Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge looks good, from whatever angle you view it.

You’ll find this viewpoint at the side of the road, if you take a scenic drive around the Presidio.

Another viewpoint of the bridge, from atop one of Fort Point’s military batteries.

The Presidio is a history rich old military base, that provides a great place for bicycle riding (if you don’t mind a few hills). It can be a little confusing to pass through, by car, if you’re only looking for the Bridge.

The visitor’s center at the south end of the bridge allows you to see what the bridge is made of: thousands and thousands of metal strands, bundled together into the massive cables, that support the road.

The easiest way to access the Golden Gate Bridge is to simply drive across it, and turn off in the visitor’s area, on either end.

From here, you can start your walk across the bridge.

Bundle up before crossing the bridge, even if it’s warm at the visitor’s center. Once you reach the center of the span, a cold wind off the water can chill you to the bone.

Once on the bridge, only a guard rail separates you from six lanes of traffic (and almost nothing separates the north and southbound lanes of automobile traffic!) You’ll find great views of the city and the bay as you cross the span, but the most incredible scenery is the bridge itself.

As you walk underneath either of the Golden Gate’s two support legs, you really get a feel for what it took for workers to complete such an enormous project.

Notice the cable running along the top. For the guy who has to change the light bulb at the top of the bridge, that’s the only thing keeping him from falling. Yikes.

If you decide to ride a bike across the bridge, watch the signs closely. Bicycle traffic is often shifted to the other side of the bridge, separate from visitors on foot. Not everyone follows the signs, though, so watch out for bikers in the wrong place.

Here you can see Sausalito in the distance. I tried to visit Sausalito on my way out of town, but ran into a parking nightmare on this busy Memorial Day weekend. After a while, I simply gave up on finding a parking spot.

Looking back at San Francisco from the center of the bridge.

Almost all the city’s radio and TV stations broadcast from Sutro Tower, on a hill in the middle of the city. Some folks love it, others would love to see it torn down.

One of my favorite pictures, taken near the center of the bridge.

You can’t help but look up, while standing below either of the bridge’s two enormous support towers.

That circular rainbow around the sun let me know that hazy skies were starting to roll in. No problem though… I was already worn out from my walk halfway to Marin County and back, and was now ready to get off my feet, and back into the car.

Historic remnants of Fort Point still exist at the southern end of the bridge. A short walk downhill from the visitor’s area leads to this cool tunnel, at Battery Lancaster.

Lombard Street, San Francisco

Driving from San Francisco to Yosemite

Note: This trip was first published in 2004.

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