Hawk Hill, California, Scenic viewpoint in Marin Headlands, California

Hawk Hill is a scenic viewpoint in the Marin Headlands sitting at 920 feet elevation with views spanning the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. The area features informational displays and resting spots positioned along a hiking trail that connects to a nearby parking area.

Hawk Hill lies within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the Marin Headlands, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The sources record no wartime construction on the summit; the hill's documented history is as a counting site, where Golden Gate Raptor Observatory volunteers have banded and radio-tracked migrating raptors each autumn since the observatory's founding.

Each autumn, from August into December, volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory count and band the hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, vultures, ospreys and harriers funnelled through the Marin Headlands by the shape of the peninsula. Visitors watch the counters at work on the hilltop and can ask them about the birds being logged that day.

The summit is reached by trail from a parking area off Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Onshore winds hit these hills, so the top is often cold and fog-bound even when San Francisco is clear; bring layers. The hill lies within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Every autumn, thousands of raptors pass over this hilltop during their migration south, making it one of the finest bird-watching locations in Northern California. Scientists take advantage of this natural event to gather detailed data on bird populations and flight patterns.