Skip to Content
Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Bluff Overlook

Biking to the Golden Gate Bridge

This 8-mile loop is a scenic coastal bike ride with breathtaking Golden Gate Bridge views.

Enjoy non-stop bridge and ocean views along the coast, visit historic batteries, and stop at two scenic overlooks. 

This loop follows stretches of the Presidio’s most iconic biking trails the Bay Trail and the Golden Gate Promenade, with views from Battery East Vista, the Crissy Field Overlookand all along Crissy Field. If you’re looking for biking in San Francisco with unparalleled views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, and the Marin Headlands, this itinerary is for you. 

This itinerary also includes an optional stop at Round House Café for food and drinks during your adventure.  

Interests
  • Nature
  • Biking 
Estimated Time 
  • 1 hour 
Age Level 
  • 10+ 
What to Bring
  • Sunscreen
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Water and snacks
  • Extra layers and rain gear if necessary
Bike Details
  • No dogs allowed on bridge  
  • Moderate difficulty 

Mapping Your Day

static map

Itinerary Overview

  1. Starting Point: Sports Basement
  2. Crissy Field
  3. Crissy Field Overlook
  4. Pilot’s Row
  5. Battery East Vista
  6. Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center
  7. Golden Gate Bridge
  8. H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point
  9. Return to Starting Point
  10. Bonus: Round House Café

Biking in the Park

Whether you’re bringing your own bike or renting one, the Presidio has many options to get you started. Use Google Maps to plan the best bike route to the park from wherever you are. If you’re looking to save your energy for some of San Francisco’s best bike trails in the Presidio or you’re coming from downtown (or somewhere else in the Bay), take your bike to the park on the free Presidio GO Shuttle Downtown Route, which offers daily direct service from the Transbay Terminal and Embarcadero BART to the park. 

Don’t have your own bike? Not to worry! You can pick one up right here in the Presidio. Bay Wheels Bike Share allows you to pick up a classic bike at four stations in the Presidio or find a dockless electric bike using the Lyft app. Visitors can also rent classic, hybrid, surreys (for a group bike ride), and electric bikes for all abilities at Sports Basement. 

Father and son biking with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Starting Point: Sports Basement

If you choose to drive and park in the Sports Basement parking lot, payment is required. 

 

Tip: If parking isn’t available in the Sports Basement parking lot, you can park at the East Beach of Crissy Field as well as at the Anza parking lot.  

 

Directions: At the west side of the Sports Basement parking lot, cross Mason Street to begin biking along Crissy Field on the Bay Trail. Look out along the shoreline to enjoy views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay, and Alcatraz. 

external shot of Sports Basement

Stop 1: Crissy Field

Once a busy airfield and transportation hub for the U.S. Army, Crissy Field has been restored into 100 acres of adventure. Start your adventure to the Golden Gate Bridge by riding along the old airfield while enjoying views of the bay, the beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

 

Directions: Bike west along the path that runs alongside Crissy Field and Mason Street, also known as the Bay Trail. When you reach the crossroads of Mason Street and Crissy Field Avenue, take a left turn onto Crissy Field Avenue and head up the bike lane on the western side of the street. 

Family biking along Crissy Field

Stop 2: Crissy Field Overlook

Stop to take in views of the wide, green expanse of the former airfield, the Presidio’s northern shoreline, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Bay from this perch high above Crissy Field. 

 

Tip: Keep your camera near at-hand. You’ll want to capture the panoramic view from this vantage point – take in the sailboats bobbing on the San Francisco Bay, the perfect shot of Alcatraz in the distance, Angel Island right at center stage, and the iconic San Francisco skyline in the distance.  

 

Directions: Once you reach the top of the hill on Crissy Field Avenue, turn right and bike along the Presidio Promenade Trail. 

Crissy Field Overlook with San Francisco city skyline in background

Stop 3: Pilot’s Row

With sweeping views of San Francisco Bay, Crissy Field, and the City, Pilots Row is one of the most visible neighborhoods in the Presidio as you approach the Golden Gate Bridge. Once home to the pilots who worked out of Crissy Field, the neighborhood was built in 1921 with a distinctive ‘V’ shape, echoing the form of an airplane, and served as officers’ quarters during the 1920s, highlighting the area’s rich aviation history. 

 

Tip: If you love the thought of living in historic homes like Pilot’s Row, learn more about the different neighborhoods you could call home.  

 

Directions: Continue along Lincoln Boulevard on the Presidio Promenade Trail heading west towards the Golden Gate Bridge.   

Pilot's Row on Lincoln Boulevard

Stop 4: Battery East Vista

Built in 2015, this vista lies between the Battery East Trail and Lincoln Boulevard/Presidio Promenade Trail and offers fantastic views. As you make your way past the vista, you’ll see historic brick and earthen batteries constructed in the 1870’s to defend the bay when the Presidio was a U.S. Army post.  

 

Tip: As you bike along the Presidio Promenade trail, you’ll see Fort Point National Historic Site below the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground. 

 

Directions: As you bike along the Presidio Promenade Trail on Lincoln Boulevard, the trail splits from the road and offers a safe, enjoyable bike bath for visitors to use on their way to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. 

Family biking along Battery East Trail

Stop 5: Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center

The Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center tells the story of San Francisco’s most beloved icon, the Golden Gate Bridge. Explore history exhibits, chat with helpful staff, pick up a map of the Presidio, use the restroom before heading across the bridge and buy a souvenir to remember your adventure. 

 

Tip: Once you’re at the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, there are lots of great places to snap your photo of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

 

Directions: Turn off the Presidio Promenade Trail to stop and enjoy the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and get any necessary supplies, souvenirs, or information before biking the span of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Media Image

Stop 6: Golden Gate Bridge

The striking International Orange color, Art Deco design, and fascinating history of the Golden Gate Bridge make it a must-see San Francisco landmark and one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Continue biking to the western side and along the iconic landmark and take in the views of the Pacific Ocean, the Marin Headlands, and the San Francisco skyline.  

 

Tip: While you’re biking across the bridge, take in the views – you might even catch a glimpse of surfers riding a wave under the bridge. Note: if you’re biking in the morning, bikers ride on the eastern side of the bridge only.  

 

Directions: From the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, bike back along the Presidio Promenade Trail, under the Golden Gate Bridge, to the western side to enter the bike lane.  

Media Image

Stop 7: H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point

On the far north side of the bridge, the H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point offers iconic views of the Golden Gate Bridge with the Presidio and larger San Francisco area in the background.  

 

Tip: Vista Point has public bathrooms. You can also head west and bike under the bridge to go down to Cavallo Point. This is a great addition to the bike ride, but you’ll need to bike back up the hill to head back. 

 

Directions: Take the road that winds east towards vista point. You’ll go through a short tunnel under the freeway and will come out right at the Vista Point.  

Media Image

Final Stop: Return to Starting Point 

You can get back to Sports Basement a few different ways. You can either cruise back down Crissy Field Avenue’s hill (next to Crissy Field Overlook) or you can stay on Lincoln Boulevard by the Pilot’s Row and cruise back to Sports Basement past Battery Bluff, San Francisco National Cemeteryand the Main Parade Lawn to get some fresh views 

 

Tip: If you’re hungry, stop off at Presidio Pop Up food trucks, carts, and tents and check out the delicious array of food that celebrates the Bay Area’s diverse cultures. 

Couple with their bikes on the Presidio Main Parade Lawn

Bonus Stop: Round House Café 

This inviting art deco cafe near the Golden Gate Welcome Center serves up refreshing hot and cold drinks, pastries, and savory food options like soups and sandwiches — with a stunning backdrop of Golden Gate Bridge views.   

 

Tip: Explore the area nearby and snap a selfie of you with the Golden Gate Bridge. At the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, get your Golden Gate Bridge souvenirs, snacks, and visit the restrooms. 

External shot of the Roundhouse Cafe