Road Riding in Marin Headlands - need advice for this afternoon's ride

[rsl]

Hi all,

My wife and I just moved to the East Bay and we've got the afternoon free and want to do some road riding in the Marin headlands.

Can anyone give suggestions on where to go, routes to ride, etc.?

Sorry for short notice, but it just came up and I thought it best to ask around before we just headed out that way.

Thanks!

[sbornia]

Welcome to town. Go Bears!

The first thing you should do is get the Marin Bicycle Map:
http://www.marinbike.org/Map/Index.shtml

Most shops, including those in Berkeley, will have it.

After that, I'd suggest driving over the Richmond Bridge and either going south to Mill Valley or north to San Anselmo. (These places are actually north of the headlands.) From either location, you can do some nice out-and-back or loop rides. For example, follow Sir Francis Drake Blvd. all the way from San Anselmo through Fairfax to Olema at Hwy 1. You can then go south on Hwy 1 to Stinson Beach and then up and over Mt. Tam, or go north on Hwy 1 to Point Reyes Station, east on Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road, and then loop back to SFD Blvd. (The map will make all this much more clear than I can!)

Also, check out the mapping program at kimb.org.

[RThompson]

If you want to climb, I suggest doing alpine dam and the seven sisters. Its amazing up there on a nice warm afternoon. Enjoy!

I still think the best riding in the bay area is on the peninsula. Come on down! :beer:

[PoppaWheelie]

How far do you want to go? Bear in mind that riding in the Headlands proper (just on the north side of the GG Bridge) is gorgeous, but pretty much entails riding up and down, in a small circle (more or less). Great for a pre or post-work jaunt from the city, but you might yearn for some more terrain. Also, those Headlands roads don't readily connect up to the longer rides in the north, unless you do some dirt.

Today looks like it will be pretty nice. If I had the afternoon I'd probably park at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito and ride up/over Tam to Stinson...either out Hwy 1, via Mill Valley or through Fairfax across Alpine Dam. If you want to avoid the sprawl altogether you might drive to Nicasio via Lucas Valley, ride around the reservoir, through Pt. Reyes Station, down Hwy 1 (through Olema) and up over Tam on Fairfax/Bolinas Rd....then back to Nicasio via Fairfax.

Tons of riding up there...have fun!

[MarinRider]

Unless you want to do hill intervals with your wife, forget road riding in the headlands and head over to Stinson. Alpine Dam, Point Reyes, etc.

[bagochips3]

Paradise Loop. The loop is ~20 miles; rolling with one minor climb (Camino Alto). You can park near the Tiburon ferry and ride along Paradise for a lovely ride. Or start in Sausalito to add more (flat) miles. For the whole loop maybe search the web? It's hard to describe on a bulletin board.

[rsl]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Wow - I'm so thankful to be living in CA! We drove out to Orema (I think) and did a 20 mile loop including Pt. Reyes, heading up Sir Francis Drake and back long highway 1. It was incredible.

Thanks again!

[kgreene10]

For days when you want to stay in the East Bay, go up to Grizzly Peak from wherever you are and follow it south to the end, take a left on Skyline, and the a left down Pinehurst. You will be descending toward Moraga and it's gorgeous back there -- big redwood trees and damp forrest. You can then either go left toward Moraga and potentially Mt Diablo if you want a big ride, or you can bear right on Redwood and ride another 10 miles or so through the roads of Redwood Regional Park. Then turn around and come back. There is a fair amount of climbing, but it's all gorgeous and well worth it.

For a nice Marin ride, park in Fairfax at the abandoned (now and eyesore) grocery store across from Sunshine Bikes and ride up Sir Frances Drake Blvd over into San Geronimo Valley, take a left on Nicasio Valley Road and follow it to the reservoir. You will eventually come to a T in the road and you can either go right to the Cheese Factory or left in to Point Reyes Station (or both). From Pt Reyes, come down Hwy 1 a short distance to Olema. From there, you can either go left up the hill on Sir Frances Drake Blvd and back to Fairfax or you can continue down Hwy 1 for about 8 miles and take a left on the Fairfax-Bolinas road. This will take you up to the ridge on a gorgeous climb, descend to Alpine Damn, climb a little back up, and descend into Fairfax. To get to your car, continue straight on Bolinas Rd. through town, take a right on Broadway/Sir Francis Drake Blvd and you will be back in half a mile.

Enjoy!