Fort Funston is, hands down, one of the best off-leash dog parks in California--with a few caveats. If miles of beach and coastal trails are your thing, if you're physically fit enough to tackle some steep terrain or steep stairs to access the beach, if your dog has decent to superior recall off leash, then this park is doggie Nirvana. We go every weekend because Aussie is our copilot. :D We clock 5-6 miles round trip from the parking lot, but you definitely don't need to go as far to let your dog revel in freedom. The cliffs block one side of the beach and the ocean blocks the other. It's nearly impossible for your puppers to get lost. You do have to have excellent recall at the top of the cliffs making your way down. If your dog delights in chasing crows or running off without listening, there are many places where they could plunge off the cliffs or run into the parking area and get hit, so keep the leash on that little one until you get to the beach. Once on the beach, you're very safe. The waves are big here, though, especially on windy days. So if your dog is going to bolt into the water when conditions aren't safe, ignoring your recall command, keep it on leash. And there are horses to keep an eye out for. A company has guided rides down the cliffs, making their way to the beach, a couple times a day on the weekends. Stay alert and leash up if your dog doesn't respond to a sit/stay or ignore the horses when they are on the beach. This company will get aggressive with your dog and try to whip them if they're bothering/stalking/herding the horses, which just riles the horses up and creates a VERY DANGEROUS situation. And finally, my pet peeve... Just because this is an off leash park, it doesn't mean that your dog gets to play with any other dog it wants to. There will be dogs who are game and others who aren't. You are responsible for your dog interacting with other dogs. Be vigilant reading body language. Protect your dog from dangerous encounters. A wagging tail doesn't necessarily mean, "I'm friendly." Watch for: stiff body posture--again, not tail, but a hard stare, a freeze, a curled lip, a raised head or turned to the side when another dog is greeting. Dogs that want to play have relaxed and often goofy/bouncy body language. Or they play bow-- that's when they lower the front part of their body and their butt is in the air. Those are all welcome signs to play. Watch for the warning signs and call your dog away from dogs who just want to enjoy the beach and not wrestle with your dog. Thank you!

Perfect for half a day outing with your pup. It’s a short 15 min hike to the beach. If you are confident about your dogs’s recall then you can leave him or her off leash throughout the hike. And of course in the beach. I saw many dogs off leash on the hike having a jolly good time. Simba has a mind of his own so we didn’t leave him off leash on the hike. But he surely enjoyed fetching on the beach…

Amazing park. Dog friendly. Easy access to hiking trails and beach.

I love going to Fort Funston, especially when the gliders are preparing to glide, then watching them glide. ..priceless.. When there's no gliders, there's families with children flying kites, also..priceless The walk is easy with no real hills to climb.. There is a look out area for picture taking, a bench to sit while you catch your breath. You can sit at a table, have lunch and enjoy the view.. Parking is good. There's bathrooms 🚻. There's also a station to refill your water bottle.. It looks like the dog trail is respected by both dog, owners and people.. The whole area is kept clean.. Go and enjoy what mother nature has to offer us..

Great place to take your dog or stroll the coastal paths on a nice day. Lots of parking and plenty of space to spread out. You can also check out the hang gliders that take off from the area. Beautiful place to catch the sunset. There are paths that are paved and sandy trails that branch off the main loop. A couple things to note. It gets really windy and foggy often, so be prepared. There are three Porta potties for restrooms. There is one beach access point near the north end of the park, otherwise the area has many cliffs that should not be used to access the beach below.

This is a very easy and accessible trail, there are a lot of parking space in the parking area or in front of the John Muir Dr, I consider this trail as easy, but you can make it moderate or harder if you make it longer going down on the beach, for those who leave close you can consider as a Natural gym, the best time to go in my opinion is at the Sun Rise by 7am once there are not too many people, after this time start gets crowd and for my self is not good, but some people like. the sunset from anywhere over there is gorgeous and if you just want to chill in your car you can enjoy the sunset at the parking lot.

Such a fun place to take your pup! The parking lot is huge and you can walk your dog off leash on the cliffs or go down to the off leash dog beach. So much fun!!

This place is dog Disneyland. Choose the left and go down a majestic path with wide, tall steps that lead straight down to the beach. Or choose the right and take a winding tour down a path of running dogs and kids on a field trip, eventually landing on a quieter side of the beach. Yes, this beach is cold as other SF beaches, but it’s less windy, less overcast, wider/deeper, and just happy with all the dogs prancing around. Best beach in SF.

This is one of the most beautiful dog friendly spots in the Bay. As a bonus, dogs can be off leash. The trail is paved and well maintained, making it easy to walk. There are free water stations and free parking. If you enjoyed Fort Funston, another fun and scenic place to check out is Mori Point.

Great getaway close to San Francisco... Dogs are free to play on the beach with no leash. Scary for my wife and little kids, but I enjoyed it very much! Highly recommended...

Natural beauty accessible to city folks. So many activities to choose from: 1. Walk the trails that take thru dunes and alongside ocean vistas or take the trail or stairs down to the beach. HEADS UP! Especially after heavy rains, cliffs can fall - and people near them have been killed. HEADS UP! Sneaker waves and rips are real - never turn your back on the ocean! Again, people have been killed. HEADS UP! You and your dog need to stay away from cliff edges - people have been known to fall, get stuck, need rescue. For folks with mobility aids - trails are accessible to a point - in some places they are covered with sand. Trail is fairly flat and accessible at least to the watering area for dogs. 2. Watch the hang gliders - from the wooden landing or from the trails. Or hang glide if that is your thing! 3. Enjoy the flowers. Thanks to volunteers, there are so many more California native plants now thriving - including lupines. Also, invasive ice plant is everywhere and the flowers are pretty. But! natives are important for local pollinators, birds, etc. 4. Watch ravens soar, glide, and do barrel rolls on the same air currents the hang gliders sail on. Ravens are incredible intelligent problem solvers. They remember faces - so be kind! Always! 5. Walk your dog - and remember there are lots of dogs here. So if you have a dog that is not comfortable around other dogs, this is the not the place for you. 6. Bring your kids - have fun - but also be mindful of cliffs, dogs, and ocean if you go down to the beach. 7. Learn about history - there is a lot of history to this place as the info plaque will tell you. Info plaques are by the parking lot. Porta-potties only. But if you are driving, you are not far from Stonestown or Westlake shopping centers. Be respectful - take only pictures and leave no trace. Enjoy and appreciate this place of incredible beauty which is available thanks to the people who worked to make it a public place and the people who care for it today!

Fort Funston is a gem, but pls don't tell anyone... Dogs can roam, the views are breathtaking, ample parking, old wartime batteries to check out, people/dog greeting, and fresh sea air! All times of the day are beautiful, but I finally made it early, and nature did not disappoint, the beach was covered in sand dollars. Allowed me to delight some little ones w whole s dollars. Worth the smile... When you leave, you will be happy, and your heart will be light.

Great place for off leash walks with your puppy! The beach is clean, dogs are friendly, and there are so many different places to walk. Bring a towel to get sand off your pooch before putting them in the car, and don’t plan on using the Porto-potty 🤢.

Park was absolutely beautiful. Lots of good trails to hike, main loop was paved, and only gentle inclines. Tons of dogs.

Wonderful scenary. You can easily walk down to Funston beach from here. Just note though that the way back up from the beach to the fort is rather steep.

Incredible beach, incredible views. Dog and horse friendly beach and hiking, walking trails. Great for trail running, watching sunsets, listening to waves, relaxing.

Fort Funston in San Francisco offers a breathtaking coastal experience with its scenic cliffs and expansive beach. The mesmerizing views make it a perfect spot for nature enthusiasts and dog lovers. The well-maintained trails provide an enjoyable hike, and the constant sound of crashing waves adds to the serenity. It's an ideal escape from the urban hustle, offering a peaceful retreat within the city.

Best place to go and meditate with you and your dog. Its totally dog friendly location and just so peaceful there. I love the trails and dunes. It's fun to walk the trails with my dog as you run into other friendly dog walkers and their pals. My dog just loves it. We even watch the hang gliders, and the paragliders float along the coast on a beautiful day. Don't forget to say hello to the ravens cause. They'll be flying over you and along the coast as well.

This is an amazing off leash dog park/beach. There is a lot of parking and porta potties. There are a lot of trails that you can walk on above the beach. The trek down to the beach is pretty steep so keep that mind because you have to walk up it! It has beautiful views of the coast and plenty of room for your dog to run around and have fun. We even found a spot that has a water faucet for the dogs too. I would highly recommend taking your four legged friend to Fort Funston!

Very nice rolling hills by the beach. Plenty of sandy and green hiking trails with ocean views and access to the beach. There's also a glider launch point at the old fort. Beautiful. Dog friendly! Ran into horse riding party.

This place is amazing for your dog to run. Just remember your dog isn’t the only one getting a workout. You have to walk through sand and downhill to get to the beach and uphill to get back up to the parking lot. The paved area is ADA accessible but getting to the beach is not.

Any coastal hike is a good hike. Multiple parking options at the fort or just a mile north or mile south. Got about 5 miles of coastal beach/bluff hiking; more was possible.

Such a great place to walk your dog! There are a lot of trails that you can walk your dog off leash with gorgeous views everywhere. It is quite sandy so when the wind is strong, you get pelted with a lot of sand.

Moderate-to-heavy traffic trails. Dog friendly trails. Wide road and mostly low gradient trails. Saw some older folks walking the trail with walker and most trails are flat. Recommended if you want a outdoor walk with family and your dogs (they will find a lot of new friends there 😄)

This is an amazing place to run on the beach or hike with your dog. The views off the cliffs are breathtaking and there are lots of dogs to pet along the way! Tons of fun indeed!

My favorite hike is near the Southern End of the Great Highway at the entrance to the SF Zoo parking lot.

Having lived in the Bay Area my entire life and making plenty of visits to San Francisco (at least a few hundred), I'm shocked that I had never been to this park. This is definitely for locals. I would say half the people there had their dog with them and we only saw two other people with dogs on a leash. Our dog had never been off leash, we have a big yard and another dog to play with so exercise isn't an issue. Anyway, that aside, our dog Bailey loves everyone and we decided to go ahead and take him after reading some other reviews. We were so glad we did. Bailey was not very good about staying close to us, his range seemed to be about 30-50 yards, but as he loves everyone, it was great. The walk from the parking lot to the beach access path is probably a quarter to a half mile, I'm guessing. The walk took about 10 minutes for us. The actual path down to the beach is a little steep and sandy. Going down to the beach wasn't bad except for a small wet area that appeared as if it might be slippery but no one slipped. Going back up was a full 10 minutes because for every step, the sand smashed out from under your foot reducing your progress. Up was a bit like a stair-master. The change in elevation is probably 50-75 feet, again guessing. It's work going up. Along the beach, Bailey met lots of dogs and people. There are areas that the sand is dark grey or almost black and I'm not sure what causes that. Along the water was all typical California sand. Bailey clearly enjoyed this adventure and we will definitely be taking him back. *Remember to bring potty bags, there are some baggy share boxes which we are grateful for and will have to make a contribution. However, the bags in the boxes appear to be donated and random types and sizes. I'm only attaching one photo, it is Bailey (all white) with a friend he picked up along the beach an Australian Cattle Dog mix. What an incredible day.

Such an amazing place to bring your dog and walk as long as you want with a view of the ocean. Absolutely beautiful! Fort Funston beach is also great but is very steep to get back up - good to keep in mind when bringing people down there.

My favorite place to let my dog off-leash and meet other dogs...she runs on the beach and is all around beautiful! Just a reminder - please don't bring unfriendly/aggressive dogs...you have all the other parks where all dogs are leashed. Please let off-leash dogs run free and enjoy themselves without aggressive dogs or owners.

Always enough parking but be ready for some cool breeze. Enjoy the history and the aging battery bunkers, that remind you of the cold war days. Now days the Fort is known for hang gliding, you will surely see gliders flying around or about to launch, because these cliffs are the best for gliding in northern California.

Extremely beautiful and unique. Nice hike by the cliff, beach felt warmer than other sf beaches

One of the best places in the Bay Area if you and your dog love the beach. Not the best place if you/your family are not fans of off leash dogs. Don’t come here if that’s you. We had a blast. Our pup is completely exhausted. The walk back can be tough, so prepare yourself. Also, bathrooms aren’t very accessible so be prepared to hold it in if you’re there a while. Highly recommend. We’ll be coming back often.

We wanted a hike that would be a little bit diverse in terms of the type of trail, for example, concrete, dirt, sand, and not too hilly. It’s been warm lately and sunny, so we wanted a little bit of fog. And we had that here. Fort Funston is an excellent hike during the summer Because the coast usually has fog or a little bit of relief from the heat and the sun. It’s gorgeous here. There are sand dunes, there are cliffs, and there are paved trails. There’s a little something for everyone, and there are a lot of very happy and friendly dogs.

One of my favorite beaches in the San Francisco bay area, gorgeous views, with the hang-glider above in the sky and no leash dogs playing all around, perfect for kids and families. The hike to the beach is an added bonus, more exercise!

First time going to this off-leash dog beach and I have to stay it's our new favorite beach to go to so many friendly dogs off leash playing with each other My puppy had a lot of fun

Great views,beautiful place for a great walk and you can bring your dog but have on leash or make sure listen to voice command, very step cliffs

Loved the hike to the beach. The beach was pretty empty. We saw a big spout coming out of water while walking down the hill to the beach. Then there were a lot of birds, especially seagulls diving in the ocean and suddenly one big Whale came out of the water, almost 10 feet up. Surprisingly very close to the beach. In the next 30 minutes or so I spotted 5-6 whales jumping or spouting out of water at different places along the beach.

A slightly difficult to access beach but worth the short hike. It's a large beach surrounded by sandy hills. Dog friendly. Scenic. Quiet. Not accessible.

Absolutely great place to take your dogs. My dogs exhausted themselves running around. There was lots of parking even on a holiday weekend. We will be coming back.

Bluff formation and erosion with good growth of vegetation on sand that formed the stepping landscape. A lot of dogs running loose and getting lost. Parking can be hard to find in late morning. Great high ocean view and hang gliders on a windy day.