Isolated campsite offers San Francisco views from the Marin Headlands

"What amazed me most about our campsite was not its postcard-worthy view - although the beauty of our tent's spot, set in a coastal meadow overlooking the rugged cliffs of the Marin Headlands, cannot be understated. It wasn't even the weather, warm and sun-drenched in a place usually coated in a layer of fog. It was the fact that we were alone, in one of California's most coveted camping destinations,"

"Reservations there can be cutthroat - especially during September and October, otherwise known as Bay Area summer. Campsites at places like Kirby Cove are often booked up months in advance, and I'm much more inclined to drive the extra few hours to a national forest, where dispersed camping along dirt roads is free and bountiful. But after seeing photos of Slide Ranch on Hipcamp, which started listing the site on its app a year ago, I knew I had to experience the place for myself."

"My girlfriend and I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, slightly woozy from the winding drive into the headlands along Highway 1. The campsites at Slide Ranch are about a 15-minute hike from the visitor parking area, so we'd prepared for the trip the way we would for a backpacking trip - albeit with some extra luxuries like pillows and lawn chairs, since the ranch provides wheelbarrows to help guests transport their belongings down a rutted trail to camp."

The campsite sat in a golden coastal meadow atop the Marin Headlands, offering panoramic views of rugged cliffs and unusual sunny weather for the area. The site was booked only days ahead through Hipcamp, enabling a rare last-minute stay in a typically overbooked recreation area. Access required a roughly 15-minute hike from the visitor parking area along a rutted trail, with wheelbarrows available to carry gear. The ranch provided a homely cooking dome while the surrounding landscape featured coastal grasslands and chaparral. The campsite offered solitude in a coveted camping destination, contrasting with heavily booked spots like Kirby Cove.

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