Our hike begins on the Lands End Trail located on the northwest corner of the City. We will first explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths, which opened as a public recreation and indoor swimming facility in 1896 and burned down in 1966. The developer was Adolph Sutro, who lived nearby. At one time the mayor of SF, the wealthy Sutro was a mining engineer who is remembered for his public tree planting, including Sutro Forest which WOW hikers traversed last summer. The Lands End trail will lead along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean with scenic views of the Golden Gate. At the end of the trail we’ll walk into the posh Seacliff neighborhood, with custom designed early 20th century houses perched on ocean-view bluffs. Mark Daniels, of Beamer Park Woodland fame (also SF Forest Hill and Thousand Oaks in Berkeley-- as explored on previous WOW hikes) was the talented engineer who created the master plan for Seacliff.

From Seacliff it’s a leisurely stroll through Lincoln Park and its golf course to the Legion of Honor Museum for lunch and (optional) art exhibits. Lincoln Park, named in honor of Abraham Lincoln is the terminus of the historic Lincoln Highway, an early transcontinental roadway for automobiles connecting Times Square, NY with San Francisco, while winding through the City of Davis.

The Legion of Honor was the gift of Alma Spreckels, wife of the sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels (beginning in 1937 Spreckels operated a refinery in Woodland).    After some persuading, Alma convinced Adolph to fund a museum project. To acquire more art and financial support, Alma embarked on a European trip and was successful in requesting donations of fine art from the French government. The building is a full-scale replica of the French Pavilion at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition held in SF, which in turn was a three-quarter-scale version of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur (also known as the Hôtel de Salm) in Paris. Dedicated as a memorial to California soldiers killed in the war, the museum opened on Armistice Day, November 11, 1924. The museum collection includes Rodin sculpture, and paintings by many masters including Rembrandt, Degas, Renoir, Monet, and Van Gogh. The Legion of Honor café is one option for lunch. There are many other restaurants on nearby Clement Street. After lunch hikers can enjoy the museum or walk back along the trail to the parking area.

This hike is considered “moderately challenging” and generally flat and will take about two hours. Participants will meet at the Woodland Presbyterian Church’s parking lot on the corner of Road 98 and West Gibson Road at 7:30 a.m.  After an overview of the day and arranging carpooling, hikers will drive to San Francisco’s “Lands End Main Parking Lot” (Google maps) at the intersection of Point Lobos and El Camino Del Mar. There are nearby restrooms. Take I-80 to Highway 37 (near Vallejo), to Highway 101 South, across the Golden Gate Bridge, Follow Highway 1 South and turn west on Geary Blvd, which eventually becomes Point Lobos Ave. and will terminate near the Lands Ends parking lot.