# Riding SF to Point Reyes next Weekend - Advice please



## calbear81 (Jan 3, 2009)

Hi Everyone!

I'm coming down to SF to do a nice ride and hike/camp with 2 of my friends. 2 of us are recreational riders from Seattle (50 - 100 miles a week with a few 300ft climbs) and one is a beginner who hasn't ridden much at all but is in good shape.

Our plan is to leave early Friday morning and head towards Point Reyes along this route:

- GG Park to Golden Gate Bridge (what's the best route?)
- GG Bridge through Sausalito following Highway 1
- Highway 1 up through Muir Woods (How bad is the climb?)
- Through Stinson Beach up to Point Reyes Visitors Center

For the ride back on Saturday, we were going to take Sir Francis Drake Blvd all the way back to Marin and just find our way back down to SF since it seems to be an easier ride.

Would love some feedback and tips!


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

From GGP to the bridge, the best route is up Arguello through the Presidio for the way out. If you want to go the scenic way, go up 34th - El Camino Del Mar - Sea Cliff - Lincoln but I would just do this on the way back, and from 34th, head west toward the cliffhouse, and down to ocean beach to the park. 

After crossing the bridge, drop down into Sausalito to the Marin Bike path

If you have the climbing legs, you must go all the way up to Ridgecrest.

From the bike path, I would go up Edgwood (but maybe someone can suggest another route) up to Panoramic Hwy, to the Pantol Ranger station (re-fill water), From there, take pantol road up the hill, then left on Bolinas Ridge/Ridgecrest Road. The views on both sides of you are amazing!

Just be sure not to miss the left onto Fairfax-Bolinas Road as soon as you get back into the trees(otherwise you will drop down to Alpine lake, which is a nice side trip, but a good climb to get back out).

Its an amazingly fun descent down to the sea level. Make a right on Hwy 1 until you get to Pt. Reyes Sta. 

On the way back, take 1 all the way to Muir Beach, then head up Muir Woods Road.

If I remember correctly, its about 100 miles total to Pt. Reyes Station and back. I want to guess about 2500-3000' of elevation EACH WAY.

If this is unclear, let me know and I will give better instructions. Its a great ride, but honestly, For a one day trip, my preference is to skip pt. reyes, and from fairfax bolinas road, I just turn left toward Stinson instead of going north (flat, a little rolly, but so-so on the fun meter).


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## calbear81 (Jan 3, 2009)

Hi Grrrah,

Thanks for taking the time to post. I'm looking at the route you provided on GMaps right now and it does look awesome. A few questions if you don't mind...

- Why take Panoramic/Bolinas Ridge instead of Shoreline Hwy (1)? 
- This route looks to be steeper than taking the 1 so I'm worried about our ability to climb it since we're recreational riders. Thoughts?
- We're planning on having lunch in Stinson beach but this would overshoot it a bit, maybe we can just power through till we get into Point Reyes. 
- I like the suggestion to take Muir Woods on the way back. What about Francis Drake Blvd? Anything interesting there? 
- We have camping reservations on Friday night at Point Reyes which is why we're going to head up there.

THanks!


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

I've only done this ride a couple times, so take it as that. Hopefully others can chime in and either agree or disagree with me. Sir Francis Drake, I maybe only ridden once (was just following others), and it was going west from Larkspur to San Anselmo, then I turned off onto Bolinas to get to Fairfax Bolinas/Alpine Lake/West Ridgecrest! I don't know the rest of SFD, but I think there is lots of traffic on it.

West Ridgecrest to Fairfax-Bolinas is an amazing route, with little traffic. Hwy 1 is a highway with lots of traffic. Its not too bad going from Panoramic down to Muir beach (westbound) since its a fast descent and you are going the same speed as the cars, then you have to climb over another hill to get from Muir Beach to Stinson. I think when you add those 2 hills, its almost the same amount of climbing as getting up to Ridgecrest. If you are having lunch in stinson, its probably not worth backtracking, and stick the Hwy 1.

Heading back south, If you do skip SFD, definately climb Muir Woods instead of climbing back Hwy 1 due to traffic volumes.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

Just watch out for mindless gawkers driving looking toward the water instead of keeping their eyes on the roads. Highway 1 can be dangerous if the wrong sorts of drivers are on it.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

When crossing the Golden Gate Bridge watch for the signs for cyclists. On certain days and at certain times they allow cyclists to ride on the west side path away from the mindless tourists that are walking on the bridge. That doesn't mean that you will have less problems with mindless tourists on bikes, though. Last year I had a tourist stop right in front of me for a photo op on the narrow path. Damn near knocked him into the car traffic lanes.


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## singlespeed.org (Feb 14, 2006)

GGB - weekdays after 3:30 pm, you use the ocean side. Before 3:30, bay side. Weekends and holidays - ocean side all day.

No matter how you try to get there, this ride will have a lot more climbing than it sounds like you do. Good challenge.

You could just follow 1 all the way. Highway 1 isn't that wide a road, so the traffic can be a bit nerve racking. The worst part traffic wise would be the first climb up to Panoramic. Either then take 1 or make the right on Panoramic. Not sure which has less climbing.

The route grrah listed has probably the least traffic. You could always drop down to Stinson Beach and then go right on 1, rather than Bolinas Ridge Road. This would have less climbing, but a bit more traffic.

I don't take Edgewood up from Mill Valley. Instead, I go to downtown Mill Valley and over to Old Mill Park (restrooms and water) and then get on Cascade Drive. Take this to Marion, where I make a left and climb to Edgewood. Nice quiet back road. Right on Edgewood, right on Panoramic, and you are pointing at Stinson Beach.

Sir Francis Drake could work. The worst part traffic wise is the last bit through Samuel Taylor Park, where the road gets narrow and windy and isn't in great condition. There is a bike path that parallels part of it (old railroad grade). Getting to this area, though, is a challenge. There are bike routes from the end of the Sausalito bike path to there, but it has many turns. Very easy to get confused, and almost impossible to describe.


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

singlespeed.org said:


> The route grrah listed has probably the least traffic. You could always drop down to Stinson Beach and then go right on 1, rather than Bolinas Ridge Road. This would have less climbing, but a bit more traffic.
> 
> I don't take Edgewood up from Mill Valley. Instead, I go to downtown Mill Valley and over to Old Mill Park (restrooms and water) and then get on Cascade Drive. Take this to Marion, where I make a left and climb to Edgewood. Nice quiet back road. Right on Edgewood, right on Panoramic, and you are pointing at Stinson Beach.


1 - True! I forgot you can drop right down into Stinson instead of turning at Pantol. Ive just never gone that way. I think the descents would be fun either way, but then you have to ride on the flat hwy 1 instead of the swoopy Ridgecrest with excellent views. But you do get to have lunch in Stinson.

2 - Thanks on the route suggestion to Edgewood. Ive only followed others, and wasn't sure the exact route, and I think Ive always gone a way similar to SSOrgs.


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## calbear81 (Jan 3, 2009)

Hey everyone! Thanks for the great tips.

In regards to after Pantoll, how much more of a climb is it to get up to Bolinas Ridge? Once we get up there, the elevation profile looks like it's pretty much a long descent from there back down onto the 1 North of Stinson.

The grade up to Mt. Tam looks pretty do-able, not too steep since it's over about 9-10 miles to the summitt so I'm guessing I'll just have to do it on a low gear. It will definitely be a challenge but I think I'm up for it.


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## singlespeed.org (Feb 14, 2006)

It is probably 500 hundred feet of climbing to Bolinas Ridge from Pantoll, and another few hundred while on Bolinas Ridge (even though it is mostly downhill, there are climbs due to the rollers)


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## calbear81 (Jan 3, 2009)

Alright, so I sent out an email to my riding partners and there's a debate now about the traffic on Shoreline Hwy on a Friday morning as well as some more questions about the difficulty of going across Mt. Tam via Panoramic/Bolinas/Fairfax. 

Since we're just doing this recreationally, would you say that the climb is doable as long as we take it nice and slow or will we be crushed by the time we get to the top? We still have to get to Point Reyes and we'll have a 50 mile return trip the next morning.

Let me know!


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