Kirby Cove Campground in CA -- Campground & RV Camping

Kirby Cove is a walk-in campground located at historic Battery Kirby on the coarse-sand beach of the Marin Headlands, directly north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Vehicles park up to 200 yards away from the five individual campsites and one day-use picnic area, meaning car camping and RVs are prohibited. The site has no drinking water, so visitors must pack in all supplies. Access is via a steep road descending through a grove of eucalyptus, pine, and cypress. Historic sites like the 1898-1934 army battery, Point Bonita Lighthouse, and Nike Missile Site SF-88 sit nearby.

Getting there: From San Francisco (travelling north): Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and take exit 442 onto Alexander Avenue. This will be the exit after the Vista Point. Continue straight for a few hundred feet, and then turn left onto Bunker Road. Travel through the Baker-Barry Tunnel and continue straight until you can turn left onto McCullough Road, after the speed bumps. Continue uphill until you hit the traffic circle, and take the 2nd exit onto Conzelman Road. Travel downhill on the one-way road until you reach Battery Spencer, and it will be sharp right turn toward the Kirby Cove service gates. After entering the gate codes provided upon reservation, it is then a mile drive down the dirt trail to the Kirby Cove Parking lot. From Marin (travelling south): From US-101 South, take the last exit before the Golden Gate Bridge onto Alexander Avenue. Turn right at the stop sign and continue straight for about a quarter mile, until you can turn left onto Bunker Road. Travel through the Baker-Barry Tunnel and continue straight until you can turn left onto McCullough Road, after the speed bumps. Continue uphill until you hit the traffic circle, and take the 2nd exit onto Conzelman Road. Travel downhill until you reach Battery Spencer, and it will be sharp right turn toward the Kirby Cove service gate. It is then a mile drive down the dirt trail to the Kirby Cove Parking lot.

• Little separation from through roads or other sites here, a 6-site campground with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 5, a rural sky with a glow on the horizon.
• Mostly tent-only sites, with 5 hike-in sites and 2 on the water.
• The coast lies 0.7 mi off.

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