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Marin County Visitors Bureau
Photo by Dennis Anderson
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Biking in Marin County
Marin County has a network of bicycle paths that enable bikers to travel from one part of the county to the other on paved roadways. Each city has its own network of bicycle paths.
The Marin County Bicycle Coalition
 is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote safe bicycling for every day transportation and recreation. 733 Center Blvd., Fairfax, CA 94930, 415-456-3469. Visit their Website for bicycle map locations:
www.marinbike.org.
A ride through Samuel P. Taylor Park is wonderful for children and beginners. The Cross Marin Trail starts at Tocaloma at the Platform Bridge Road. The road is paved, cool and shady. Many picnic areas are available in the park as well.
The trail to Marshall Beach begins on a paved road just west of the entrance to Tomales Bay State Park. The trail goes uphill initially but then levels out into a wide fire road. It drops down to Marshall Beach on Tomales Bay complete with bay views and picnic sites. www.cyclepointreyes.com
The Point Reyes National Seashore provides a variety of off-road biking opportunities. Trails run through the forest, coastal scrub or along the beach bluffs. The Visitor Centers provide free maps of the park’s trails designated for bike travel. Biking is permitted only outside of wilderness areas along emergency access fire roads, paved roads and a few single-track trails. www.nps.gov./pore/activ_bike.htm.
Marin County’s Mt. Tamalpais is the birthplace of mountain biking. In the early 1970s Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Otis Guy and Charlie Kelly began refurbishing old balloon tire bicycles from the 1930s and 40s to use for riding off-road. Between 1977 and 1978 Joe built 10 frames which were the first successful frames designed and built for use as mountain bikes. He called them “Breezers.”
Mountain biking has become a huge sport, and Marin County is ringed with mountain bicycle trails. Those who enjoy the sport can travel through natural wild-lands including the Mt. Tamalpais woodlands, coastal bluffs at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, single track trails overlooking San Pablo Bay at China Camp State Park, and ridgeline trails on Mt. Burdell in Novato. Bikers can even tour historic Angel Island on trails that circle the island. The abundant variety of trees, wildflowers, grasslands, ridgelines, and rugged coastline make Marin’s mountain bike trails a sought-after experience.
Four examples of mountain biking trail rides follow:
Shoreline Trails and Bay Views
This is a great single track ride that winds through China Camp State Park. There are magnificent views of San Pablo Bay as cyclists ride through the oak-studded hills bordering the bay. The park has a multi-use policy that makes it popular for cyclists, but there are occasional encounters with hikers using the same trail. Trail is 10.3 miles; elevation change — 700 ft.; riding time — 1 - 1 ½ hours; easy to moderate difficulty.
Ridge Trail to Mt. Barnabe
The 7 .4 mile trail takes you from Samuel P. Taylor Park up a steep climb to the top of Mt. Barnabe. From the Barnabe Peak Ridge trail cyclists get spectacular views of wilderness and a view of Mt. Diablo to the east, Mt. St. Helena to the north and Tomales Bay to the west. This spectacular trail takes you from a thick redwood forest to open grassland hills. The elevation change is 1400 ft. Riding time is 1 ½ to 2 hours. The ride is moderately difficult.
Eldridge Grade to East Peak
A moderate to strenuous ride, this trail takes you up the rugged Eldridge Grade to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. The long climb has some technical climbing over rocky terrain, but the panoramic view of San Francisco Bay and the wilderness vistas are incredible. The ride back down the mountain is steep and rapid. This challenging ride covers 17.7 miles with a riding time of 2 ½ to 3 hours. Elevation change is 2,800 ft.
Pine Mountain Loop
Starting on Bolinas Road in Fairfax, the Pine Mountain Loop is Marin County’s most remote ride. It incorporates some narrow sections of trail as you cycle up rocky, steep fire roads. At the ridge top you can view Bolinas Ridge, Kent Lake, Tomales Bay and Mt. Tamalpais to the south. The trail takes you through the Kent Lake watershed and along Kent Lake across streams and through riparian habitat. Distance: 13.4 miles; riding time 2 to 2 ½ hours. The elevation change of this strenuous trail is 1,900 ft.
For a more complete listing of Marin’s mountain bike trails including single track trails, peak bay rides, advanced expert rides and winter rides visit the following sites.
Marin Trails: www.marintrails.com/biking
Dave Barnett’s Cycle Analysis: www.cyclepointreyes.com
Bicycle Trails Council of Marin: www.btcmarin.org
Marin Cyclists Road Club: www.marincyclists.com
Bike Map Dude Productions: www.bikemapdude.com |
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