Getting there

This is a there-and-backagain route. Although there is parking right where the road to the cove starts, for the complete experience and less congestion, park along the waterfront at Fort Baker, near the Coast Guard station. Walk south toward the fishing pier, then follow the road as it curves right past the pier and through a vehicle barrier gate. The road then winds upward, affording good views of the Golden Gate Bridge's underbelly. Keep right through here, as cyclists love to blast down this hill. Just before you reach the parking lot on the northwest side of the bridge, there is a path on the left. Follow that on switchbacks up the hillside until you reach the top. From there, walk just past the entry to Battery Spencer on your left, and you'll see the signs for the road leading to Kirby Cove.