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Lands End — The checkable facts
Quick answer
The Lands End Trail San Francisco follows an old railway bed for about 1.5 miles, from the Sutro Baths ruins to Eagles Point, along cliffs above the mouth of the Golden Gate. Three ships wrecked below it: the tanker Lyman Stewart in 1922, the Ohioan in 1936 and the Frank Buck in 1937. Engine parts still show at low tide.
| Claim | Source |
|---|---|
| Eduardo Aguilera built a seven-circuit labyrinth at Eagle's Point in 2004 | Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck |
| It was vandalised repeatedly, destroyed in August 2015 and rebuilt a month later with 50 volunteers | Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck |
| The labyrinth was destroyed again and has not existed since 2021 | Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck |
| Shipwrecks are visible at low tide from the Coastal Trail and Mile Rock | Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck |
| A spur trail leads to Mile Rock Point and Mile Rock Beach | Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck |
Frequently asked
How long is the Coastal Trail?
About 1.5 miles one way, between the Sutro Baths ruins at Point Lobos and Eagles Point above El Camino del Mar, so roughly three miles there and back. The surface is packed gravel laid on an old streetcar bed, mostly level, broken by two staircase sections. Allow ninety minutes with stops at the overlooks.
Can you actually see the wrecks?
Only at low tide, and only two of them reliably. Rusted engine mounts from the Lyman Stewart and the Frank Buck sit in the surf below Mile Rock Beach; both hulls were partly blown apart with dynamite in 1938. Check a tide table for a minus tide and look from the sand rather than the cliff.
What were the Sutro Baths?
A vast saltwater swimming complex opened by Adolph Sutro in 1896, with seven pools under an acre of glass, filled and flushed by the tide. It could hold thousands of bathers and never made money. The building burned in 1966 while it was being demolished, leaving the concrete tanks and tunnels at the trailhead.
Is the labyrinth still at Eagles Point?
It comes and goes. Eduardo Aguilera laid the stone spiral out in 2004 on the bluff below the trail. Vandals scattered it in 2015, volunteers rebuilt it, and it has been dismantled and rebuilt repeatedly since, reported gone in 2021 and back later. Whether you find it depends on the month you walk.
Sources
- National Park Service — Lands End, Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Western Neighborhoods Project — Lands End shipwreck images: Ohioan, Lyman Stewart, Frank Buck
- SF Chronicle — Lands End labyrinth keeper finds the way to a gratifying role
- NOAA — first sonar surveys of the Frank H. Buck and Lyman Stewart wrecks
- Wikipedia — Lands End (San Francisco)
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