San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley Biking Links

It is always a great day for a bike ride! Suggestions and additions are most welcomed.

County Bike Maps: Santa Clara Valley Bikeways Map

SF Bike Map & Walking Guide
San Francisco Bay Trail Maps; SF Bike Map & Walking Guide
San Francisco Bay Trail Maps; San Francisco Bay Trail Maps

Route Descriptions: Online Stanford-area Biking Calculator
Bicycle Ride Routes Sorted by Start Locations
Kim and Morgan's Selected Bike Rides
Ken's favorite Silicon Valley road bicycle rides
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Spinning Crank newsletter
Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map); Bicycle Ride Routes Sorted by Start Locations
Kim and Morgan's Selected Bike Rides
Ken's favorite Silicon Valley road bicycle rides
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Spinning Crank newsletter
Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map); Kim and Morgan's Selected Bike Rides
Ken's favorite Silicon Valley road bicycle rides
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Spinning Crank newsletter
Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map); Ken's favorite Silicon Valley road bicycle rides
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Spinning Crank newsletter
Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map); Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Spinning Crank newsletter
Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map); Bay Area Weekend Sherpa Bike Rides -- especially like the Coastal Roll along the San Mateo Coast and Pescadero (gmaps pedometer route map)

Good Rides (someday when I have more time I'll add some Google Maps mashups...)

From Stanford Campus to Foothill College Observatory for Saturday Morning Solar Viewing. Foothill Expressway and the residential area east of HWY 280 is pretty flat. Elena Rd on the west side of HWY 280 is more hilly but more scenic.

Stanford Campus down Foothill Expressway, North on Grant Road, continue on Stevens Creek Trail, Left at the end of the trail onto Shoreline Park in Mountain View, Around the Palo Alto Baylands, continuing around the Palo Alto Airport (busiest single runway airport in the USA). Cross HWY 101 by the Bike Bridge just south of Embarcadero on East Bayshore. Return to campus via California Avenue using the bike tunnel under the Caltrain Tracks. This route has lots of birds--herons, egrets, and pelicans--along the bay.

Canada Rd Bicycle Sunday. Start from campus, go West out Sand Hill, turn Right on Whiskey Hill, slight left to Canada Intersection. Go north on Canada past HWY 92 and then enter Sawyer Camp Trail along picturesque Crystal Springs reservoir. Exit trail at Hillcrest Drive exit and return via Skyline Blvd until it intersects with Canada again.

Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Caltrain will take you and your bike to the city. Make sure to loop around SBC park and look in the stadium from the outside. Ride around the water line all the way to Golden Gate Bridge and continue to Sausalito. Return to the San Francico Ferry Building via the Golden Gate Ferry. Head south on the Embarcadero until you reach Caltrain and enjoy the ride back down the peninsula.

Possible things to stop and see along the way: Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown, Diego Rivera mural at San Francsico Art Institute in North Beach, California Sea Lions at Pier 39, the Wave Organ and Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina, Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge and bucolic Sausalito. The Corps of Engineers Bay Area Model is just north of Sausalito. Of course, the views are simply spectacular...

Bike across Dumbarton Bridge to Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Coyote Hills Regional Park. I really like being out on the levees in the bay with lots of water on each side of you.

Sunnyvale Baylands Park and the Big Loop of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on the right side of this map.

Coyote Creek Parkway in south San Jose.

Angel Island-never actually biked on it but I want to! :-) Have hiked there a bunch--amazing views of the city.

Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail (Never biked it but like the hike)

Routes depicted with Gmaps Pedometer: Palo Alto Airport, Baylands, Mountain View Shoreline Park, Stevens Creek Trail, Grant Rd, Foothill Expressway loop (25 miles)
Palo Alto Baylands, Mountain View Shoreline Park, Stevens Creek Trail, Grant Rd, Foothill Expressway loop (20 miles)
Palo Alto Airport and Baylands loop (13 miles)
Skyline Blvd via Old La Honda and downWindy Hill (15 miles and ~1500ft of evelvation but that is broken for this map)
Palo Alto to Coyote Point access via Burlingame Caltrain (22 miles paved)
Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Palo Alto Baylands, Mountain View Shoreline Park, Stevens Creek Trail, Grant Rd, Foothill Expressway loop (20 miles)
Palo Alto Airport and Baylands loop (13 miles)
Skyline Blvd via Old La Honda and downWindy Hill (15 miles and ~1500ft of evelvation but that is broken for this map)
Palo Alto to Coyote Point access via Burlingame Caltrain (22 miles paved)
Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Palo Alto Airport and Baylands loop (13 miles)
Skyline Blvd via Old La Honda and downWindy Hill (15 miles and ~1500ft of evelvation but that is broken for this map)
Palo Alto to Coyote Point access via Burlingame Caltrain (22 miles paved)
Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Skyline Blvd via Old La Honda and downWindy Hill (15 miles and ~1500ft of evelvation but that is broken for this map)
Palo Alto to Coyote Point access via Burlingame Caltrain (22 miles paved)
Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Palo Alto to Coyote Point access via Burlingame Caltrain (22 miles paved)
Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Alviso and Don Edwards Nature Preserve loop (13 miles on dirt levees)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Rd (25 miles)
Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Millbrae Caltrain station to Palo Alto via Bay Trail (26 miles)
San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); San Francisco Caltrain Station to Palo Alto along the Bay Trail (42 miles)
Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Palo Alto to Niles across the Dumbarton Bridge and Alameda Creek trail and back (44 miles)
Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); Palo Alto, Shoreline, Stevens Creek Trail, Bernardo, Foothill Expressway loop (24 miles)
- same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles); - same route extended to include Cupertino Mary Ave bike bridge (26.5 miles)

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If you have any comments or questions, contact Paul Hartke at
phartke@Stanford.Edu. This page was last modified on
22 March 2009 by Paul Hartke.