Mountain bike trekking is like a backpacking trip for off-road bikers. We at SFMTB are not just daytrippers... we enjoy indulging in multi-day mountain bike treks throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco. For the casual biker, it may be hard to imagine a multiple day off-road bicycle trip in San Francisco. There is a mountain bike route in San Francisco which consists of approximately 75% off-road trails; quite amazing considering that it is right in the middle of a major urban area.
We have used our extensive S.F. trail riding experience to piece together an appealing nearly continuous off-road mountain bike trek that goes from Mt. Tam to Pacifica (and beyond). This north/south route is about 60 miles in total and is suitable for a 2-4 day trek.
There are two aspects of this trek that make it difficult:
- It is not hard to get lost or make a wrong turn. None of the trails are marked and you have to be good at reading a map and at scoping the parks for the logical trails to follow. For this reason, you should expect to cover distance much slower than you would on a normal mountain biking trip.
- Legal campsites are few and far between. There are some legal campsites but they will all require reservations. See campsite info below. Finding campsites can be difficult but we have listed your best possibilities.
This is not a trip for novice mountain bike trekkers! You must be experienced in handling technical riding in an ever-changing urban trail system that is totally undesignated as such. You must be a very efficient and non-conspicuous camper, adhering to a strict Leave No Trace outdoor policy. You must minimize your impact to the utmost degree so that you can have your needed outdoor experience without leaving an impact on the land.
Map
Campsites
Hawkcamp Campground in the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area. Reservations: (415) 331-1540
Haypress Campground in the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area. Reservations: (415) 331-1540
http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/sb-camping.pdf
Marin
Headlands Trail Map
Rob Hill Campground in the Presidio National Park.
Reservations: (415) 561-5444
http://www.presidio.gov/event/permits/camp.htm