Eagle’s Point
A view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the end of an old railroad
The story
Before you are the Golden Gate strait and the bridge across it. Eagle’s Point is the eastern end of the trail through Lands End. The trail follows the route of an old railroad. In the late nineteenth century the Ferries and Cliff House Railway Company opened a line out here. Cable cars carried people from the Ferry Building across the city, and from there a steam train ran along California Street. At 33rd Avenue it turned north and ran along the cliffs above the strait to the Sutro Baths and the Cliff House. In 1905 the line was rebuilt, moved back from the edge, and electric streetcars began to run on it. In February 1925, after the winter rains, a landslide destroyed a large stretch of track. It was never repaired, and the streetcars were sent along the streets instead. The roadbed remained, and today the trail runs along it. In places you can still see traces of the old line. Take care: the park warns that the rocky cliffs near Eagle’s Point can be treacherous and windy.
Visiting
The end of the trail. The 1 Muni bus stop “32nd Ave & California St” is about a third of a mile away along 32nd Avenue.
On the trail
- Lands End — 2.9 miles round trip, 1.5 h
Sources
- SFMTA — “A Line to Land’s End: San Francisco’s Lost Scenic Railway”: the line of 1889–1925
- National Park Service — Steaming Down the Track: the steam railroad to Lands End
- National Park Service — Eagle Point Trailhead: the trail on the old railroad bed, 1.7 miles one way, stairs, eroding bluffs
- National Park Service — Lands End Trailhead: the 2.9-mile out-and-back Coastal Trail, a level path to Mile Rock Overlook, free parking
- SFMTA — 1 California: the 32nd Ave & California St stop
This text was written by AI from open sources. An expert will still check it. Found a mistake? Write to us. Support
