Tips for Running the Golden Gate Bridge

While in San Francisco last week, I was able to cross a bucket list item off my running list: I got to experience running the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles across and connects San Francisco to Marin County and Wine Country. Running it was amazing but I was a bit unsure of how to tackle this bucket list item so I thought I’d share some tips for running the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you are visiting San Francisco, most likely you are staying in a hotel in the financial district or in the Union Square area downtown. From your hotel, it is possible to run to the bridge. It’s not a short run (from my Union Square hotel, it took about 10 miles to get to the bridge and run across it and back to the San Francisco side of the bridge) and it’s not a flat run (but hey, it’s San Francisco, what do you expect) but it’s pretty simple. 

• To get to the bridge from downtown, you’ll want to head north towards the bay. Once you get down near the water, you’ll head west. 
• Along the way, you can stop at Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 or any of the other attractions you’ll pass as you head towards the bridge. 
• Note: if you don’t want to run as far, you can choose to take a taxi or uber to the Wharf area or even Chrissy Field. 
• Hug the water and eventually you’ll come to a fork where you can go left by a sign that says Fort Mason or veer right. Take the left by the Fort Mason sign – you’ll head up a steep hill and be on your way to the bridge! 
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• Once you crest the hill, follow the signs that’ll point you to the bridge. Follow the signs for a bit and soon you’ll see the view below. 

• From the point above, you are pretty close. You can head up the path to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center. There you’ll find information about the bridge, snacks, water, restrooms, etc. 
• A neat thing is that they designate which side of the bridge is for bikers and which side is for pedestrians. This means that it was pretty easy to run across, since the bikers were all on the other side of the bridge. 
• I didn’t stop to take any pictures while running across the bridge, but the views are simply stunning. 

I highly recommend a run across the Golden Gate Bridge if you can fit it into your visit to San Francisco. My running buddy and I were tight on time so we ran to the Sports Basement (about half a mile from the Bridge) and caught an uber back to our hotel. It was a great run and I was so happy to do it! San Francisco is a gorgeous, challenging city to run in and I loved it. 

Have you ever run across the Golden Gate Bridge?