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What is the San Francisco Hiking Club?
The San Francisco Hiking Club (SFHC) is a hiking and outing group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and their friends. According to its homepage, it usually runs an event on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays, with hikes meeting around the Whole Foods at Dolores and Market Streets in San Francisco, or sometimes at the Rockridge BART Station in Oakland. Individual hike postings give the meeting point and expected difficulty.
How it works for newcomers
The club is built around a try-before-you-join model. Non-members are welcome to sample a couple of hikes: email the hike leader or [email protected] to say you're coming, and mention whether you need a ride to the trailhead or can drive others. Registration through the site's Register button only works once you're a member. Membership also unlocks a broader hike list and non-hiking events such as a holiday party.
Who it suits
- LGBTQ+ hikers and allies who want a social group where they can show up alone and meet people.
- San Francisco and East Bay residents who can reach the Dolores/Market or Rockridge meeting points.
- Cautious first-timers who prefer to try one or two outings before paying for membership.
Practical trade-offs
Meeting at fixed urban points makes carpooling easier but means an early start and dependence on the group's schedule. The public calendar is fairly sparse—recent postings include a San Francisco city hike on 10/31/2026, a Sibley Volcanic and Huckleberry Botanic preserves hike in Oakland on 11/14/2026, and an Angel Island hike on 11/21/2026—so the fuller member list matters if you hike often. Anyone outside these areas may find the fixed meeting points a hurdle.
Next step
Pick one upcoming hike that matches your fitness level, email the listed leader with your ride situation, and treat it as a trial before deciding on membership. For broader options, compare with Meetup or regional trail groups.
How can a non-member join a hike as a guest?
Email the hike leader (or [email protected]) before the hike to say you'll attend, and mention whether you need a ride to the trailhead or can drive others. That is the guest route: the club welcomes anyone to try a couple of hikes, but the [Register] button only works once you're a member.
What to include in the email
- Which hike and date you want to join.
- Your name and a way to reach you.
- Whether you need a ride, or can offer one.
- Any question about the meeting point—check the individual hike posting first, since the club usually meets at Whole Foods on Dolores at Market in San Francisco, and sometimes at Rockridge BART in Oakland.
Practical notes
- Confirm the meeting location and start time for your specific hike rather than assuming the default.
- Ask the leader about the expected difficulty if the posting is unclear; the club lists it per hike.
- After a couple of guest hikes, joining gives access to a broader hike list and non-hiking events. Membership questions go to [email protected].
If you're weighing whether to join, treat the first hike as a trial: pick one rated within your comfort level, sort out the ride in advance, and decide afterward. For Bay Area trail conditions and route ideas before you go, San Francisco Hiking Club postings and Parks Conservancy can help you prepare.
Where do hikes typically meet, and how do I arrange a ride to the trailhead?
Hikes usually meet at the Whole Foods at Dolores Street and Market Street in San Francisco; some outings instead meet—or also meet—at the Rockridge BART Station in Oakland. Each hike posting confirms the meeting location for that specific outing, so check it before you go.
Arranging a ride
The club asks non-members to email the hike leader (or [email protected]) before attending, stating whether you need a ride to the trailhead or are willing to drive others. That lets the leader coordinate cars in advance. Anyone is welcome to try a couple of hikes before joining; registration through the site's Register button is reserved for members.
Practical next step
Open the posting for the hike you want, note its meeting point and difficulty, then send a short email naming the hike and date, your ride need (or your offer to drive, and how many passengers you can take), and a phone number for meet-up coordination. If you plan to drive, mention your departure point so the leader can pair you with riders coming from the same area.
What do I get by becoming a paying member instead of hiking as a guest?
Becoming a paying member mainly gets you access to a larger schedule and to events beyond hiking, plus the ability to register yourself for hikes through the site. As a guest you can still try the club out—the page says anyone is welcome to join a couple of hikes—but you arrange it by emailing the hike leader or [email protected] rather than registering online.
What changes with membership
| Guest | Paying member | |
|---|---|---|
| Trying hikes | Welcome on a couple of hikes | Full access to the hike list |
| Hike listings | Public postings shown on the site | A "more expansive list of hikes" |
| Non-hiking events | Not included (e.g., the Holiday party is member-only) | Included |
| Registration | Email the leader; the Register button doesn't work for non-members | Can register via the site |
| Other site resources | Not available | "Additional resources" on the website |
The practical difference is breadth and convenience: members see hikes that aren't posted publicly and can sign up themselves, while guests depend on emailing ahead and confirming whether they need a ride to the trailhead or can drive others.
How to decide
If you hike occasionally and just want to test the group's pace and crowd, guesting is the sensible first step—pick a public posting, note the meeting point (often Whole Foods at Dolores and Market in San Francisco, sometimes Rockridge BART in Oakland), and email the leader with your ride situation. If you're hiking most weekends, want the fuller calendar, or care about the social side like the Holiday party, membership is the better fit. The club is aimed at LGBTQ people and their friends, so the social calendar may matter as much as the trails.
For membership questions, the page directs you to [email protected]. You can also browse the public hike postings at San Francisco Hiking Club before deciding.
How difficult are the hikes, and which ones suit beginners?
The club doesn't publish one overall difficulty rating. Each hike posting states its own expected difficulty, so difficulty varies from outing to outing and you need to read the individual listing rather than assume a club-wide level. The page also notes that members get access to a more expansive list of hikes, so the public postings are only part of what's offered.
What the listings show
- Difficulty is described per hike in the posting, alongside the meeting location.
- The Sibley Volcanic and Huckleberry Botanic preserves hike carries a "3.0" figure, which reads like a distance in miles; that would be a short, moderate outing, but confirm with the hike leader rather than treating it as a rating.
- The San Francisco city hike ("Tombstones Totally") is described only by name and date, with no difficulty stated on this page.
- The Angel Island hike is listed as "Details to Follow," so nothing can be judged yet.
Suitability for beginners
There is no posted beginner track. The practical approach is to pick a short city or close-in hike first, since urban routes tend to have less elevation and easier bail-out options than East Bay or island trails. A 3-mile regional-park walk is a reasonable first step for someone who is moderately active; a full Angel Island circuit involves more climbing and timing, and is better once you know your pace.
A useful first move
Email the hike leader (or [email protected]) before your first outing, as the club asks non-members to do. Ask three things: total distance, elevation gain, and expected pace. Anyone can try a couple of hikes before joining, and this is also when you say whether you need a ride to the trailhead or can drive others — a real consideration given the Whole Foods at Dolores and Market, or Rockridge BART, meeting points.
If you want to compare terrain and trail options independently, California State Parks and National Park Service publish trail descriptions with mileage and elevation for the Angel Island and Golden Gate areas.
How do I find and register for upcoming hikes and non-hiking events?
Start with the hike postings on the club's home page: upcoming outings are listed there with dates, times, meeting locations and hike leaders. The page states that anyone is welcome to try a couple of hikes before joining, but the [Register] button only works for members. Non-members attend by emailing the hike leader or [email protected] to say they are coming and whether they need a ride to the trailhead or can drive others. Non-hiking events, such as the holiday party, are listed in the expanded schedule that members can see after joining.
Practical sequence for a first hike
- Pick an event from the postings and note the meeting point — often Whole Foods at Dolores and Market in San Francisco, sometimes Rockridge BART in Oakland — plus the stated difficulty.
- Email the leader with your name, the hike date, and your ride situation. The club asks for this because trailheads are often away from transit.
- Show up at the stated time. Treat the listed difficulty as the main filter; a city walk and a regional-park climb suit different fitness levels.
- If you enjoy it, join through the Join menu to unlock the fuller calendar and member events.
Membership versus trying it out
| Need | Non-member | Member |
|---|---|---|
| See basic upcoming hikes | Yes | Yes |
| See non-hiking events and the expanded list | No | Yes |
| Register via the button | No | Yes |
| Attend | By emailing the leader first | By registering |
For a reader deciding whether to commit, the sensible test is two hikes of different difficulty before paying for membership. The club's own framing supports this: try a couple, then join if it fits. If you want a broader comparison of organized outdoor groups in the area before committing, San Francisco Hiking Club is the primary source for this club's schedule, and you can weigh its Saturday cadence against groups that hike midweek or focus on specific terrain.
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