Twin Peaks, San Francisco

Twin Peaks stands at an elevation of over 900 ft and is named after its two virtually identical summits. The lower portion of Twin Peaks has residential homes on it. The summit is home to a handful of transmission towers and a 14 million gallon reservoir.

The main reason to visit though is the stunning 360 degree view of San Francisco from the top.

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What a beautiful view of the Bay Area! This is one of those tourist landmarks that you've gotta appreciate even if you live here hehehe. With an elevation of ~900+ feet (Noe Peak, the South Peak is 922 ft.. Eureka, the North Peak is 904 ft.), the Peaks are actually the second tallest hills in SF (Mount Davidson is the tallest), but probably #1 in terms of best 360 panoramic view.

Twin Peaks Boulevard is the only road that goes to the summit of the peaks, and on the north side of the hills it connects to Christmas Tree Point, where there is a parking lot and an observation area offering unobstructed views of most San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay. Known by the Spaniards as "Los pechos de la Chola" (i.e. the Breasts of the Indian Maiden), Twin Peaks is ideally located at the geographical center of San Francisco. On a clear day, visitors are treated to a 360-degree view spanning the Golden Gate to Alcatraz, to Berkeley, to the peninsula. But even on a foggy day, the views are heart stopping, with the fog rolling in from the ocean and practically lapping at one’s feet.

Night on Twin Peaks is an entirely different experience that must also be experienced. The entire Bay Area sparkles below like a jeweled carpet. But the billing and cooing one hears most probably emanates from cars parked nearby, rather than the wildlife. Not surprisingly, Twin Peaks serves as an “Inspiration Point” for lovers. After all, what could be more romantic than parking above the twinkling lights of San Francisco and below the twinkling stars in the sky? If you don’t have someone to keep you warm, you might want to bring a jacket. It gets pretty windy on top of the world.

Twin peaks has he best view in the city, but it's often crowded with groups from tour buses. If you're not afraid to do a some walking, there's a much more interesting way to check out the view. Just click the link to get details about this cool urban hike.

Twin Peaks, formerly known as San Miguel Hills, are two hills situated in the geographic center of San Francisco, California. It is the second highest point in in San Francisco, after Mount Davidson. The peak of the hills can be reached by only one road, the Twin Peaks Boulevard. On the top of the Twin Peaks is the Christmas Tree Point, where you will see without obstruction the magnificent scenery of the City of San Francisco and San Francisco Bay.

Elevation: about 922 feet

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Getting to Twin Peaks via public transit is actually pretty easy. From downtown, hop on the F-Line streetcar to the last stop in the Castro. Transfer to bus #37 Corbett on the north side of Market Street by Castro Street. Ask the driver where he/she can drop you off on Crestline Drive. Once you get off the bus, be careful walking up the steps on the hillside and watch out for any cars when walking along Twin Peaks Blvd.

... of the city. On a clear day you really should go to twin peaks. No public transport goes all the way to the top so we took the F from fisherman's wharf to the Castro and continued on foot. It took us a while to get there but the absolutely stunning views over the city were more than worth the effort :-) Extra tip: even on a sunny day, it can get cold and windy up there so bring a sweater or something else to keep you warm...

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Twin Peaks is known as the best view of the city, but I went on a rainy November day and had to peer through the clouds and rain while hoisting an umbrella. Even on a cloudy day, it was easy to pick out the financial district, AT&T Park, Candlestick Park, and the Bay Bridge. Unfortunately, we could not see the Golden Gate Bridge, or even much of the bay itself, certainly not Oakland nor Alcatraz!

I returned on a clear night in April and got to enjoy a wonderful view of the city. On this Sunday night around 10pm the parking lot was full despite the cold winds. The sky was crystal clear and we could see all the way to Oakland and to the Golden Gate Bridge.

From downtown, Twin Peaks is at the end of Market Street. From any other direction, Twin Peaks would be difficult to find without a map, but you can search for Twin Peaks Blvd on your favorite mapping website such as Google Maps.

If - and only IF - it's a clear day, you'll want to make the short drive up to Twin Peaks. The view is incredible. You'll get to see most of San Francisco (at least, most of SF that is of interest to the visitor), and, on clear days, you'll see a lot of the East Bay and Marin.

There may be public transportation here on MUNI - I'm not sure. If you don't have a car you can get a similar view from Tank Hill (click here) or from Market Street above the Castro.

There is parking, but you may have to wait for a spot to open up if it's busy. This also used to be a popular "Lover's Lane" kind of place at night, though I think people have gotten more uptight in recent years!