Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California

Ocean Beach is a long beach spanning the entire Sunset District of San Francisco from Cliff House south to Sloat Boulevard. It’s also a wide beach especially when compared to all the other San Francisco beaches. The widest part of Ocean Beach is the north end where Golden Gate Park faces the ocean. Like all the beaches along the coast in San Francisco, Ocean Beach is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There is a large parking lot with an entrance at Sloat Boulevard and there are street spots all along the west edge of Sunset neighborhood near the Great Highway with crosswalks to the Esplanade and stairs to the beach. The Esplanade is superb for walking and you could extend your trip into Golden Gate Park or the San Francisco Zoo. Bonfires are allowed in fire rings which are provided between stairwells 15 through 20. When the wind is kicking (most of the time) you can find windsurfers riding in the wild waves along Ocean Beach. Note that swimming is dangerous at here due to cold water temperatures and strong rip currents.