Best SF Viewpoints & Overlooks

This guide covers the hilltops and headlands with the best views of San Francisco, all free spots for locals and visitors alike. In the city they climb above the Castro, Telegraph Hill and Bernal Heights out to Turtle Hill, and across the Golden Gate the list reaches the Marin Headlands. Twin Peaks gives the classic sweep down Market Street to the Bay Bridge, with a summit parking lot. At Coit Tower, see the WPA-era murals in the lobby, then ride the elevator up for Alcatraz and both bridges. Grandview Park is reached by the 163-step mosaic staircase at 16th Avenue and Moraga. Hawk Hill sits higher than Battery Spencer, framing the bridge, city and Pacific at once, and thousands of hawks pass overhead each fall.

Bring a layer and aim for a clear morning before the fog rolls in.