On a clear day, the views out here are amazing. I highly recommend starting your ride in San Francisco and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for the true San Francisco experience. If you start your crossing before 3:30PM on a weekday, you'll need to take the path on the east side of the bridge. Have fun dodging tourist wandering around in orgasmic cloud of wonderment, more tourist who can't ride their rental bikes and roadies in replica team kits, weaving in and out of everyone as if their life depended on it. If it's after 3:30PM, a weekend day or holiday, you can take the west side which is bikes only. If you took the east walkway, you'll need to take the stair down, under the bridge and back up to the west side. Either way, you'll end up in a parking lot. Head up the driveway to Conzelman, turn left and start climbing. Watch out for rubber-necking tourists and work trucks off your elbow. If you're in a touristy mood you can check out historic Battery Spencer, which guarded the Golden Gate until 1943 (on your left near the top of the climb). Also on your left is a fire road which descends to Kirby Cove, where you'll find a beach, camping and picnic areas. Otherwise, if you're ready for some real riding, continue climbing Conzelman to the intersection with McCullough Road.

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On the far left, between Conzelman and McCullough is the trailhead for the Coastal Trail. This easy, wide fire road winds down to Bunker Road with a gentle grade (you'll be thankful later) and gradually become singletrack near the bottom (watch out for poison oak!). Across the road you can access a multitude of fire roads. All start out flat, then climb gently, then get progressively steeper. Have fun, enjoy the views and watch out for horseys and the surprises they leave behind. Climb back up Coastal when you're done.

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China Camp, anything on Skyline down the Peninsula (openspace.org), Arastradero, Water Dog Lake, Old Haul Road

it is early august. the sky has been gray and ugly all day, it is drizzling, work has been the pits and i don't particulary feel like riding. nonetheless, john and paul are waiting at my door at six fifteen to heckle me as i skulk up to my house. i heartily curse them a greeting and carry the ibis up the stairs to change clothes and melt my hydration bladder. (keep it frozen and the nasties will perish) once we're on our bikes and riding down arguello i'm feeling ok. the attitude adjustment i've taken at home has worked well--a good thing because the drizzle stings a bit when you're pushing into the wind in the big ring. we charge through the presidio like fools in the rain, taking our normal short cuts to the bridge, being sure to gasp unintelligable jibes at the tourist--mine sounded like i was trying to shout in japanese. the bridge becomes a truly miserable experience; the rain is blowing right into my face and my vision is down to minus zero because i am cursed with prescription glasses and refuse to wear contact lenses. fortunately, i bring a bandanna with me for the wet rides. we blast through the parking lot on the west end of the golden gate bridge and commence the climb up conzelman road--a climb that i'm just recently started doing in my big ring (but a fairly easy cog on the back) the wind and drizzle IS making me wonder why the hell i'm out here doing this but i think about the finals in september, spit and keep pedaling. i have to wipe my glasses too. we all finally make it to the top of conzelman road in one piece. i let john and paul lead on the descent down coastal because my glasses are sure to cause me no end of grief as we tear down what is now a slightly tacky but moderately choppy fire road. i'm surprised--i'm able to see much better than i thought i would. paul is out of sight on his full suspension rig but i'm keeping up pretty well with john who is a lot bigger than me although i can still out-brake him in the corners for just that reason. the corners are just a little to tight for me to pass him, however and i've also got to stay away from the insides of the turns--they're blind corners and we're going twenty five-thirty miles an hour. imagine hitting someone on a bike at that speed! let me tell you folks something--the last straightway before the gate is a blast but you've got to be careful to not overcook the right/left combo at just before the gate. after the gate you get another smooth, fast straight descent before you cross conzelman road, ride through a small dirt parking area and turn down and left over a small bridge and then left on to a fire road whose name i can't remember. we are a bit dirty now. the drizzle has'nt been enough yet to saturate the dirt fire roads and some dust has been kicked up during the coastal fireroad descent, dust which has stuck to our legs and bikes. dust won't matter now because we're going to climb the wonder miwok fire road up to the old springs. we could make a right and climb bobcat but it's longer and more gradual--miwok is a shorter, steeper dose of intense pain, especially near the top. this climb is where i normally shut my brain off and suffer through and today is no different, except for the fact that it's wetter than normal. fortunately, i climb just as fast as paul and a good bit faster than john so i don't lose a lot of time to either when i stop to wipe off my infernal glasses. why even tell you about miwok? it is steep, it is ugly and it is demoralizing because miwok has two false summits. you can get up it in the middle ring if you're determined and you can even do the first third of it in the big ring if you're crazy. i still despise climbing miwok on some days even though i've mastered it. old springs used to be a blast, especially when the singletrack spur around the peak was legal. it's still a fun trail when the weather is dry and really not so bad when the ground is wet. paul rocketed down old springs like he was being poked at with my hot plastic afro pick! good lord, i tried to stay with him, did'nt wipe my glasses of and just trusted in tom ritchey, ibis and jesus! the first part is relatively easy because it's fairly wide (it's actually a narrow fire road) but once you negotiate the big right, WHAM! get off those brakes and follow the line on the left--just let it roll and DON'T get into the BIG marbles on the left. i was actually able to see trhough the water spots on my lenses as i attacked this steep section and made my way throuh the steep loose lefts which lead to a newly constructed gravelly straightaway that's an OK excuse for a singletrack--it's fast and straight and you'll chuck you butt right off your back if you stay seated right where you get to the newly built part. i was going faster than i wanted to here, especially at the big right turn where the trail was graded last year--it's now fast and smooth with some big bumps in it caused by water flow and braking. the left close to the bottom is loose and hairy as is the right at the very end--it's preceded by a steep rocky section where one had better pay attention. paul flew down this, as i metioned before and kept on riding up marincello but i stopped and waited at the stables for john. i only had to wait for maybe forty five seconds and we were ascending a fire road again--this time it's marincello, one of my least favourite fire road climbs EVER, ANYWHERE. i have raced many times in many places but i still HATE climbing marincello. it's not that steep, but it's steep enough. it's not that long, but it's long enough, i think just under two miles. i hate it even more in the winter when it's wet and your wheels sort of sink down into the trail and i hate it tonight because the drizzle is blowing into my face and i can't see because my glasses are also fogging up. i have to stop a third of the way up and take the damn things off. great! i can't see ANYTHING now. i'm not having fun anymore. going downhill fast is FUN! climbing a spite filled rainy fire road slow is not fun. somehow, i make it to the top of marincello, long straight marincello, make you suffer so much you turn your brain off marincello. the connector trail between marincello and bobcat lies before me, (paul has just kept riding) big big fun fast fast fire roads. i make it less than a hundred feet before i have to put those blasted glasses back on. my vision is no good to begin with. aahhhhh, mountain bikes speeding down fire roads, there's nothing like it. left turn, right turn, fast fast roller, keep it in the big ring for just fifty more feet OW, KEEP PUSHING, right turn then back into the groove again! down down, in out inside line, outside line, REAAAL sharp right turn at the eucalyptus trees, then the hairpins with the braking bumps and the skid marks left by the fools who were going to fast! slide right and left around those bad boys then get the foot down for the sharp left, ahhh just tap it and ACCELERATE! i can't see, i don't care, i know these fire roads like my own home in the dark and i'm high on GU and secret herbs! jam that straightway, feel the manitou suck up those bumps hard on the brakes and nail that right turn! into the last set of corners now, one i call andrej's corner where he tore his thumbnail off and into the last straightaway! fast fast FAST, left and UP, back where turn to go up miwok, the loop is COMPLETE! now i'm wondering where paul is, ah there he is sitting on the haybales in the picnic area waiting for us. john is'nt to far behind me but we still rest in inhale what is god's own while we talk about our ride, rides that were and rides to come. properly refreshed and attitude adjusted, we commence on the last climb of the day, in the drizzle and near darkness. this is another big ring affair and john and i always race each other up this one--for some reason he climbs this fire road really well for his two hundred and thirty five pounds. i still just barely beat him though, and we keep on riding down conzelman road towards the bridge at a highly unsafe rate of speed given the conditions. the drizzle still stings as we cross the bridge again, pacing the cars headed towards the city and all of us are starting to feel it as we pedal into the presidio on the final leg of our adventure. for some reason, all of us keep hammering through our misery--i suppose we all just want to get home to our showers, girlfriends and tortellinis. the traffic on arguello is nerve wracking as always but as i turn onto mcallister street and carry the ibis upstairs, i'm glad that i've taken another tuesday evening with my buddies in the headlands. we are SO lucky we're able to ride there and back without using a car!

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ride over the bridge to conzelman road turn left, climb up the paved road to the tri-split, descend the coastal fire road.

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china camp state park, pine mountain loop

What can I say? I had a few hours last time I was in the city, so I rented a bike from Start to Finish in the Marina area (great guys -- very fair), bought the Trails of Mt. Tam map (excellent map -- but why not print it on something waterproof), and hit the road. It rained the entire time, but the climbs, the views (when the fog/clouds permitted), and the fact that I could ride through the city to reach decent trails were outstanding.

Good climbing workout, but it was far too wet for high speed descents, so the ride was kinda slow. This must absolutely rock when it's a bit drier, but still, what a great way to access the trails. The guys at the bike shop said you could ride to Mt. Tam from here, but I didn't have time for the round trip.

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Over the Golden Gate

I ruled on this trail.

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Man, this a nice trail. So, close to the city and babes on Union Street. I would travel across golden gate and up the headlands and down the fire lane roads.
Excellent bumbs and some jumps.

You know, the one thing I hate is seeing all those people with their bikes (usually full suspension bikes) on their cars (usually SUVs) driving across the bridge from the city to go ride the headlands. I know doing the bridge can really wear a person out, especially if you've got to ride against the wind by Chrissie Field like I do-- but getting in a car to sit in traffic to go ride?

Lightweights.

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RIDE your bike across the GG bridge.

This is a good ride for the inexperienced biker, or the weekend couple. This is not a ride for anyone who really wants to mountain bike. There are great views, some bumpy fire roads and a couple climbs, yah! Riding fire roads is not mountain biking, it is road biking on dirt. If you want to pretend, this is the trail for you. If you just want good views, it is fair. If you want to mountain bike, go somewhere else.

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Turn around and bike Mt. Tam

we have a wealth of wonderful trails in the bay area, especially in the marin headlands that were made inaccessable to mountain bikes about ten years ago. these trails are closed to us due to the efforts of a few persistant and loud mouthed chuck nuts who percieve mountain bikes as a threat to tier "wilderness experience", an oxymoron in the bay area. i don't often ride these trails in the daytime although we've never seen ANYONE hiking on ANY of them. if these trails should be closed, they should be closed to horses who weigh many more times than us mountain bikes and leave big nasty piles of feces every where they go. do mountain bikers shit on the trails? IMBA, are you listening?

at any rate, if you're planning on exploring the trails i've described, get rid of your racing slicks. the singletrack leading to hawk camp is very rocky in places and you will never get any traction with anything other than a full knobby, especially if they're wet. SCA is pretty nasty in places as well. try climbing SCA northwards sometime; you'll need beefy tires and i'll bet a number of you readers will be walking at least once. there's another secret trail i'd tell you about in the vicinity of the terminus of SCA but if i told you about it, it would'nt be a secret, would it? here's a clue--turn left at the three way intersection and climb up the fire road. look for what looks like an animal trail to the left before you reach the top.

happy trails

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Things have changed since i originally posted my review of the headlands.

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always explore. don't be a hamster.

Fireroads, fireroads, fireroads... Actually, the views of the Marin headlands and the coastline are great and there are plenty of grueling climbs. It's the perfect place to get in a good workout. It's also the perfect place to bring a newby. You have to ride Marin once in your life - just to say you did. But definitely put it on the BOTTOM of your list. It's really nothing special... more of a locals 'training ground.'

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Follow the Coastal Trail then head east toward Mt. Tam. It's really not that hard to spot the route - most of the trails so NO BIKES.

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China Camp in San Rafael is more fun.

This should perhaps be called the Less is More Ride; while from a technical standpoint theres little that warrants mention, this is a great ride in the purest senseMan vs. Hill.

If you ride from the city (which you should), a short grind up from Crissy Field and the always inspiring ride across the bridge leaves you at the base of Conzelman Road, the paved climb to the trails. For mountain state natives, this mile-or-so uphill is probably nothing noteworthy. However, if youre a transplanted flatlander like myself, this climb, especially the first half, can be a bit dauntingI was praying for death my first time up. The astonishing views more than make up for the pain, though.

Soon, youll reach the trailhead at the Coastal Trail. Since apparently one cannot describe these trails without mentioning this, I too will tell you the trails are not at all technical. Even by fire road standards these trails are buff; smooth, wide and well maintained, with nary a root or tree to be found. So raise your seat, lock your fork and run the lightest tires youve got; if youve got a cyclocross bike, better yet. The only caution is the rutting from runoff, which, while narrow, can be quite deep and sneaks up on you if youre not looking out for it.

However, just because the surface is smooth doesnt mean these trails arent a challengethey are. The word here is climbing, which is constant and can be deceptively tough. After descending the Coastal Trail, cross Bunker Road, look for the bridge over the creek and make a left. While most locals suggest starting with the grueling Miwok climb, I would suggest that the less aerobically gifted begin instead with the Bobcat Trail, a longer but milder climb. (Its still a biz-atch, though.) From here, zip down Marincello to the stables (walk the bikehorses spook easily) climb Old Spring, shoot down Miwok (novices should take special precautions to control their speed on this one; you can gain more momentum than you can easily scrub in just a few seconds) and cross Bunker to return to the Coastal Trail. (Maybe its me, but Ive always found the climb back up Coastal strangely deceptive; the climb, which looks miserable, is actually quite moderate, but the path from Bunker Road to the trail, which appears to be pancake flat, can be agonizing. Cant figure it out.) From there, its just a freefall down Conzelman back to the bridge.

What I have grown to love about these trails is the Zen simplicity of it all. The Gerbode Valley is bright green hills, red rocks, blue sky, a ribbon of trail and little else. Its stark and lush, hard and soft at the same time. Sometimes brilliant wildflowers bloom, sometimes the fog rolls down the hills like a cotton avalanche, but mostly its you, the hills and silence.

So if youre looking for a white-knuckle, body-armor adventure that puts every inch of your big-travel rigs suspension to use, this aint it. But if you want to go for a ride in the purest sense of the word, there are few places better than this.

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Conzelman Road-->Coastal Trail-->Bobcat Trail-->Marincello Trail-->Old Springs Trail-->Miwok Trail-->Coastal Trail-->Conzelman Road

as others have said this is a great ride from a few standpoints: scenic beauty, wildlife (owls, bobcats, deer, etc.)and aerobic training from the climbing. it's very quiet and peaceful in the headlands as you grind up bobcat or miwok. i usually add a jaunt down tennessee valley to the beach, haven't yet gone up and over to muir beach but will do that soon.

the one technical climb is on old springs out of the stables--pretty steep and quite rocky at the beginning. to top things off we usually go over the golden gate bridge before heading home.

a great ride, not as exciting as some but a real treat nonetheless. anyone in decent shape will enjoy the headlands. try and pick a sunny day...:)