Biking over the Golden Gate bridge

[Tubby]

Coming to SF for vacation, and want to do the bike trip from Fisherman's wharf across the presidio and over the bridge. Is it hilly at all? My gf is a relative bike beginner, so I don't want to subject her to too many hills. If this is too hilly, and other routes to suggest?

[johnny99]

Fisherman's Wharf is essentially at sea level. The bridge entrance is a couple of hundred feet above sea level. There only way to get to the bridge is to go up a hill. If you go down to Sausalito on the north side of the bridge, the way back is hillier than the San Francisco side.

If you want a perfectly flat ride, you can ride along the Embarcadero to the Giants baseball stadium and back. You can also ride through the Marina and Chrisy Field to Fort Point (underneath the GG bridge); that involves only 1 small hill (which you can walk). The Presidio has lots of small hills (and also a confusing maze of streets).

[Tubby]

A couple hundred feet of climbing, I guess that could be done - what's the max grade? I know this is billed as a "family ride" by the bike stores, so it can't be that bad, right?

[johnny99]

The San Francisco side is not very steep. The Sausalito side is steeper and longer. A lot of tourists catch the ferry back from Sausalito because they can't ride their bikes back.

[sweetnsourbkr]

I believe the SF hill is long enough to be a bother to non-cyclists trying to cycle their way up it. If you take her there, she will probably never forgive you.

[1bentspoke]

And it's usually waaaaay windy going across the bridge.

[johnny99]

There is one (very) small hill between Fishermans Wharf and Fort Mason on the way to the GG Bridge. If you have trouble with the Fort Mason hill (a bike path through a park), then you need to think twice about the GG Bridge hill (which is longer and has real car traffic going by with no bike lanes). The ride out to Fort Point (underneath the bridge) is mostly flat and scenic and on bike paths with no car traffic.

[johnny99]

And it's usually waaaaay windy going across the bridge.

Wind is mostly in the afternoon, but mornings can have fog instead.

[ConstantRider]

It's pretty common for tourists to get off the bike and walk at least part of the hill up to the bridge.

Between the climb, conditions on the bridge (wind, two-way bike/ped traffic), and the steepness of the descent to Sausalito, where cars drive past at 35 - 45 MPH, it's not a beginner's ride.

Nonetheless, I do that ride 3 - 5 times a week, and every time I see a huge range of people on rentals doing the ride: senior citizens, toddlers, overweight people, people who can barely hold a straight line, tandems that can barely hold a straight line, etc. And they're pretty much never wearing helmets.

[jbeaman]

i agree with the other posts. the hill through fort mason should be a good primer for the hill up to the bridge. if the fort mason hill is a piece of cake then you should be fine. I also see an array of folks on tourist bikes taking the ride - it's not bad either if she has to walk up the hill to the bridge. it's not too long.

and the bridge - morning is a must. it is a damn slog over that thing in the afternoon (even in the a.m. sometimes).

oh, and weekends can be better too because the west side of the bridge is cyclists only (no danger of getting backed into by a 10 year old girl taking a picture of her family - make a sharp right to avoid her and .... bam! you're in the drink).

good luck.

[kdg357]

My husband and I rented bikes in SF rode across the bridge and took the ferry back from Sausilito. I have always want to walk across the GG bridge and my husband has a fear of heights. When I mentioned renting bikes and riding across he said he would do it so I made reservations right away. We had a blast. It is an easy ride and we just took our time made a lot of stops and walked when the hills were too steep.

[Radfahrer]

I would highly recommend the 1-way option using the ferry to return. If your GF is a novice, she may not enjoy the round-trip version on a questionable rented bike!

[johnny99]

I would highly recommend the 1-way option using the ferry to return. If your GF is a novice, she may not enjoy the round-trip version on a questionable rented bike!

Dozens of people do the round trip every day on rental bikes. If you are exhausted when you get to Sausalito, then by all means take the ferry back. The return trip is a little harder. On the other hand, the distance is only about 10 miles one-way, so why not have lunch and then see how much energy you have before you give up.

[Radfahrer]

Dozens of people do the round trip every day on rental bikes. If you are exhausted when you get to Sausalito, then by all means take the ferry back. The return trip is a little harder. On the other hand, the distance is only about 10 miles one-way, so why not have lunch and then see how much energy you have before you give up.

Also true, but the ferry ride is also enjoyable in and of itself, and provides some pretty spectacular alternate vistas!

[johnny99]

Also true, but the ferry ride is also enjoyable in and of itself, and provides some pretty spectacular alternate vistas!

If you're interested in a ferry ride, I recommend taking the (mostly very flat) bike path from Sausalito to Tiburon and picking up the ferry from there. Or continue northward along the bay and take the ferry back from Larkspur/San Quintin (very interesting view from there).

[Radfahrer]

If you're interested in a ferry ride, I recommend taking the (mostly very flat) bike path from Sausalito to Tiburon and picking up the ferry from there. Or continue northward along the bay and take the ferry back from Larkspur/San Quintin (very interesting view from there).

I would second the Tiburon suggestion, but the route to Larkspur is less than scenic and pleasant to ride - too much traffic!

[johnny99]

I would second the Tiburon suggestion, but the route to Larkspur is less than scenic and pleasant to ride - too much traffic!

From Tiburon, take the very scenic Paradise Road to Corte Madera. From there, I think I think it's just a couple of miles on bike paths and bike lanes to Larkspur. There has been a lot of construction in this area in recent years, so make sure your map is up to date. Some excellent bike route maps are here: http://www.marinbike.org/Map/Index.shtml

[Radfahrer]

From Tiburon, take the very scenic Paradise Road to Corte Madera. From there, I think I think it's just a couple of miles on bike paths and bike lanes to Larkspur. There has been a lot of construction in this area in recent years, so make sure your map is up to date. Some excellent bike route maps are here: http://www.marinbike.org/Map/Index.shtml

The route itself isn't terrible, it's just that Paradise Drive can be dicey with all the crappy weekend Marin drivers. I have ridden this route many times over the years (I grew up in Mill Valley and Sausalito) and have had more close calls along that stretch of road than any other in the County, including Shoreline Highway! Otherwise, yes, it's quite beautiful and the terrain is very easy. Plus, Paradise Cove makes a nice picnic spot, or continue on to Paradise Foods for lunch fixins!

[johnny99]

The route itself isn't terrible, it's just that Paradise Drive can be dicey with all the crappy weekend Marin drivers. I have ridden this route many times over the years (I grew up in Mill Valley and Sausalito) and have had more close calls along that stretch of road than any other in the County, including Shoreline Highway! Otherwise, yes, it's quite beautiful and the terrain is very easy. Plus, Paradise Cove makes a nice picnic spot, or continue on to Paradise Foods for lunch fixins!

I only ride Paradise Dr. a couple of times a year, but I've never had problems there. I usually ride there in the spring or fall, not the summer vacation season, though.

[Bob S]

CORRECTION
on the bike path thru Mill valley on your right there will be a dog park then soccer fields. Just after the soccer field take a right across the bridge and follow the trail to the Hamilton road (straight ahead as you cross the bridge) and go the the right until you reach the service road next to HWY 101 go to the right (passing the Ferrari / Aston Martin dealer, you may want to trade in your bikes here) and follow the road as it loops back under the highway. Stay on this road approx 1/2 mile to Belevedere Avenue next to the In and Out Burger. (If you did not stop to eat in Saualito there are some good places to eat in the adjcent shopping center and later in Tiburon) Turn right on Beleveder to E. Strawberry Dr. turn left 75 feet to Tiburon Blvd. Right on Tiburon Blvd about 200 yards to the light and turn right on Greenwood Cove Drive and follow it to the end where you can get on the Tiburon bike path that runs along the edge of the bay until you come to San Rafael Ave. turn right and follow the road staying left at the yatch club on Beach Road to next right on Main Street to the center of Tiburon.

there are a couple of small hills on this route that are not even 1/2 high as the hill to the Golden Gate Bridge.

[johnny99]

I only ride Paradise Dr. a couple of times a year, but I've never had problems there. I usually ride there in the spring or fall, not the summer vacation season, though.

fyi - We did the Tiburon/Paradise loop yesterday (4th of July), starting at the San Francisco ferry building and ending at the Larkspur ferry (returning by ferry). We saw maybe 2 or 3 cars on Paradise Dr. and had no problems with them. There was much more traffic going through the Fishremans Wharf and Fort Mason area.

Near the end of Paradise, there is a bike path on the right. The bike path continues north for a few miles all the way to Francis Drake Blvd, just 1 block from the Larkspur ferry terminal. We took the ferry back to San Francisco. Total distance was 32 miles (one way). This route is mostly flat with the biggest hill being the GG Bridge (about 300 feet). This is a very nice ride for a hot summer day, since they bayshore is always cool.

We were short on time, so we did not do the Marin Headlands loop like we usually do. That route gives you a fantastic view of the GG Bridge and the city of SF. That loop adds about 10 miles to this route.

The only problem with this route is that the Larkspur Ferry only runs once every 2 hours on weekends and holidays, so if you don't pace yourself, you may have a long wait for the ferry.