The San Francisco Linked-Loop Shared-Use Off-Road Trail System:
A Vision of the Future of San Francisco Mountain Biking

Linked-Loop = several individual loop trails linked together.
Shared-Use = sustainable trail suitable for all non-motorized use.
Off-road = non-paved trails.

Throughout the city of San Francisco, there are a multitude of off-road trail pieces suitable for many different types of recreation including hiking and biking. These trail pieces are not isolated and they can be pieced together to form many individual trail loops, for example:

• There's the Presidio Loop , passing through the green hills of the Presidio,
• the rocky paths of Land's End/Lincoln Park with dramatic ocean views.
• There are 2 Golden Gate Park Loops, which have more than 10 miles of singletrack and narrow dirt trails!
• There's the Ocean Beach/Harding Park Loop with its views of the Pacific Ocean, Fort Funston, Lake Merced and endless sunset riding opportunities.
• There's the Twin Peaks Loop, a trail along the highest point in the city at 850'
• with an optional jaunt to the top of Mt. Davidson and its massive hilltop cross.
• There's the Buena Vista Park/Corona Heights/Mt. Sutro Loop, running just behind the Haight and the UCSF Medical Center.

These individual trail loops are also all interconnected, forming a "linked-loop" trail system that runs throughout practically the entire City, so that one can travel on off-road trails from McLaren Park to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Linked-Loop San Francisco Trail Network concept is best seen in the map to the right.
There are at least 9 distinct trail loops, which all connect together to form the linked-loop network. There are also many ways to make these trails better, more sustainable and more continuous. All of the loops shown are a mixture of shared-use paved and non-paved pathways and they all connect together.

A well planned off-road linked-loop trail network will have these postive effects:

• Improve and make safer general bicycle and pedestrian travel routes throughout San Francisco.
• Make people healthier as fewer cars are driven and more people get exercise on the trail system.
• Create of a World-Class mountain biking network for everyone to enjoy, take care of and visit over and over again.
• Increase mountain biking tourism to generate money for local businesses and tax revenue for the city.

the BIKE PLAN:

In 2003, the City of San Francisco's official Bike Plan is getting updated, which will be a collaborative effort to expand and refine the existing citywide bicycle network. The City & County and the SF Bicycle Coalition are looking for community involvement. They have shown a keen interest in bringing the interests of mountain bikers into the plan and (perhaps) as an integral part of the overall Bike Coalition. The linked-loop concept needs to be planned into the new San Francisco Bike Plan from the start.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SAN FRANCISCO BIKE PLAN

Please get involved and participate in the issues that affect mountain biking in San Francisco. The linked-loop trail concept will only be a concept unless we make it a reality!
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.

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