The Marin Headlands

We were in San Francisco for seven days. I was able to go on a bike ride five of those days. Every single bike ride I did I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. There are (at least) two reasons for this. First, the path along the northern coast of San Francisco combines with the bridge to form several miles of continuous roads/paths with very few stop lights or stop signs. Riding through the city is fun, but stopping every other block at a stop light is not the best way to get a workout. Second, just on the other side of the bridge lie the Marin Headlands.

The headlands are the hilly area at the southern tip of Marin County, just north of San Francisco. San Francisco is known for it’s hills, and while many of these hills are quite steep they are typically only 200-300 ft high. Hawk Hill, in the headlands, is 920 ft high. This is the closest big hill to San Francisco. Additionally, it provides an absolutely spectacular view of the city, bridge, and bay.

One of the routes I took to Hawk Hill

Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, with the Marin Headlands in the background.

The bridge has wide paths on both sides. One is for pedestrians & bikes, the other is for bikes only.

The hills rise up immediately from the bay on the north side of the bridge.

The climb up Hawk Hill is 1.8 miles long and ranges from 3% to 12% gradient with an average of 7%.

I rode Hawk hill three times last week. The first time I had a meeting immediately following the ride, so I was really moving, around 9-10 mph. The second time I wasn’t quite as pressed for time, but I still needed to make it back in a timely fashion and averaged 8-9 mph. The third time was a much longer ride (3 hours) with no tight schedule so I rode a more leisurely 7-8 mph. At the rate I was getting slower each day it’s a good thing I didn’t stay another week or I may not have been able to maintain forward motion…

The view from the top did not disappoint. It was crystal clear on the first trip.

The second trip was a little foggy.

“Classic Rob” according to Meli

With any luck, this will be an interactive 360˚ panoramic view from the top of Hawk Hill. Click on the image and drag the mouse left and right to change the view.

3 thoughts on “The Marin Headlands”

  1. WOW!!!!!!!!!! I don’t know what is MORE IMPRESSIVE— THE ABILITY TO RIDE YOUR BIKE on the HILLS, or take such AMAZING PHOTOS!!!!!! The panoramic shot is quite impressive!!!!!! You are quite the” LANCE”, Classic , even!!!!!! It must seem quite boring to ride among the CORNFIELDS in Chambana, after TRAVELING THE NARROW, MOUNTAINOUS ROADS of CA!!!!!!!What a TRIP for both of you!!!!! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!!!!!!!!!! Stay safe… hugs, nan

  2. It is “classic” for two reasons.

    1) Whenever I need to tell you something, I say, “Rob” and you look at me with this expression.

    2) You are in your full bike gear. How could it get more classic than that.

    Great pictures, especially the 360.

  3. I DON”T KNOW WHAT TO SAY… I’M KIND OF GLAD I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THESE TRIPS OF YOURS UNTIL YOU WRITE ABOUT THEM…

    IT’S ALL SO IMPRESSIVE TO READ ABOUT – – AND THAT PANORAMIC PICTURE WAS UNBELIEVABLE!

    I WILL SAY THIS, YOU CERTAINLY LOOK GOOD IN YOUR CYCLING OUTFIT RIDING YOUR POCKET ROCKET!

    GREAT BLOG!

    M.SCHO

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