A Local’s Guide to Biking Across San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge
As a cyclist, I may be a bit biased: but I think the best way to see the Golden Gate Bridge is on two-wheels. At the same time, biking across this San Francisco landmark isn’t for the weak of heart. After all, you are on an (often windy) bridge high above the water, pedaling alongside distance cyclists and commuters who will go pretty fast. But so long as you’re up for the challenge and know what to expect, it’s a great experience for anyone who is at least somewhat comfortable on a bike. Here’s how to bike the Golden Gate Bridge.
🚲 Quick Guide 🚲
Where to rent a bike: Blazing Saddles or Sports Basement.
How long? Plan for 1-3 hours, depending on stops.
When to go: Mornings are best. Weekdays are less crowded.
After you cross, go to… Hawk Hill (views), Sausalito (food), or Bay Area Discovery Museum (fun)
Recommended route: Follow this route from Blazing Saddles to the Sausalito Ferry.
Where to rent a bike
Odds are, if your’e reading this, you’ll need to rent a bike for this little adventure. These are my recommendations for bike rentals for going across the Golden Gate Bridge:
Sports Basement - Sports Basement is my top choice for locals and road bike rentals. Any money you spend on a bike rental here can also be used towards the future purchase of a new bike. They also have good road, mountain, and eBikes at their Chrissy Field location, very close to the Golden Gate Bridge. A basic bike rental starts at $40 per day.
Blazing Saddles - Blazing Saddles is the most popular options for visitors, offering rentals and bike tours starting from their Fishermen’s Wharf location. A basic bike rental starts at $40 per day.
Bay Wheels - Bay Wheels (owned by Lyft) are all over the city, but there are no stations to return them in Sausalito. I’d only recommend this option if you just plan to cross the bridge and back (without going into Sausalito). Prices vary.
Another option is to go with a tour, such as those run by Bay City Bike. They will typically take you past all the major attractions on both sides of the bridge, provide the bike, helmet, and handle all the wayfaring so you don’t have to.
How long does it take to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge?
Plan to spend about 2-3 hours biking the 8.5 miles from Fisherman’s Wharf across the Golden Gate Bridge and to the Sausalito Ferry (the most popular route). While the bridge itself is only 2.1 miles long and takes about ~20 minutes to cross, you’ll want to account for getting to the bridge and exploring Marin. Once across, you can bike another 10-15 minutes downhill to Sausalito or challenge yourself by spending 30-45 minutes biking up Hawk Hill (to the left of the bridge) for some of the best views of the city.
Recommended biking routes
There are a couple of different bike routes you can take:
The Classic Route | 8.5 miles | Easy
Route on Google Maps: Fisherman’s Wharf > Palace of Fine Arts > Sausalito > Ferry HomeJust the Views | 10 miles | Moderate
Route on Google Maps: Sports Basement > Top of Hawk Hill > Sports BasementTour de Headlands | 20 miles | Moderate
Route on Google Maps: Sports Basement > Hawk Hill > Rodeo Beach > Sausalito > Sports Basement
If you’re active and into cycling (like I am!) I’d definitely recommend the Tour de Headlands route (not an official name, I just made it up). It gives you a nice mix of bridge views, nature, a pit stop for lunch in Sausalito, then back to the city.
When’s the best time to go?
If you want to avoid the crowds on the Golden Gate Bridge, go in the morning, around 8 or 9am, or on a weekday. Especially in the summer and early fall, the bridge starts to get more crowded around 10 or 11am. It’ll also be less windy. Although there’s always some windy on the bridge, the winds tend to pick up after noon.
There are different sides of the bridge open to cyclists depending on if it’s a weekday vs. weekend
Both the west and east side of the Golden Gate Bridge have bike paths, but only one side is open to cyclists at a time. The west side of the bridge (left side if you’re coming from San Francisco) is open to cyclists after 3pm on Fridays and all day on weekends. This path is open to cyclists only.
If you’re crossing the bridge during the week or before 3pm on a Friday, you’ll bike on the east side of the bridge (the right side if you’re coming from San Francisco) and share the path with pedestrians.
To get to the west side from the welcome center, go up the hill on the right side of the highway and curve around to go underneath the bridge. To get to the east side, go up the same hill and continue straight.
How much does it cost?
It’s free! While cars have to pay a toll, bikers and walkers do not. You will, however, have to pay for your bike rental and your return ticket on the ferry (if you don’t want to bike back).
Other tips for biking the bridge
Please wear a helmet. Parts of this ride involve cycling on streets / with cars.
Stay to the right and ride single file. The bridge supports two-way traffic, so this is the safest way to ride.
Signal before stopping. To be safe, signal to other cyclists that you’re about to stop (place an open palm behind your back) then pull over completely. Avoid stopping at the start of the bridge, since it’s a blind corner.
Prepare for wind. When I biked across the bridge the first time, it was started by how windy and cold it was. On particularly windy days, there are strong gusts as you round the pillars. Before you get there, downshift and be prepared to slow down.
Getting back to San Francisco
There are two ways to get back to the city:
… by bike
After you cross the bridge, explore a bit. If you’re just going up Hawk Hill and back down, it’s pretty easy to find your way back to the bridge and bike into the city. If you’re planning to bike to Sausalito and back, note that it’s a 2-mile ride back on a decent hill (245 feet of climbing). After you’ve climbed the hill, some tips:
If you’re biking on the weekend or after 3pm on Friday, continue uphill and through the tunnel under the highway. Then, take your first right and go uphill towards Hawk Hill. Don’t go straight. That’s the highway.
If you’re biking on a weekday or before 3pm on Friday, take a left before the tunnel. Yes, you’ll technically be biking towards some “do not enter” signs but that’s OK. This is the right direction. Just stay on the shoulder (with the fence on your left-hand side) until you reach a parking lot. Then, you’ll see an entrance to the bike path.
… by ferry
The most popular option is to bike into Sausalito, then take the ferry home. It makes for a pleasant ride (there’s a challenging hill between Sausalito and the bridge, and I totally understand if you want to skip it!). Here’s how:
Where to go: Downtown Sausalito (Google Maps).
Where it drops you in San Francisco: San Francisco Ferry Building (Google Maps).
Cost: $14 for adults; $7.75 with a clipper card (which you can add to your phone). Bikes do not cost extra.
Schedule: The ferry only runs about once every 2 hours with the last ferry departing at 6:35pm on weekdays, 6:55pm on weekends (check the schedule here). The ferry takes 30 minutes to get back to the city.
After you’ve arrived in San Francisco, it’s a flat and easy ride back to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Where to go after you’ve crossed the Golden Gate Bridge
Although you might be focused on seeing this San Francisco icon, one of the reasons I bike it almost every weekend is because it’s the first step to hopping on some pretty amazing bike rides—one of my favorites is meandering up to the Point Reyes National Seashore. But even if you’re keeping it close to the bridge, here are some things to do on the other side:
View of Hawk Hill from the Bridge
Challenge yourself up Hawk Hill for some great views of the bridge. This is the first one you’ll reach, but you can also go all the way to the top (Google Maps) for some even more spectacular views (and a workout!)
Bike to Sausalito for lunch at Fish, an excellent seafood restaurant, The Joinery for beers, salads, and roast chicken, or the Bar Bocce for drinks and bocce along the water.
Continue biking to Tiberon and take the ferry back to San Francisco from there. It’s about 12 miles (mostly downhill and flat) from the north side of bridge.
With kids? Check out the Bay Area Discovery Museum at the base of the bridge. After, get lunch across the way at Cavallo Point, an upscale hotel and spa with a great restaurant.
Read Next: How to Bike from San Francisco to Point Reyes for a Weekend Getaway
This post was originally published in 2019 and most recently updated in 2024 to include updated information.
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