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Moderate Hiking Trails near San Francisco

The directory currently contains 87 quality-checked routes matching this guide near San Francisco. Their average mapped distance is 3.5 km and average recorded ascent is 205 m (673 ft); the longest route in the set is 14.1 km.

This subset represents 78% of the 111 quality-checked routes near San Francisco. Its average distance is 3.5 km, compared with 12.6 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 205 m (673 ft), versus 390 m (1,280 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is rated moderate by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. Technical terrain and live conditions are not part of that rating. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 4 (5%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

2.2 km

Dawn Falls Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

60 m

Bay Area Ridge Trail - Section 01 - Golden Gate Bridge

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

1 recorded loop

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Moderate

Dawn Falls Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
266 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
A view of Mount Diablo from Eagle Peak. Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. Danville, CA. For some strange reason, there's a garbage can in the middle of the trail. Even more bizarrely, it is decorated with the sticker "Squaw Valley, USA", a s
Moderate

Las Trampas Ridge Trail

California · United States

Distance
10.2 km
/ 6.3 mi
Elevation gain
431 m
Typical duration
2 hr 46 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

East Peak Fire Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
489 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Mountain
California bay tree (Umbellularia californica), wind-sculpted, along trail on exposed Rocky Ridge of Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, East Bay, California.
Moderate

Rocky Ridge Loop Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.9 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
434 m
Typical duration
2 hr 6 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Steep Ravine Trail

California · United States

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
437 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Canyon and gorge
Moderate

The Barbary Coast Trail

California · United States

Distance
9.4 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
419 m
Typical duration
2 hr 35 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Fern Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • River
Moderate

Corte Madera Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • River
Moderate

Whispering Creek Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
22 min
  • River
Moderate

Bootjack Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
558 m
Typical duration
1 hr 42 min
Matt Davis trail. Just off the trail in the highest portion of the grassland trail, a view south towards San Francisco.
Moderate

Matt Davis Trail

California · United States

Distance
9.7 km
/ 6.1 mi
Elevation gain
844 m
Typical duration
3 hr 18 min
Moderate

Falls Trail Loop

California · United States

Distance
9.5 km
/ 5.9 mi
Elevation gain
580 m
Typical duration
2 hr 50 min
  • Waterfall
Cataract Falls is just below Laurel Dell on the northern flank of Mt. Tamalpais.
Moderate

Cataract Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
73 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
Moderate

Collier Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Typical duration
20 min
Panoramic view from Cardiac Hill (part of the Dipsea Trail) at Mount Tamalpais State Park, California. In the background – under the clouds – a small strip of the Pacific Ocean is visible. This picture is based on 5 photos taken in early Ju
Moderate

Dipsea Race route

California · United States

Distance
10.7 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
704 m
Typical duration
3 hr 17 min
Panoramic view from Cardiac Hill (part of the Dipsea Trail) at Mount Tamalpais State Park, California. In the background – under the clouds – a small strip of the Pacific Ocean is visible. This picture is based on 5 photos taken in early Ju
Moderate

Dipsea Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.6 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
475 m
Typical duration
2 hr 5 min
Moderate

Indian Fire Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
13 min
Moderate

Los Trancos Trail

California · United States

Distance
11.1 km
/ 6.9 mi
Elevation gain
581 m
Typical duration
3 hr 11 min
Moderate

Stephen E. Abbors Trail

California · United States

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
591 m
Typical duration
2 hr 11 min
Moderate

Temelpa Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
31 min
Moderate

Heather Cutoff

California · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
208 m
Typical duration
45 min
Moderate

Miller Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
13 min
Moderate

Stapleveldt Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
239 m
Typical duration
40 min
Moderate

Tucker Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
382 m
Typical duration
1 hr 8 min
Moderate

Wheeler Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
196 m
Typical duration
28 min
Moderate

Sweeney Ridge Trail

California · United States

Distance
8.2 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
553 m
Typical duration
2 hr 32 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Arturo Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
23 min
Moderate

Benstein Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
112 m
Typical duration
34 min
Moderate

CC Boys Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
122 m
Typical duration
31 min
Moderate

Collier Spring Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
126 m
Typical duration
17 min
Moderate

Harry Allen Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

International Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

Lower Berry Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
99 m
Typical duration
18 min
Moderate

Nora Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
14 min
Moderate

Northside Trail

California · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
344 m
Typical duration
1 hr 25 min
Moderate

Philosopher's Way

California · United States

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
244 m
Typical duration
1 hr 29 min
Moderate

Pilot Knob Trail

California · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
55 m
Typical duration
21 min
Moderate

Plank Walk Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
11 min
Moderate

Red Rock Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
81 m
Typical duration
15 min
Moderate

Rock Spring Trail

California · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
95 m
Typical duration
38 min
Moderate

Rocky Point Trail

California · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
17 m
Typical duration
9 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Dawn Falls TrailCalifornia2.2 km266 m51 minModerateApril to October
Bay Area Ridge Trail - Section 01 - Golden Gate BridgeCalifornia3.1 km60 m44 minModerateApril to October
Las Trampas Ridge TrailCalifornia10.2 km431 m2 hr 46 minModerateApril to October
Las Trampas to Mt. Diablo Regional TrailCalifornia8.6 km312 m2 hr 16 minModerateApril to October
East Peak Fire TrailCalifornia2.2 km489 m1 hr 12 minModerateApril to October
Rocky Ridge Loop TrailCalifornia6.9 km434 m2 hr 6 minModerateApril to October
Steep Ravine TrailCalifornia3.3 km437 m1 hr 21 minModerateApril to October
The Barbary Coast TrailCalifornia9.4 km419 m2 hr 35 minModerateApril to October
Fern Creek TrailCalifornia1.1 km240 m36 minModerateApril to October
Corte Madera Creek TrailCalifornia0.6 km9 m8 minModerateApril to October

Dawn Falls Trail, Bay Area Ridge Trail - Section 01 - Golden Gate Bridge, Las Trampas Ridge Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

Read article →

Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

Read article →

Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

Read article →

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