I’m traveling to San Francisco for a conference. I’m also smack-dab in the middle of some long-distance running training. I KNOW! I’ll run across the Golden Gate Bridge!
Here’s my question. My hotel is at 5 Embarcadero Center. Mapquest tells me that about 7 miles will get me from there to across the bridge. I’m up for that. What I’m not up for is 14 miles. I figured I’d take some sort of public transit back but I can get the SF public transit site (transit.511.org) to recognize any landmark I’m seeing on the far side of the bridge. Can anyone familiar with that area give me any pointers for making my way home, or should I just suck it up and take a cab to the bridge, run over it, and take a cab back? I really like the idea of a jogging tour through part of the city, which is my preferred means of exploration.
Also, are there any areas along my path to be avoided? I’m not afraid of the big city, but I’d rather not be foolish. I’ll be running in the daytime, obviously.
There aren’t many landmarks on the north end of the GG Bridge, which is why you’re having trouble finding them. The north end just continues on as Hwy 101, with off ramps leading to cute little suburbs like Sausalito, Tiburon, Mill Valley.
There is, I believe, a vista point on the north end; maybe there’s a bus stop there where you could pick up a south bound Golden Gate Transit bus? Failing that, you’d have to run over the Bridge, keep running along the highway, off the highway and into Sausalito, and find a bus stop.
You can take the ferry back to SF from Sausalito. Take the first Sausalito exit and follow the signs to Bridgeway (the main street). Continue maybe half a mile to the Sausalito Yacht Club - the ferry stop is right next to the yacht club. It’ll take you back to the Wharf or you can ride it back to the Ferry Building which is just down from your hotel.
It’ll be a cool run - you should definitely do it. Wear layers and be prepared for a good blast of wind when you get onto the bridge. Things to watch out for: tourists taking pictures. That said, do take time to enjoy your trip across - it’s pretty damn cool!
And with regards to your second question: no problem with your route. If you run along the water’s edge (on your right), you’ll go through all the tourist traps, and also some very scenic areas: The Embarcadero, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Marina Green, The Presidio. And it’ll all be flat.
Remember that S.F. is very hilly. So depending on your jogging route from your hotel to the bridge, you might also be doing some mountain-climbing.
Also, remember that the Golden Gate Bridge is a world-famous high-profile tourist attraction. It will likely be crowded with pedestrians pretty much all the time (unless it’s raining), so jogging across could be awkward because of that.
Yes, there is a vista point / tourist stop area just at the north end of the bridge, with a little museum there and LOTS of tour buses full of people who think the view is majestic. I know nothing of public transit to/from there, but I would expect there to be some.
Jogging on from there to Sausalito likewise has a substantial vertical component as well (from the bridge to Sausalito, it’s all downhill).
Note, however, the mountain just across the freeway from that tourist stop. That is Ft. Cronkhite, formerly a WWII-era defense site, now a recreational area. There’s a road going up that hill, along the side of the hill facing the bay. If you can get yourself up that mountain (whether jogging or driving), now THERE’S a majestic view (clear weather permitting). There are also ruins of WWII gunnery emplacements there.
ETA: As jsc1953 said, if you follow the water’s edge along the Embarcadero to the bridge, that’s pretty much all level ground.
I don’t run, but I used to walk this exact route all the time. The way to do it is to do the 7 miles going across the bridge, then cross back to the San Francisco side of the bridge and take a Golden Gate transit bus from there (so you walk or jog a total of 8 miles). There’s a stop just before the bridge on the San Francisco side that will take you back into the city. One time I did decide to try the 14 mile trip – I was sore for a week. Oh, and this is a very flat route, only a few small hilly areas, which is one of the reasons I liked it.
As you can see from this map (.pdf), all Golden Gate Transit routes serve the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza.
Awesome! Thanks everyone! So, Spoiler, you’re saying run from the hotel out and back across the bridge, and then take a bus back to the hotel? Sounds like a great idea.
Yes, exactly. I agree that the ferry is nice, but I have done that route, and the part from the north end of the bridge to Sausalito and the ferry is a big pain (windy roads with no sidewalks or place for pedestrians/joggers). I have done the exact route you’re planning (I used to work in Embarcadero II and started from exactly where your hotel is), and found that the cross the bridge and back, then take the bus approach is best.
Just wanted to update - I did it! And I felt much more confident with advice from you all. It was a total 7.5 mile run from my hotel to the far side of the bridge, and very flat, excepting Fort Something-or-other, and the road leading from the waterfront to the bridge. I walked back over the bridge, so I’d have a chance to take it slow and appreciate it, and, since I was a little pressed for time, just took a bus back to my hotel (Bay Area busses are really nice!)
If it was on the south end of the bridge that’s Fort Point! Spend a little time there when you go back, it’s kind of awesome. Glad you enjoyed your trip!
Or, if it was at the north end of the bridge, that’s Fort Cronkhite, and it’s definitely mountainous there. Hike or drive up there for majestic aerial views of the bridge and S.F. across the bay, and also there are WWII fort ruins there.