A 67-year-old man fell to his death while walking his dog at Thornton Beach in Daly City on Monday morning, KTVU reports.
A spokesperson for Golden Gate National Parks said the man's dog got away from him, and he fell while going after it.
Authorities airlifted the man's body from the bottom of a 492-foot cliff.
Pictures from SkyFox showed the dog anxiously pacing on the cliff above where the body was found.
Rescuers helped the dog get back up the cliff, where he was turned over to the victim's son.
The park is popular with hikers and dog walkers.