– adventuring with ash –

Visiting the Sutro Baths was an experience I will remember forever. 2 hours of my day that I will spend years smiling back on. The Sutro Baths were built in 1896, and when it was built was the world’s largest indoor swimming establishment. There were 6 saltwater pools and 1 freshwater pool, that were 500 ft long and 254 ft wide. It took 1.8 million gallons of water to fill the pools.

The property was eventually sold to developers who planned for a high-rise apartment complex to be built. The building was set to be demolished in 1966 and during the process, someone started a fire, which destroyed the rest of the building. All that remains of the building are some concrete walls and some slab staircases that lead nowhere. A giant pool of water lays still inside the old concrete walls, and is what makes the Sutro Baths. Let me show you some photos that will have you booking your flight before you know it.

So my sister and i actually visited the baths at night, the day before we went and spend the morning. Our night ended earlier than expected and we were on the same bus we were going to be on in the morning, so i popped the idea and she was down to go. It was about a half an hour bus ride to the baths. We got out, had quite a bit of a walk. We’re looking at our map and cannot find it anywhere, we cant see anything and all we hear are waves. Eventually we found our way but could not see a thing 😦 i was bummed lol. & apologized many times to my sister for wasting our time. But we got to see the stars, listen to the waves and get (even more) walking in.

The next morning we planned to be out by 5:45AM to catch the sunrise at 6:40 and yeah.. that did not happen lol. We got out of the hotel at 7AM and were to the baths by 7:45AM. The walk from the bus stop to the baths was gorgeous, the prettiest houses leading you straight toward the beach. You end up getting to a parking lot, that had beautiful trees lining your way to the baths.

My first sight of the Sutro Baths, I was in awe. Well, I was the entire time I was there. The beautiful still, blue water looks so peaceful next to the crashing blue waves. The luscious green grass surrounding the area and all of the towering trees. It was seriously such a beautiful sight, much better from the night before. We had it all to ourselves too, besides one man who was there exploring for a very short period. It was the perfect time.

We came on a day when it was sunny, which we were super grateful for, but the waves were WAVING. Walking along the ruins I felt confident and on top of the world, the ocean infront of me, the grassy hills behind me, the Sutro baths to my left.

That is until… a GINORMOUS wave came out of nowhere and completely soaked me. It was huge. It soaked me from head to toe and made me stumble so hard I lost my balance and almost fell forward into the Sutro Baths.

It was hilarious though. I was laughing SO hard and it will be a moment I never forget for sure. Luckily it was towards the end of our time there that that occurred. We spent the first half watching the waves, looking at the old ruins. Almost every inch of what’s left of the building is covered in graffiti, it made me sad 😦 It was still very cool to see though.

When you get all the way down, you will see a cave, or tunnel, to your right. Now this was a bit spooky. I wanted to go all the way to the other side so bad but my sister didn’t want to go & I didn’t want to go alone lol. The cave has a large crevice in the middle, that somehow someway connects to the ocean, because there is a gate there you have to walk around that you can hear and see the waves splashing through. The sand was all wet and we saw a huge wave come through that would’ve soaked us if we were at the gate. I really am curious to see what the other end of the tunnel is like so hopefully someday I find myself back in San Francisco. I’m determined to make it happen.

The Sutro Baths were an AMAZING time. My sister and I got some amazing shots and footage, got to listen to and watch the loud, crashing waves. Got to explore the old ruins, the spooky cave, and get splashed by a huge wave. It was a super fun time & I definitely recommend you all to add this to your San Francisco Itinerary.

I hope you enjoyed my article and my photography 🙂 feel free to leave me a comment. Also please enjoy some more photos below!