Having lived in and hiked far and wide through the Bay Area for over 25 years, it took me a while to find a gem right next door, geographically speaking: Tennessee Valley is right across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy website specifies trails on which dogs are allowed. Dogs are allowed on-leash on the Miwok Trail from the Tennessee Valley parking area north to Highway 101, and on leash or under voice control in Oakwood Valley, which is off Tennessee Valley Road a short distance before you reach the main parking lot
One cool aspect of the Miwok Trail is that it provides a direct route from the trailhead in Tennessee Valley to stunning Muir Beach, and cuts many winding miles off the route you’d take by car.
I always advise my clients that off-leash does not mean unbridled and unsupervised complete canine freedom. Quite the contrary, as I do with my own dog Otis, be prepared to leash your dog at certain times and release her at others.
For instance, as a courtesy and safety for all concerned, when you hear cyclists approaching from behind, call your dog to you and leash her until they have passed. This way they don’t have to worry about your dog inadvertently running into their path.
The views are stellar and there are points from which you can see many of the Bay Area’s most prominent landmarks, including the blue Pacific ocean, downtown and the Salesforce Tower, Sutro Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Diablo, Tiburon, Mount Tam, and of course, Muir Beach.
Trail maps are not available in the parking area, so I suggest you print one before you depart on this adventure. Start at the Tennessee Valley Trailhead parking lot and head north on the Miwok Trail, which meets up with the Coyote Ridge trail. From here you can take one of three loops through Green Gulch, or just stay on the Coast Trail to Muir Beach.