Biking was the first physical outdoor activity I fell in love with as a kid growing up in Metro Detroit. It was my first taste of what felt like freedom. Every April, even though it was still barely above 50F/10C, I would hop on my bicycle the first chance I got. Ignoring my frozen ears, staring straight ahead at a flat horizon, finally the sun graced us all with its presence after a long, gray winter. I could not contain my smile as I rode for miles and miles.

In honor of World Bicycle Day on June 3, I wanted to make a special post attempting to capture what it means to me, but centered in a different place than where I grew up: ten years ago, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and broadened my vision to a much more mountainous horizon.

To this day, even after exploring 70+ countries, it remains one of my very favorite places to explore via bike.

A friend showed me Strava over three years ago now, and since then, I’ve used it religiously to catalogue all of my bike rides, hikes, runs, and walks around new cities. What started as a fun, encouraging way to journal my activities has turned into an amazing way to see real progress as I challenge myself further.

Quick important note: if you’re new to biking up real hills and come from a rather flat place like I did (Michigan, USA), try not to be deterred by the elevation gain and length of the rides here. Pedal slowly and carefully. The key for me is that I stopped to rest when necessary, hydrated appropriately, and did not bike quickly (…because I physically can’t when going up these hills). Ask any of the friends with more experience riding who accompanied me — often they did laps waiting for me, or I met up with them at the top once I eventually made it.

Practice, patience, and curiosity to explore is what matters here. With that said…

6 Fantastic Bike Rides Around San Francisco Bay Area, Catalogued by Strava

For all of these rides, you can click on the title itself to explore more specific route details and see photos on Strava, or on the Google Map screenshot to zoom in even further on the detailed map.

1. Twin Peaks to Great Hwy through Golden Gate Park

Distance: 15.1 mi / 24.3 km
Elevation gain: 958 ft / 292 m

The most common ride I enjoyed doing was just through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach and then back (I used to live by Alamo Square Park), but if I had more time in between or before/after work, I’d challenge myself and do this longer route.

Here are a couple other rides of this particular one:

• “If something is difficult, do it again”
• “This morning I existed in a cloud. It was a chilly existence, but still a lovely one”

2. Paradise Loop de Loop Around Tiburon

Distance: 41.15 mi / 66.22 km
Elevation gain: 2,340 ft / 713 m

Most of these routes I’ve repeated, but this one (of all these rides) is actually my very favorite if I have time for a longer ride. It’s consistently the sunniest and warmest.

• Another loop of paradise here

3. Presidio to Hawk Hill to Muir Beach Overlook

Distance: 40.03 mi / 64.42 km
Elevation gain: 3,132 ft / 954 m

Unlike the last ride, this one you definitely cannot count on being sunny or warm — but I remember feeling so proud when I was able to (again, extremely slowly) make it up those last hills to Muir Beach Overlook.

Technically the entirety of Hawk Hill isn’t included in this route, so I’ll include some alternate routes just below. These also work better for a shorter period of time (distance is 17.86 km / 28.74 km and 1,415 ft / 431 m of elevation gain instead), such as before work:

• Very first time all the way up Hawk Hill
• “Oof, my legs”
• Hello to Karl the Fog

4. Grizzly Peak to Oakland

Distance: 30.09 mi / 48.42 km
Elevation gain: 2,327 ft / 709 m

This one eluded me for a while, and at several points I had to actually walk my bike instead of pedaling… but finally, I made it. Also, riding down this route is the most speed I’ve ever picked up, which was pretty terrifying (and chilly for hands if going at sunset — wear gloves).

Here are some alternate routes:

• Up and down through Berkeley
• Another Berkeley route
• Loop through Temescal, including tacos

5. SF to Half Moon Bay

Distance: 30.36 mi / 48.84 km
Elevation gain: 2,151 ft / 655 m

A special ride to celebrate a couple close friends’ birthdays in Half Moon Bay. We stayed overnight and rode back the next day along the same path. This route had some of the most spectacular changes in scenery.

Last but not least…

6. My First Century (100 Mile) Ride Around Bay Area

Distance: 100.21 mi / 161.27 km
Elevation gain: 3,846 ft / 1,172 m

As a culmination of my favorite routes, I couldn’t leave out the time I planned my first century bike ride around the Bay Area. A couple friends decided to join last minute, and we stopped numerous times during the day for snacks and to simply enjoy all of the different environments we traversed. For the final 10 miles, we hopped on Bart to get back to SF and complete our ride.

Biking is Healthy for Humans and the Planet

Some fun statistics on why biking is wonderful.

Historical patterns and sustainability implications of worldwide bicycle ownership and use, Nature, August 2022

• “If the dutch cycling pattern was followed with daily cycling distance of just 2.6 kilometers, 686 million metric tons of carbon emissions could be reduced. This saving is approximately 86% of the national carbon emissions of Germany in 2015, or around 20% of carbon emissions from the global passenger car fleet in 2015.”

The climate change mitigation effects of daily active travel in cities, ScienceDirect, April 2021

• “Cyclists had 84% lower CO2 emissions from all daily travel than non-cyclists.”

Promoting cycling can save lives and advance health across Europe through improved air quality and increased physical activity, WHO, June 2021

• “Active mobility can prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, and their risk factors such as hypertension and obesity. In the EU, NCDs account for more than 70% of all deaths. Regular cycling, such as commuting to work, can reduce the total risk of mortality by about 10%.”
• “Cycling reduces emissions of transport-related greenhouse gas and air pollutants, which in Europe causes around 500,000 deaths each year. the cycling-friendly redesign of traffic areas, including green spaces and public gardens, creates valuable public space, nicer areas to live and an improved quality of life for all.”

As always, feel free to message me on IG @hiemilyrose with any questions. 🙂