A look at Twin Peaks, the heart of San Francisco

Welcome back everyone – we hope that you all enjoyed the weekend. As promised, we’re going to take a look at Twin Peaks this week. This neighborhood is situated in the heart of San Francisco and offers high elevation with stunning views of the city and the Pacific ocean. Because of these wonderful travel characteristics, Twin Peaks always comes to mind when we think of photography or when we want to bring visiting family member or friends and introducing them to San Francisco.

Let’s start off with some great news. You don’t need to invest half a day to explore Twin Peaks. What stands out the most about this place is the view that it offers. Head all the way up to the parking lot and you will be greeted with the wonderful San Francisco skyline and the busy Market Street as a leading line. If you look further you will also notice the Bay Bridge, which connects the city of San Francisco to the East Bay Area. I prefer to come here during sunrise or sunset because what could possibly? be more pleasing than having the sun rising right behind the skyscrapers. If you come before sunrise and see clouds lingering in the air, you’re in for a serious sunrise treat.

As you move walk alongside the parking lot pavement to the left, you’ll see the Sutro Tower, which is had been the tallest structure until this year’s opening of the Salesforce building, which barely surpassed it in height. To the left of the Sutro Tower, you’ll be able to clearly see the iconic San Francisco family housing structure. Behind the buildings lies the Pacific Ocean. This is my absolute favorite sunrise spot as a photographer. As the sun starts setting and moves closer to the horizon, you start seeing the light changing – turning into this pleasing soft yellow color. That’s caused by the sunlight hitting dust particles. It’s called the golden hour – a period between the start of the light changing color until sunset. As the sun sets, you’ll start seeing this cloud burning phenomenon, which only lasts for a minute or two so be patient and you’ll get one of the best visual memories of San Francisco (of course, bring a camera as well). Bonus, you’ll also the the Golden Gate Bridge to the right and in the distant as well.

So that’s been the visual aspect of Twin Peaks. You might ask, what else should we do here? Definitely hike from 1 peak to another. Within the Twin Peaks neighborhood, you have a ton of high points, one of which is Twin Peaks (as a viewpoint). From here, take a short hike to Corona Height or Tank Hill and you’ll be greeted with a diverse sets of overlooks. These hikes are fairly short, 20-30 minutes max. However, they are strenuous with steep hills so bring some comfortable shoes and clothing.

Now what’s not so great about Twin Peaks. It goes without saying – safety is always of concern when you’re visiting a touristy location. Unfortunately there have been numerous of theft events happening both during the day and at night. Always be careful of your surroundings and report suspicious activities. Have somebody with you if possible and don’t leave your expensive gear/personal items out of sight.

Ok that should cover Twin Peaks. We hope you guys have enjoyed the information and some photos. Please stay tuned for our upcoming episode, in which we will cover the Sunset District, which sits in the south of the city neighboring the Pacific Ocean. Thank you.