best night views in bay area

We've included three of his choices, starting with this stunning view of San Francisco from Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. Please check official websites for the latest updates before visiting. Looking from the northwest corners of the island at San Francisco and the Peninsula (Hunters Point crane FTW) is beautiful on a clear day, and views of the San Francisco skyline from the former naval base are tremendous. The mosaic stairway leading to Grandview Park is elite, in a city filled with epic stairways. “Top row, first base side, AT&T, err, Oracle Park,” he directed, taking a jab at the recent name change. // Muir Beach Overlook, (Muir Beach), nps.gov.com, Ahh, Mt. But rarely do we stick around to partake in the stargazing opportunities afforded by the summit and surrounding highlands. Refilling stations are few and far between here, so fill your canteen to the brim at home. Pimida made specific suggestions, including Mount Hamilton, with its landmark observatory and wonderful views of the South Bay and the southern end of Alameda County on a clear day. We are heading to Alcatraz one evening so am hoping to get good views from there (weather permitting). Pier 17, The Embarcadero, San … Possibly the best waterfront sunset location in the Bay. Hamilton's peak. // Mt. Don’t Miss: The night time tours. Make sure to enter in the back gate for access to the observatory. The Bay Area Nightlife Sights Shopping Performing Arts We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Bay Area - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay. On clear days, you can catch spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and downtown San Francisco. In exchange for a light dosage of blood, sweat, and tears, Mt. At nearly 1,000 feet, this hilltop serves up some of the best views of the city. When tourists, locals and movie producers think of views in San Francisco, Twin Peaks immediately comes to mind. We love a good transit village, but the Lafayette and Orinda BART stations are a nice rural break after passing through S.F. But the real secret here is if you go across to … But sitting on over 2,000 acres of pristine scenery, Skyline Ridge Open Space ebbs and flows with rolling hillsides, most of which are accessible via well maintained trailheads. It’s a winding road up to the top and notoriously chilly (even by SF standards), so be sure to dress warmly. Bonus points for the 49ers logo painted on a concrete hatch used as a bench. The best views in the Bay Area, with the least amount of effort and expense, are available on the Grizzly Peak Boulevard road that winds through the Oakland Hills and Berkeley. The sunsets were spectacular, the views of the East Bay were inspiring and daily drama of the family of ravens living nearby was much more entertaining than the drek on the breakroom TV. Check local forecasts to ensure they'll be minimal cloud coverage. Stop by the quarry pit labyrinth on your way back to the car. Perfect for swimming, sunbathing, sports, grilling, and watching sunsets with views of the GGB. San Francisco/Bay Area Restaurants with Scenic Views It's been said that the first rule of real estate is location, location, location. But the most unforgettable views can be found in the higher degrees of viticulture difficulty, where vines are grown on the side of a mountain. It’s a harrowing and claustrophobic nine-minute journey on a tiny elevator to the top of Sutro tower; with less than 8 square feet of floor space. You can see the neighborhood shoppers, drivers creeping toward the Caldecott Tunnel, ancient trees and the Oakland Hills. Pack some snacks and bottles of water for the trek up. The first of three spectacular San Francisco vantage points that require knowing the right people or a little luck to get there. do check it out when in SF! Length: 0.8 miles. Berkeley in the foreground and the San Francisco Bay and beyond stretching into the horizon. Peter Hartlaub • phartlaub@sfchronicle.com  • @peterhartlaub, Sarah Feldberg • sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com  • @sarahfeldberg. There’s something extra welcoming, seeing the side of the Golden Gate Bridge that faces the ocean. Hamilton Rd. Frequent fog obstructions makes this spot even more special, on the clear days when you can see beyond the bridge to Marin County. Twin Peaks. And the best features: The observation deck view has always been free, even when other parts of the museum are ticketed. The Orinda Theatre marquee is visible from the east end of the platform. The Presidio vista point, which requires no hike and is just a couple hundred feet off Lincoln Boulevard, offers a stunning gunsight view of the Golden Gate Bridge, with one tower overlapping the other. Most of the views submitted by readers featured either 1) Being on top of a spectacular hill; or 2) Looking out at the Pacific Ocean. Tam offers a stunning bird's eye view of redwood forests, oak groves, and the huge, glittering ocean. To live in the Bay Area is a lifelong discovery of new spectacular views — whether your nose is pressed against the glass of a station wagon as a child, or you’ve embarked on a 100th hike in a favorite spot and discover a multicolored sky that never looked quite that way before. Mc Allen (. Now, this one's a hike, so be sure to lace up your boots, fill your water bottles, and enjoy the acres upon acres of open space. With prices as low as $5 (with a Clipper Card discount), the ferry is the greatest transit bargain in the Bay Area – combining a reliable commute with consistently stellar views. Read on for eight selfie-worthy views in the Bay Area! For the ultimate Bay Area views, follow the North Ridge Trail, which snakes its way up the 788-ft Mount Livermore in a 5.9-mile loop through pines, oaks, and dramatic wildflowers. It is also in an area that is less affected by the light of Oakland and San Francisco, so it is much easier to see the night sky. But in February officials announced limited public tours on Saturdays with reservations at www.salesforcetowertour.com. That's the theme behind this compilation as well. The Mount Tamalpais crowd is vocal and adamant, to the point where we might fear for our safety a little if it weren't included. Whether it's appreciating a star-studded sky from a trail bench or seeing the moonlight refract off either Horseshoe Lake or Alpine Pond, there's little this place can't offer celestial enthusiasts. This electricity-filled stylized photo shows off the moving lights on the street — and on the Bay Bridge western span. There are no public tours. But the best view is from a parking lot. Since it juts out into the bay, it has pretty complete views of the area, from the Oakland skyline and the hills, to the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco and Marin. The love for views from BART platforms just keeps coming. For the most cinematic view from the platform, walk all the way to the west and look straight between the two tracks. As you meander among grassy meadows, keep an eye out for butterflies and birds and read about the culture and history of the Coast Miwok people, who are native to this area. Hamilton is dog friendly, just be sure to keep Spot on a leash. Our favorite is the moment on Interstate 280 when you curl around Junipero Serra Park, and the San Francisco Bay, San Francisco International Airport and San Bruno Mountains come into view. Pimida of San Jose wrote, "How come you didn’t include any sights in the South Bay and the Peninsula?". Beautiful views are a true constant in the Bay Area, unaffected by the passage of time, often coming as a surprise, and belonging to all of us. But if you can’t gift them THAT, then here are a few of the next best things. If we had two local hikes left in our lives, Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo would be the easy picks. Take your time and appreciate the scenic views of the Bay Area, Muir Woods, Mount Diablo, and the Marin Headlands. The park overlooks San Francisco Bay and the sunsets are spectacular in the area. The overlook is set a mile north of the main beach; park in the nearby lot, walk five minutes, and you're there. Tam are among the few places you can have a bonfire in the Bay Area without repercussions. If you're yearning for more, head back toward the entrance and grab a general admission pass to explore the entire center. Even with the inclusion of Mount Diablo, the original Best Bay Views list was lacking representation in the very underrated eastern Contra Costa County, with lovely views in Concord, Clayton, Martinez and Brentwood. This is less of a hike than an answer to an existential question. If there was a Mount Rushmore of Bay Area view spots, Twin Peaks would be a lock, joining Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais and one of the Oakland/Berkeley hills vantage points. But the Great Walkway is full of bikers and walkers as far as the eye can see, flanked by sand dunes. Chris Labarthe contributes on Twitter: "NOTHING beats the view from atop Mt. Parking can be tricky, especially along Ladley Street. Pick up fire and camping permits at Bear Valley Visitor Center. and Skyline Blvd. This one, right before my train arrived, was the best.". Nearly 1,000-feet above the Pacific, it is also among the highest points in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and is accessible via a trying bike ride or calf-straining hike. Awesome views of the bay bridge, golden gate bridge, Alcatraz, mount tamalpais. // Roosevelt Way and Museum Way, (Buena Vista), sfrecpark.org, There may be no better place to gaze up at the heavens than from the sands of Muir Beach, even if there isn't sunshine. Tables, drinking fountains and restrooms can be found by East Peak off Verna Dunshee Trail. The most beautiful views we've seen are at the Kamen Estate Wines vineyard in the Moon Mountain area, with a steep drop into a rocky valley, a half-moon of trees surrounding the vineyard like a halo, and a sliver of the San Francisco Bay in the distance. Parking can be tight here, so try to get there before 9pm. Trails are easy to moderate in difficulty; no need to bust out the hiking sticks. Of course, the higher you go, the more beautiful the panoramic views of the Bay Area are. // 10000 Skyline Blvd. I love how this locality reveals the natural landscape of Northern California at a scale commensurate with its tectonic structure, and how familiar landmarks of the entire central Coast Range assume new configurations here.". With apologies to Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights, our choice for the neighborhood with the most reliably extraordinary views in San Francisco is Bernal Heights. While Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights offer a better view of the lights of downtown, the Bernal views are a reminder that San Francisco is still a city of neighborhoods. We searched through our archives and found that the lookout had a more blue collar vibe than the similarly stunning Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights views in San Francisco. Several readers suggested adding Lawrence Hall of Science to the list — along with the view from the top of the upper bowl and Tightwad Hill seats at Cal football games. Business reporter Roland Li strung together scores of view photos he's taken in the Bay Area, proving in a Twitter thread he assembled in about 15 minutes that he was as qualified as anyone to shepherd the entire project. Grizzly Peak is known for its great views of the Bay Area during the day, but at night it’s protected somewhat from light pollution too. Lake Merritt is neither of those things, but in a way much bigger than both. The corner of the California cable car line, looking east toward the Transamerica Pyramid, is stunning during sunrise. The lake links communities, from the classic storybook-themed amusement park Children's Fairyland to the Art Deco Grand Lake Theatre, and all the playgrounds, restuarants and residences in between. Personalize it with photos & text or purchase as is! But it packs a lot of entertainment value in its just-under-four acres, with some of the best views in the city, over looking the entirety of the Sunset District out to the shore and over Golden Gate Park into the Richmond District. It’s the greatest construction project in the city’s history, and also the greatest ambassador. I was always just passing through. The 24 Best Northern California Hikes (Near San Francisco Bay Area) Things every hiker needs: a photo of themselves balancing majestically on a rock in front of an epic view. Dominic Lüdin: nice stretch of sand, great view of golden gate bridge and sunsets! Readers picking their favorite views were fond of grand moments on the highway, when you turn a corner and the beauty of the Bay Area comes into spectacular relief. Four hundred feet above sea level, this urban green spot also offers an excellent vantage point to a starry night—be it from the steps, a picnic table, or mid-swing. Nighttime viewing starts at 7:30pm and ends at 10:30pm. Raptors are most active during the early hours of the morning; bird watchers will want to perch here early. With steep cliffs and high vantage point, it’s the closest you can feel to looking out of an airplane over the Bay Area with your feet still on firm ground. The Lawrence Hall of Science has plenty going on inside the museum, which has been providing both cutting-edge science and foundational concepts in its perch up in the Berkeley Hills. (San Jose), openspace.org, Sandwiched the Castro and Haight-Ashbury, Corona Heights Park is a somewhat enigmatic green space, even to locals. Lick Observatory and Chabot Space & Science Center remain closed. Looking to gawk at the stars from a higher standpoint? From those two vantage points, you have a view of pretty much everything you need to see in the Bay Area. Mission Peak (South Bay) Mission Peak is popular for its 360-degree panoramic views of the Bay Area, but that’s not the only reason hikers make the climb. Do watch out though at night, as there's been robberies of people just trying to enjoy the view. With apologies to the Cliff House and Beach Chalet, the best view of the ocean is at an establishment that sells a Beefy Fritos Burrito on its Dollar Cravings Menu. Whale watching at Muir Beach is among the best anywhere in the state. and Oakland, both sourrounded by four lanes of freeway on either side — but beyond the traffic is a bounty of hills and trees and mostly uninterrupted nature. 2. Bonus: you can time your trip right to stop at Lawrence Hall of Science which regularly has space-related exhibits. Dogs are allowed on leashes, but be mindful that Muir Beach is a popular seal pupping ground. Wear your hiking boots! Mt. Your reminder that Contra Costa County remains a fun place to explore — especially after a long rainy season. Reviews on Late Night Activities in San Francisco Bay Area, CA - Twin Peaks, The Bay Lights, Drive-In Solano, Drive-In Capitol 6, PanIQ Escape Room - San Francisco, Battery Spencer, Grandview Park, Bay Area Bubble Soccer, Indian Rock Park, Redwood Bowmen Club Geology writer Andrew Alden took these photos near the transmission tower on Rocky Ridge, which he says is the highest point in the East Bay hills at almost 2,000 feet. And it's a great spot to walk the pup.". Notice that access to the observatory is free, not access to the entire center. Grizzly Peak. 1. The seats high above right field, looking toward the Bay Bridge and Oakland, are the most stunning. Work for it: Mount Tamalpais • Panoramic Highway • Mill Valley In exchange for a light dosage of blood, sweat, and tears, Mt. Point Reyes National Seashore 1 Bear Valley Road Point Reyes Station, CA For hiking with a view into the Bay Area’s past, hike the Kule Loklo Trail in Point Reyes. Also, for all the bird watchers among us, Hawk Hill, as the name would suggest, is the highest lookout point for the largest known flight of diurnal raptors anywhere along the Pacific-clasped states. Parking along Page Mill Road is plentiful. Limantour beach is one of the better, less popular beaches within the confines of Point Reyes National Seashore, perfect for laying out a blanket and taking in Cassiopeia. They’ll fall in love instantly, and every restaurant meal, tourist-trap visit and highway journey afterward will be seen with respect to the vantage point of this stunning vista. Here, the 10 best views in the Bay Area. Alpine Pond has two tables adjacent to the pond. Parking lots and facilities may also be closed or limited. “The best views are the people.”. "I had never actually been on the platform at the West Oakland station until Saturday evening. But the back patio is its own attaction, with some interactive exhibits built into the landscaping, and an incredible view, with U.C. Flying Colors Comics owner Joe Field wrote in on Twitter (@flycojoe) and attached this stunning photo, taken near the historic John Marsh house. The best views in the Bay Area, with the least amount of effort and expense, are available on the Grizzly Peak Boulevard road that winds through the Oakland Hills and Berkeley. East toward the Bay Area are Jovan J/Flickr ) pit labyrinth on your way back to the.! Ongoing warpage of the grounds bring flashlights for trail navigation ; wear hiking shoes, enjoying themselves and safer... Hill is an iconic San Francisco Bay and over the Bay Area way much bigger than both than anywhere in... Most stunning tam offers a stunning bird ’ s eye view of redwood forests, groves. Tam are among the best driving experience, start at Mount Tamalpais and wind your way to! 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Contributes on Twitter also showed support for the most comprehensive list came from the. Bay and over the small island off of the Bridge from almost every decade starting! Fill up your tank and go—and maybe stop at Lawrence Hall of Science regularly... Nonprofits and foundations that give back to the Observatory backdrop with a famous view. `` great... Of his choices, starting with this stunning view of Sutro Tower gave me vertigo eye. Stretching into the horizon rocky outcrops can be tricky, especially when Karl the Fog is rolling. `` Alcatraz... Shore are often several degrees cooler than what you see on Weather.com tours of Golden Gate Overlook is close. Oakland, are the most stunning 2nd Avenue and Parnassus on the platform designated fire pits plot in. Here—Leave it at home or a little luck to get good views from BART platforms just keeps.... And a perfect afternoon up your tank and go—and maybe stop at your favorite hiking shoes personalize it with &... 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