Baker Beach

37°47.592′N 122°29.04′W / 37.793200°N 122.48400°W / 37.793200; -122.48400

Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background
Baker Beach with fog rolling across the Golden Gate strait and bridge

Baker Beach is a public beach on the peninsula of San Francisco, California, U.S. The beach lies on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the northwest of the city. It is roughly a 0.5 mi (800 m) long, beginning just south of Golden Gate Point (where the Golden Gate Bridge connects with the peninsula), extending southward toward the Seacliff peninsula, the Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Sutro Baths. The northern section of Baker Beach is "frequented by clothing-optional sunbathers,"[1] and as such it is considered a nude beach.[2][3]

The 160 acres (65 ha) property was settled by John Henry Baker in the 1850s and was known as Golden Gate Milk Ranch. The property location description varied, but is generally described as being approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) west of the city on the then Point Lobos Road (now Geary Blvd.)

Baker died in 1863 and his widow, Maria, lost the property to foreclosure in 1879. In 1897, Baker's grandson, Fairfax Henry Wheelan sued[4] to have the title returned to the heirs of John H. Baker, claiming that Baker's widow did not have the legal power to mortgage the property.

  1. ^ "Baker Beach, California – Northern CA's Best Nude Beach". 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Baker Beach" Archived 2008-10-13 at the Wayback Machine ParksConservancy.org. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  3. ^ "Baker Beach - Nude Beach Profile" Archived 2011-01-12 at the Wayback Machine About.com. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
  4. ^ "San Francisco Call 20 October 1897 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-23.