The turnoff from Hwy 1 is next to the coast's longest row of mailboxes at Mile 5.7, just before Pelican Inn. Aside from the beach, there are wetlands, creeks, lagoons and sand dunes providing a habitat for birds, California red-legged frogs and coho salmon. In winter you might spot monarch butterflies roosting in Monterey pines, and migratory whales swimming offshore.
Muir Beach
Marin County
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.1 MILES
When Frederick Law Olmsted, architect of New York's Central Park, gazed in 1865 upon the plot of land San Francisco Mayor Frank McCoppin wanted to turn…
9.32 MILES
Was it the fall of 1966 or the winter of ’67? As the Haight saying goes, if you can remember the Summer of Love, you probably weren’t here. The fog was…
10.21 MILES
If you look close today at the clinker-brick buildings lining these narrow backstreets, past the temple balconies jutting out over bakeries, acupuncture…
10.17 MILES
No one could have predicted the cultural force City Lights would become when it first opened in 1953. Sure, it had a proletarian ethos suggested by its…
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
10.81 MILES
When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expanded in 2016, it was a mind-boggling feat that nearly tripled the institution's size to accommodate a…
10.07 MILES
If you want to really see San Francisco, head to Coit Tower, a 1933 art deco beaut designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard that sits high up on…
6.26 MILES
Few cities boast a structure so iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge, commemorated in everything from films like The Maltese Falcon to not one but two emojis…
10.63 MILES
Welcome to San Francisco's sunny side, the land of street ball and Mayan-pyramid playgrounds, semiprofessional tanning and taco picnics. Although the…
Nearby Marin County attractions
0.61 MILES
Just over a mile northwest of Pelican Inn along Hwy 1, this overlook offers superb coastal views. During WWII scouts kept watch from the surrounding…
2. Muir Woods National Monument
2.34 MILES
Muir Woods National Monument is located just a few miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, and is a prime peaceful destination for reflection within…
2.38 MILES
All along the coastline you’ll find cool old battery sites – abandoned concrete bunkers dug into the ground with fabulous views. Evocative Battery…
2.95 MILES
Above Rodeo Lagoon, this animal rescue center rehabilitates injured, sick and orphaned sea mammals before returning them to the wild, and has educational…
2.98 MILES
At the western end of Bunker Rd sits Rodeo Beach, partly protected from wind by high cliffs. It's known to locals as 'Fort Cronkhite' for the old military…
3.41 MILES
File past guard shacks with uniformed mannequins to witness the area’s not-too-distant military history at this fascinating Cold War museum staffed by…
3.41 MILES
Several blocks west of downtown is Old Mill Park, perfect for a picnic. Here you’ll also find a replica of the town’s namesake sawmill, and a small…
3.48 MILES
Mt Tamalpais State Park encompasses 6300 acres of parklands and 60 miles of trails. Get a map and don't miss the summit of East Peak. Panoramic Hwy climbs…