Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Baseball | Biking | Football | Hiking | Running
San Francisco’s surroundings—the bay, ocean, mountains, and forests—make getting outdoors away from the city a no-brainer. Muir Woods, Point Reyes, and Stinson Beach in Marin County offer dozens of opportunities for exploring the natural beauty of the Bay Area. But the peninsular city—with its many green spaces, steep inclines, and breathtaking views—has plenty to offer itself.
Baseball
FAMILY | Fodor’s Choice | San Francisco Giants.
Three World Series titles (2010, 2012, and 2014) and the classic design of AT&T Park lead to sellouts for nearly every home game the National League team plays. | AT&T Park,24 Willie Mays Plaza, between 2nd and 3rd Sts., SoMa | 415/972–2000, 800/734–4268 | sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com.
Getting Tickets
The park is small and there are 30,000 season-ticket holders (for 43,000 seats), so Giants tickets for popular games routinely sell out the day they go on sale. If tickets aren’t available at Tickets.com, try the team-approved reseller StubHub! (www.stubhub.com) or even try showing up on game day—there are usually plenty of scalpers, some selling at reasonable prices.
Biking
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has extensive information about the policies and politics of riding and lists local events for cyclists on its website. You can download (but not print) a PDF version of the San Francisco Bike Map and Walking Guide. | 833 Market St., 10th fl. | 415/431–2453 | www.sfbike.org.
Where to Rent
Bike and Roll.
You can rent bikes at this national outfit’s locations from $32 per day to $58; discounted weekly rates are available, and complimentary maps are provided. | 899 Columbus Ave., at Lombard St., North Beach | 415/229–2000 | www.bikethegoldengate.com.
Blazing Saddles.
This outfitter with branches all around San Francisco rents bikes for $8 to $9 an hour ($32 to $60 a day), depending on the type of bike, and shares tips on sights to see along the paths. | 2715 Hyde St., at Beach St., Fisherman’s Wharf | 415/202–8888 | www.blazingsaddles.com.
Football
San Francisco 49ers.
The city’s NFL team recently debuted its new Levi’s Stadium. The state-of-the-art facility, 44 miles south of San Francisco, has more than 13,000 square feet of HD video boards. The 49ers may have left town, but the team hasn’t forgotten SF cuisine: restaurateur and season-ticket holder Michael Mina opened Tailgate, based on his Bourbon and Steak restaurants, within the stadium’s towering walls. Home games usually sell out far in advance. Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and StubHub! (www.stubhub.com) are sources for single-game tickets. | Levi’s Stadium,4949 Marie P. DeBartolo Way | Santa Clara | from San Francisco, take U.S. 101 south to the Lawrence Expressway and follow signs | 800/745–3000 Ticketmaster, 866/788–2482 StubHub!, 415/464–9377 Santa Clara stadium | www.49ers.com
Hiking
Hiking options in and around San Francisco include everything from the easygoing Golden Gate Promenade along the city’s waterfront to the more rigorous sections of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. And there are plenty of great hikes to be had in the Presidio.
Bay Area Ridge Trail.
Hills and mountains—including Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County and Mt. Diablo in the East Bay, which has the second-longest sight lines anywhere in the world after Mt. Kilimanjaro—form a ring around the Bay Area. The newest completed stretch of Ridge Trail connects the Pacific Overlook and the Golden Gate Overlook in the Presidio area of San Francisco, offering up the most spectacular views. The Bay Area Ridge Trail is an ongoing project to connect all of the region’s ridgelines. The trail is currently more than 340 miles long, but when finished it will extend more than 550 miles, stretching from San Jose to Napa and encompassing all nine Bay Area counties. One of the trail’s most impressive ridgelines can be found on Mt. Tamalpais, in Marin County | ridgetrail.org.
FAMILY | Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
This huge, protected area encompasses the San Francisco coastline, the Marin Headlands, and Point Reyes National Seashore. It’s veined with hiking trails, and many guided walks take place. You can find current schedules at visitor centers in the Presidio and Marin Headlands; they’re also online at www.nps.gov/goga/parknews. For descriptions of locations within the recreation area—along with rich color photographs, hiking information, and maps—pick up a copy of Guide to the Parks, available in local bookstores or online from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (www.parksconservancy.org). | Bldg. 201, Fort Mason | 415/561–4700 | www.nps.gov/goga.
FAMILY | Fodor’s Choice | Golden Gate Promenade.
This great walk passes through Crissy Field, taking in marshlands, kite-flyers, beachfront, and windsurfers, with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop. The 3.3-mile walk is flat and easy—it should take about two hours round-trip. If you begin at Aquatic Park, you’ll end up practically underneath the bridge at Fort Point Pier. TIP If you’re driving, park at Fort Point and do the walk from west to east. It can get blustery, even when it’s sunny, so be sure to layer.
FAMILY | Presidio.
Hiking and biking trails wind through nearly 1,500 acres of woods and hills in the Presidio, past old redbrick military buildings and jaw-dropping scenic overlooks with bay and ocean views. Rangers and docents lead guided hikes and nature walks throughout the year. For a current schedule, pick up a copy of the quarterly Park News at the Presidio Visitor Center, in the park’s Main Post area, or go online. The promenade at Crissy Field leads north past views of the Golden Gate Bridge. If it’s open, fortify yourself with coffee or snacks at the Warming Hut (983 Marine Dr., off Long Ave.) before following the paved road that continues on to the Civil War–era Fort Point, which sits under the bridge. | Presidio Visitors Center,105 Montgomery St. at Lincoln Blvd. | 415/561–4323 | www.nps.gov/prsf.
Running
San Francisco is spectacular for running. There are more than 7 miles of paved trails in and around Golden Gate Park; circling Stow Lake and then crossing the bridge and running up the path to the top of Strawberry Hill is a total of 2½ miles. An enormously popular route is the 2-mile raised bike path that runs from Lincoln Way along the ocean, at the southern border of Golden Gate Park, to Sloat Boulevard, which is the northern border of the San Francisco Zoo. (Stick to the park’s interior when it’s windy, as ocean gusts can kick up sand.) From Sloat Boulevard you can pick up the Lake Merced bike path, which loops around the lake and the golf course, to extend your run another 5 miles.
The paved path along the Marina provides a 1½-mile (round-trip) run along a flat, well-paved surface and has glorious bay views. Start where Laguna Street crosses Marina Boulevard, then run west along the Marina Green toward the Golden Gate Yacht Club, which is close to the docks at the northern end of Marina Boulevard. On weekends beware: you’ll have to wind through the crowds—but those views are worth it. You can extend your Marina run by jogging the paths through the restored wetlands of Crissy Field, just past the yacht harbor, then up the hill to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The San Francisco Bike Map and Walking Guide, which indicates hill grades on city streets by color, is a great resource. Online, check the San Francisco Road Runners Club site (www.sfrrc.org) for some recommended routes and links to several local running clubs.