In Marin: up bobcat down Marincello. Or anything on Mt Tam (railroad grade, hookooekoo, etc.)
Visiting SF area
Hey guys,
My wife and I are trying to plan a trip to SF in May. I was hoping to rent a couple gravel bikes and find a scenic route to explore. She's not a big mountain biker so I don't want anything intense.
Is there a route you guys can recommend?
Also, is there any hidden gems in the area I should know about? So far we are planning on checking out some old bridge you guys have an apparently some folks north of SF are pretty good at fermenting grapes.
My wife and I are trying to plan a trip to SF in May. I was hoping to rent a couple gravel bikes and find a scenic route to explore. She's not a big mountain biker so I don't want anything intense.
Is there a route you guys can recommend?
Also, is there any hidden gems in the area I should know about? So far we are planning on checking out some old bridge you guys have an apparently some folks north of SF are pretty good at fermenting grapes.
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Looked up Mt Tam railroad grade. That's the one. PerfectIn Marin: up bobcat down Marincello. Or anything on Mt Tam (railroad grade, hookooekoo, etc.)
I haven’t done this ride nor do I have any info on the specifics, but I could see putting something together that starts in San Francisco, takes a ferry to Angel Island for a loop, takes a ferry to Tiburon, rides to Tennessee Valley to explore the Marin Headlands, then crosses the Golden Gate Bridge back into San Francisco.
The Marin Headlands has a lot of historical stuff to checkout like Fort Cronkite, a Nike Missile site, and old bunkers, plus there’s Rodeo Beach, the Marine Mammal Center, and Point Bonita lighthouse.
The Marin Headlands has a lot of historical stuff to checkout like Fort Cronkite, a Nike Missile site, and old bunkers, plus there’s Rodeo Beach, the Marine Mammal Center, and Point Bonita lighthouse.
To expand on that a little further, my favorite way to do this for a nice morning ride (usually meeting a friend): drive into Mill Valley, park wherever, ride bikes to Equator Coffee. Sit outside and have a coffee and a breakfast treat of some sort, then it's a short ride through Mill Valley to the beginning of Railroad Grade at the end of W Blithedale. Do the Mt Tam lookout thing, then do the descent back down on the road (Panoramic Hwy), back in to Mill Valley and find lunch somewhere. Or, depending on your desire for having/not having a car and where you're staying, do the whole thing from SF but start and end with the Sausalito ferry. There's a fairly obvious and mostly bike path route right from the ferry all the way into Mill Valley. Makes for a nice day.Looked up Mt Tam railroad grade. That's the one. Perfect
That sounds great. I'm going to plan for this route.To expand on that a little further, my favorite way to do this for a nice morning ride (usually meeting a friend): drive into Mill Valley, park wherever, ride bikes to Equator Coffee. Sit outside and have a coffee and a breakfast treat of some sort, then it's a short ride through Mill Valley to the beginning of Railroad Grade at the end of W Blithedale. Do the Mt Tam lookout thing, then do the descent back down on the road (Panoramic Hwy), back in to Mill Valley and find lunch somewhere. Or, depending on your desire for having/not having a car and where you're staying, do the whole thing from SF but start and end with the Sausalito ferry. Makes for a nice day.
Just need to find a rental bike. I found a place that rents E-bikes but I was hoping to find a gravel bike for this.
Sports Basement PresidioThat sounds great. I'm going to plan for this route.
Just need to find a rental bike. I found a place that rents E-bikes but I was hoping to find a gravel bike for this.
Marin headlands right across golden gate, then lunch at Sausalito, pretend u r rich for an afternoon
I was planning on renting something on Turo to drive around but the more I search, the more I'm wondering if the trip would be easier on bikes.
How are bike lanes and bike safety riding around Marin county. Is it safe with just a bike lock or do I need to keep an eye on the bikes?
Thinking of riding up Mt Tam, ride back down and check out headlands, head over to sauslito, across the bridge maybe and into SF.
How are bike lanes and bike safety riding around Marin county. Is it safe with just a bike lock or do I need to keep an eye on the bikes?
Thinking of riding up Mt Tam, ride back down and check out headlands, head over to sauslito, across the bridge maybe and into SF.
Bike thiefs are terrible here. They can break most any lock and locks used together.
The stretch you talked about is very popular with cyclists, so you should be good except those isolated cases. The railroad grade is not steep, but in combination with headlands and sausalito is some serious climbing. Check elevation gain before hand and know what you are getting into.
The stretch you talked about is very popular with cyclists, so you should be good except those isolated cases. The railroad grade is not steep, but in combination with headlands and sausalito is some serious climbing. Check elevation gain before hand and know what you are getting into.
Bike lanes and safety aren't too bad in Marin - there's a fair amount of bike traffic so people are used to it, however it is still a busy place with lots of texting soccer moms in giant SUVs. I wouldn't want to leave a bike locked for an extended period even in Marin, but short periods are probably safe. Especially if it's a weekend and you are in the main tourist/busy area of Mill Valley or Fairfax, it's generally packed with rich people parking their Audis and sipping lattes - pretty safe. SF on the other hand... forget it. Don't leave a nice bike out of your sight there for even a second.How are bike lanes and bike safety riding around Marin county. Is it safe with just a bike lock or do I need to keep an eye on the bikes?
I wouldn’t leave them locked and out of sight for hours or something. But it’s not like someone is gonna cut the lock if you run inside for five minutes to get a coffee. So basically, be smart, but not paranoid.
How are bike lanes and bike safety riding around Marin county. Is it safe with just a bike lock or do I need to keep an eye on the bikes?
Thinking of riding up Mt Tam, ride back down and check out headlands, head over to sauslito, across the bridge maybe and into SF.
Would not recommend descending down Panoramic after the climb on Railroad Grade unless your wife is experienced with unfriendly drivers - zero shoulder and Marinites coming over the hill from Stinson beach are not friendly on the road. Would recommend a nice easy descend back down RR.
Sadly I agree with this, particularly on the weekend (much better mid week). An alternative that adds some climbing but hits a couple more scenic spots & skips most of the traffic is to drop down Deer Park Fire Rd from Pantoll ranger station (taking in the view from Cardiac Hill first), do an out & back to Muir Beach (beautiful), head back via Muir Woods (also beautiful), climb up the road to 4 corners, and descend down Sequoia into Mill Valley.Would not recommend descending down Panoramic after the climb on Railroad Grade unless your wife is experienced with unfriendly drivers - zero shoulder and Marinites coming over the hill from Stinson beach are not friendly on the road. Would recommend a nice easy descend back down RR.
Sadly I agree with this, particularly on the weekend (much better mid week). An alternative that adds some climbing but hits a couple more scenic spots & skips most of the traffic is to drop down Deer Park Fire Rd from Pantoll ranger station (taking in the view from Cardiac Hill first), do an out & back to Muir Beach (beautiful), head back via Muir Woods (also beautiful), climb up the road to 4 corners, and descend down Sequoia into Mill Valley.
I think up and down railroad is your best bet. If it's the first time you've done it, and your wife is a beginner, it will be more than sufficiently fun and entertaining. Anything else quickly becomes significantly less...straightforward.
Beg to differ. I’d only take a beginner down Railroad on a gravel bike if I never wanted to ride with that person again.I think up and down railroad is your best bet. If it's the first time you've done it, and your wife is a beginner, it will be more than sufficiently fun and entertaining. Anything else quickly becomes significantly less...straightforward.
Ya it's a little rough, fair. But not technical or especially dangerous.Beg to differ. I’d only take a beginner down Railroad on a gravel bike if I never wanted to ride with that person again.
Yeah, I guess it's all a matter of what you are used to. As someone who spent years on a road bike, in and out of traffic, etc, I find coming down the road to be much safer. Riding all the way down Tam on a gravel bike by any trail/fire road is sketchy, and a super hard on the hands from basically being on the brakes the whole time.Ya it's a little rough, fair. But not technical or especially dangerous.
I think general consensus among beginner riders would be that descending the road into mill valley is terrifying. Blind corners, high speeds, lots of cars, steep corners, etc.Yeah, I guess it's all a matter of what you are used to. As someone who spent years on a road bike, in and out of traffic, etc, I find coming down the road to be much safer. Riding all the way down Tam on a gravel bike by any trail/fire road is sketchy, and a super hard on the hands from basically being on the brakes the whole time.
I actually find the road descent from the top of Mt. Tam quite relaxing. The majority of the road is in the state park with low speed limits. Once you hit Panaramic Highway it's just about all downhill. Pretty easy to outpace cars driving 25 - 35 mph and when the road flattens out there is ample shoulder for the cars to pass. Google maps shows it to be 7.5 miles and a 1500+ foot descent from the Pantoll Rd/Panaramic Hwy intersection down to Hwy 1, and on to Sausalito. Large groups of riders tend to annoy the drivers but 3 or less riders is usually not a problem. The short section of Hwy 1 can get a bit more busy with traffic. My own experiences show that Marin County drivers are more bike friendly than most in the bay area.
A few other notable places in the area I like to visit and ride are:
Conzelman Rd to Hawk Hill. Amazing views of the Golden Gate and SF beyond. Continue down the hill on the one lane section of Conzelman Rd towards Pt Bonita, and then on to Rodeo Beach. Amazing views of the coastline, moderate climbs on paved roads.
Kirby Cove, out and back to one of the best campsites in the bay, gravel rd. It's a nice little extra climb acessed along Conzelman Rd.
Battery Townsely, tough climb from Rodeo Beach but pretty cool to check out.
Tennessee Beach, it's about a mile from the parking lot to the beach. Kind of small and it gets busy on the weekends.
All of these can be included in your ride up/down Mt Tam. Expect 5000+ ft of climbing for the day.
A few other notable places in the area I like to visit and ride are:
Conzelman Rd to Hawk Hill. Amazing views of the Golden Gate and SF beyond. Continue down the hill on the one lane section of Conzelman Rd towards Pt Bonita, and then on to Rodeo Beach. Amazing views of the coastline, moderate climbs on paved roads.
Kirby Cove, out and back to one of the best campsites in the bay, gravel rd. It's a nice little extra climb acessed along Conzelman Rd.
Battery Townsely, tough climb from Rodeo Beach but pretty cool to check out.
Tennessee Beach, it's about a mile from the parking lot to the beach. Kind of small and it gets busy on the weekends.
All of these can be included in your ride up/down Mt Tam. Expect 5000+ ft of climbing for the day.
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