11 min south
Bixby Creek Bridge
Photo stop for the tall arched bridge on Highway 1 in Big Sur.
- 30 min · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 94103 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.