Kirby Cove Campground

Kirby Cove Campground is a small, reservation-only campground in the Marin Headlands portion of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge at the historic Battery Kirby site. It has five overnight sites and one day-use picnic area, reached by a mile-long dirt road behind a locked, code-accessed gate off Conzelman Road; vehicles park separately, and campers walk up to 200 yards to their site since RV and car camping are not allowed. There is no drinking water on site, so campers must bring their own, though pit toilets, fire rings, picnic tables and grills are provided. The payoff is close-up views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline from the beach below the bluffs, and reservations run through Recreation.gov.