Walking San Francisco

BOUNDARIES: From Fort Winfield Scott in the Presidio to the Sausalito Ferry Landing

PARKING: Public transit is recommended for this walk. However, there are spaces on Lincoln Blvd. opposite the softball field near Fort Winfield Scott.

PUBLIC TRANSIT: 28 Muni bus; Golden Gate Transit buses following Marin County–San Francisco routes; San Francisco–Sausalito ferry, which docks at Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf

Gracing postcards, T-shirts, and countless movie sets, the Golden Gate Bridge is an undeniably elegant civil engineering feat recognized the world over. The silhouette of taut cable swags is an emblem of the city. Named for the Golden Gate Strait rather than the hue it wears, the bridge is actually painted international orange. The Navy had wanted the bridge to be black with yellow stripes for maximum visibility, but designer Irving Morrow made a passionate plea for the winning color (mixed specially for the bridge), commending its visual accent to the surrounding hills and ever-present fog.

The bridge stands apart from the city—buffered by the parklands of the Presidio on the south end and the Marin Headlands on the north end—and its structure and natural setting complement each other. Very subtly, however, the bridge gets the upper hand over its environs. The bridge is obviously not as old as the hills that receive either of its ends, but the hills nevertheless appear to be there for the bridge. And the fog, which has always poured into San Francisco Bay through the Golden Gate Strait, seems to serve the purpose of dramatically enhancing the bridge, concealing and unveiling its two towers and continually adjusting the natural light reflected on the bridge during the day.

Ultimately, of course, the bridge serves us, making it possible for human traffic to travel to and from Marin County and beyond. Most thoughtfully, the bridge has a walkway on its eastern side, enabling walkers to cross the Golden Gate on foot to admire the views and ponder all that this bridge stands for.

This walk starts in San Francisco and ends at the ferry terminal in Sausalito, so plan accordingly. The ferry ride from Sausalito to Fisherman’s Wharf is a perfect way to finish your outing, but if you’ve parked in the Presidio, you’ll need to continue from the ferry terminal by bus or other means of transit back to the parking area near the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire length of the bridge itself, including approaches, is 1.7 miles. This walk is more than twice that distance, so be ready for some exercise.

Walk Description

Start near the corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Merchant Road, where two parking lots provide access to cliff-hugging coastal trails. Rather than head down Merchant Road toward the bridge toll plaza, walk toward the sea cliffs to inspect a collection of old military batteries, such as Battery Boutelle, which hasn’t been in use since World War I. From here the Golden Gate—the narrow mouth of the bay and the widening funnel of the sea cliffs that embraces the Pacific—comes fully into view. Because pedestrian traffic on the bridge is restricted to the walkway on the bay (east) side, this rugged strait on the ocean side is often overlooked. To fully appreciate this perspective, walk over to these army battlements and follow the unpaved trail that leads from here to the bridge. Signs point the way, although the looming bridge is hard to miss. To the northwest is Point Bonita, punctuated by its lighthouse in the Marin Headlands. To the southwest, the Cliff House marks Point Lobos on San Francisco’s coast. Very likely a container ship is passing between these points on its way to Far East ports and another nearly identical ship is issuing forth beneath the bridge, as part of the continual movement of cargo in and out of San Francisco Bay. Here and there the trail affords flattering vantage points of the bridge, including a much-photographed angle from which the distant north tower appears to fit snugly within the south tower.

Stretched out in all her glory, the Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco with suburban Marin County.

The path soon dips beneath the bridge’s south viaduct for an up-close look at its trussed and riveted underside, a treat for anyone interested in engineering; check out the interesting display on ongoing seismic retrofitting just before you head under. Earthquake engineers are gradually replacing the older supports but doing so in a way that preserves the aesthetics. The viaduct here extends over two concrete pylons flanking the top of Fort Point. An artful arch braces the two pylons, and hidden in the works you may notice the bridge cables slicing downward to their southern anchorage. All that concrete beneath the south viaduct houses the cable anchorage. Much thought went into the design of this structure to protect picturesque Fort Point, which dates back to the Civil War. (The fort saw no action, but during the war San Francisco Bay was considered vulnerable to Confederate attack.) Look up to marvel at the sheer enormity of what went into creating the Golden Gate Bridge—the mind-boggling quantity of materials and the ingenuity behind it all.

After passing beneath the bridge, be sure to peer down at the daredevil surfers riding the waves beneath Fort Point; then follow the trail that curves up to

Strauss Plaza, where you’ll soon be in the company of hundreds of tourists who have come from around the world to see the bridge and snap a few photos.

Before making your way onto the bridge, look for the statue of Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer who guided the bridge’s planning and construction. Strauss submitted his first plans for a bridge to span the Golden Gate in 1917. After several major revisions, and arguments with the War Department over the advisability of building a bridge above the mouth of an important harbor, Strauss settled on an all-suspension design and then oversaw its construction from January 1933 to May 1937. He didn’t work alone, of course: he hired structural engineer Charles Ellis and other advisors to help solve challenges posed by the span’s length and the depth of the channel, as well as strong currents, stiff winds, and the possibility of earthquakes. He also brought on architects John Eberson and Irving F. Morrow, who contributed the bridge’s elegant Art Deco style. Strauss commendably went to greater-than-usual lengths to protect the safety of the workers building the bridge. Some 19 workers were saved by netting Strauss insisted on installing beneath the building sites; still, 11 men died during construction of the bridge. Strauss himself died, while recovering from exhaustion, just 12 months after the bridge opened.

Also in the plaza adjacent to a perennially full parking lot and restrooms, you’ll find an excellent

welcome center run by the National Park Service, which provides historical information as well as an impressive selection of souvenir gifts a cut above your typical touristy junk. If you need to grab a bite before proceeding, the Art Deco

Round House Café serves classic fare such as hot dogs and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Originally opened in 1938 as a roadside diner to complement the new bridge it was reimagined as a family restaurant in 2015. Before you leave the plaza, look for the cross-cut section of cable, some 36 inches in diameter. It’s a persuasive demonstration of the bridge’s unseen power. Don’t bother to count the thick wires bound together within the cable—there are 27,572 of them.

Continue onto the bridge. As you walk, stay alert for cyclists. The mixed traffic of commuting cyclists, weaving families, and camera-toting tourists can get a bit ugly, so keep your wits about you. Looking down, you’ll notice you are still above land for a while, and below the bridge you can see the roof of Fort Point. Once you’ve cleared Fort Point, you’ve reached the bridge’s suspension span, and you will see the cable rise at an oblique angle toward the south tower.

Pause at the south tower to inspect the bronze plaques acknowledging the bosses of the men who hoisted the cables and poured the concrete and risked their lives for this bridge. The tower is 746 feet tall, as is the north tower. Standing next to it, you will notice the tower is a sound barrier that offers respite from the bridge’s constant thrum of traffic. Look up to appreciate the design of the tower: each segment is slightly narrower than the one beneath it, each braced by horizontal trusses that are masked by decorative plates embellished with a repeating chevron motif. Corbels beneath the trusses further contribute to the textured design of the towers. Of course the towers are hardly aesthetic in purpose. They support the bridge’s two cables, each weighing some 160 tons, and the cables in turn support the suspension span. The bridge is literally being held up from above, its weight distributed along the entire length of its cables.

The main span between the two towers is 4,200 feet long. Pause again at the point midway between the two towers, and look down. The water beneath the bridge is where the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay meet. The water here is never calm—it chops and eddies and looks somewhat menacing. You might spot a sea lion swimming with evident playfulness barely below the water’s surface, and a few pelicans may coast on loping wings beneath the bridge. Sailboats, cruising vessels, tankers, and tugs frequently travel through the Gate’s narrow channel, all reflecting the bay’s never-ending enterprise and sport. Nevertheless, death lurks in those waters. By now, you may have noticed the California Highway Patrol officers on bikes, who stop to chat with anyone who looks lonely or desperate. (“Hey, how’s your day going?” is the usual opener.) You have probably spotted the phones for crisis counseling. The sad truth is that the bridge has an undeniably fatal attraction for some and is one of the world’s leading spots for suicides—so much so that local media largely does not cover the events, as they don’t want to inspire more jumpers. But increased patrols of officers trained in crisis management have helped, and a stainless-steel mesh net is being built as both a savior and a deterrent.

Continue beyond the end of the bridge, where the path will lead you to the parking lot of the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point. From here, follow the bike and pedestrian lane that leads away from the bridge toward Sausalito. The pedestrian path will end as you join Alexander Avenue. It’s downhill the entire way, but there’s no sidewalk: stick to the shoulder, and maneuver carefully around parked cars. Alexander will become Second Street. Make a right on Richardson, which becomes Bridgeway, to make your way through the center of town. While the street names are confusing, if you follow the coastline, you’ll find it easily.

The affluent and picturesque, albeit touristy, town of Sausalito, formerly a fishing village, attracts hordes of day-trippers every day. Walking the waterfront, you can pick up tasty meats, cheeses, or sandwiches at the old-school Italian delicatessen

Venice Gourmet and then eat them by the fountain in tiny

Viña del Mar Park, near the

Ferry Landing. The park, named for Sausalito’s sister city in Chile, features two elephants from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Originally made out of papier-mâché, Jumbo and Pee Wee were later remodeled in cement for preservation. For a more formal affair, head to

Poggio Trattoria, an untouristy spot near the Ferry Landing, for pastas, wood-roasted meats, and panini flavored with herbs from their kitchen garden. An ice cream at

Lappert’s is always a good idea before heading back on the ferry (check goldengateferry.org and blueandgoldfleet.com for current schedules).

Getting out on the water is the perfect complement to a bridge walk. The air is fresh, and the continual surge of the water beneath the boat gives you a palpable sense of the powerful immensity of the bay and the graceful bridge that spans the Golden Gate.

Points of Interest

Strauss Plaza Coastal and Battery E Trails; 415-415-921-5858, goldengatebridge.org

Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center Coastal and Battery E Trails; 415-426-5220, goldengatebridgestore.org

Round House Café Coastal and Battery E Trails; 415-426-5228, presidio.gov/places/round-house-cafe

Venice Gourmet 625 Bridgeway, Sausalito; 415-332-3544, venicegourmet.com

Viña del Mar Park Bridgeway at El Portal, Sausalito; 415-289-4152, tinyurl.com/vinadelmarsausalito

Sausalito Ferry Landing Anchor St. and Humboldt Ave., Sausalito; 415-455-2000, goldengateferry.org

Poggio Trattoria 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito; 415-332-7771, poggiotrattoria.com

Lappert’s Ice Cream 689 Bridgeway, Sausalito; lapperts.com (no published phone number)