Biking in San Francisco
Biking in San Francisco can seem intimidating with its famously narrow streets winding their way up, down, and around a seemingly endless number of hills. In reality, San Francisco—or “the City” as it is locally known—is quite small and manageable, famous for its petite 7mi × 7mi stature. Sure, 40+ hills sounds like a lot, but you can embrace or work around the hills with a bit of planning. No matter your riding style, San Francisco has something for everyone.
What's the biking scene?
San Francisco is home to a thriving bike scene and an extensive network of bike routes. Many people use their bikes as a daily getaround when commuting, running errands, or just meeting up with friends. We also have a thriving contingent of recreational cyclists who hit the pavement for long-distance rides, most often in Marin County, but sometimes along the Peninsula.
Navigating the streets
San Francisco’s streets can be pretty weird: they wind all over the place, intersections don’t always align, street names change constantly, and many streets are a little narrow for comfort. Enter the bike network, which is specifically designed to help cyclists navigate the madness from point A to point B as safely and easily as possible.
Dedicated side-running bike lanes are the most common for the major cycling routes, but cyclists and cars have to share space on smaller streets, which are marked by “sharrows” painted on green boxes along the roadway. Some areas, such as Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, Crissy Field, and Sunset Dunes have dedicated cycling paths completely separated from cars—though not typically separated from pedestrians.
A general rule of thumb: use Google Maps, which already knows the bike network and can plan an efficient route that keeps you in bike-friendly territory and even includes an elevation profile.
A further bit of advice: if you don‘t see a bike lane, you probably shouldn’t be there—especially if it‘s a busy road. Drivers are accustomed to seeing cyclists in some places, but not others; in the interest of safety, do yourself a favor and find the proper path.
Resources:
Train tracks: a warning
Beware of train tracks! A dubious rite of passage for any San Francisco cyclist, getting taken down by train tracks is not a good time and can be easily avoided by crossing the tracks at a perpendicular angle to the track.
Bike parking
Always lock up your bike in San Francisco. This is a big city, so let’s just be safer rather than sorry, eh? There are bike racks all over the city and plentiful parking meters and street signs make excellent backups.
You can generally get away with leaving your bike unlocked while dashing into a cafe or restaurant in Marin County or nicer parts of the Peninsula, but your mileage may vary. When in doubt, do as you see the locals doing; it‘s pretty easy to tell when you’ve ridden into a posh neighborhood.
E-bikes to the rescue
Man, these hills are a total drag, am I right? Not everyone digs it, but e-bikes sure do make it easier. Visitors can rent them from any of the major bike rental shops.
Regional overview
A mix of urban and natural beauty—and the challenges of each—are what make biking in San Francisco so enjoyable. This is a dense, urban space, so you can expect some cars and mayhem, but these routes are designed to follow well-worn paths with good bike infrastructure to lead you from urban areas to the natural beauty around the shoreline.
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is both beautiful and annoying, but the variety of terrain, warmer weather, and bike-friendly routes make North Bay riding a top choice for riders who want to get out of town.
Riding toward the South is generally not as easy or scenic as heading north, but there are some interesting routes to add some variety to your repertoire when you‘ve already been north. Coastal routes are beautiful, but expect more cars and less bike infrastructure.
This guide is focused on routes beginning in San Francisco and therefore doesn‘t include routes the East Bay. There are plenty of rides over there if you‘d like to drive, ferry or BART. Check out Bay Area Bike Rides to learn more.
Cool, I get it! Now…