Mountain Bike Blog

Golden Gate Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Walk, Bike in San Francisco & Marin

Trailblazer is the only outdoor adventure guide that details all the parks and wild lands north and south of the Golden Gate—in San Francisco and Marin. With more than 200 photographs and concisely written histories and cultural tidbits, Trailblazer gives travelers a unique look at both parklands and towns alike. You’ll get to know the place—and to share the author’s love for it. First-time visitors to the Bay Area will have a trusty guide to hit the highlights; life-long residents are guaranteed to find new ways to make weekends more exciting.

Inside are clear directions for more than 300 hikes and walks, both in nature’s wonder and to the cultural attractions that lure international tourists. Presented are the Presidio, Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Point Reyes National Seashore, and several state parks, including Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island, and Samuel P. Taylor. You’ll also find the tucked-away treasures in the Marin Open Space, including high peaks of the oak savannah and the wetlands on the Richardson, San Pablo, and San Rafael bays. All noteworthy city parks are also covered, starting with San Francisco’s renowned Golden Gate and continuing with a long list of neighborhood gems.

All these place names translate into redwood and conifer forests, waterfalls, peaks, lakes, beaches, coastal bluffs, bays, lagoons, gardens, woodland forests—all of the amazing scenic diversity that makes the Golden Gate region a world-class natural treasure.

City strollers can choose from several walks in San Francisco to take in Chinatown, Fishermen’s Wharf, Nob Hill, Union Square, North Beach, Haight-Ashbury, Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the rest of the all-star attractions. Walks are also offered for Marin County’s host of remarkable towns, from upscale Tiburon, Sausalito, and Mill Valley, to funkadelic Bolinas, Point Reyes, and Fairfax. You’ll be entertained as well as exercised.

With all these offerings, it’s easy to overlook Trailblazer’s cycling sections. The knarly mountain trails are all there, along with the more leisurely pedals on bike paths and roads. Cross-town routes are also given, making it possible to find the best and most-scenic route available across a the enire landscape.

Seventeen maps and spot-on driving directions and trail descriptions make getting there easy. Navigating the text is made simple by sharp graphics and thoughtful organization—a Trailblazer trademark.

Trailblazer’s extras include a special list of Doggie Trails and a Trailblazer Kids section that will keep families busy from when the kids are in strollers until they’re old enough to drive (stroller paths, neighborhood parks, bike rides, hikes, day trips, museums, and more). The book’s Best Of section asks ‘What do you want to do today?’ and then provides responses in the form of activities to suit the day and your mood—a welcome resource considering the book’s wealth of activities. You’ll also find a list of contact numbers for camping, parks, museums, attractions, as well as favorite restaurants and accommodations.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars The Best Activity Guidebook to San Francisco and Marin
As with every guidebook in the respected Trailblazer travel book series (Alpine Sierra Trailblazer, Kauai Trailblazer, Maui Trailblazer, Oahu Trailblazer, Hawaii the Big Island Trailblazer, and No Worries Hawaii: A Vacation Planning Guide), the Golden Gate Trailblazer is fun to read, beautiful to look at (the remarkable black-and-white photography provides a wonderful sense of place), and ever so useful. A large number of hikes, walks, jogs, and bike rides are thoughtfully organized not only by location but also by the characteristics that set them apart from each other. The “Best Of” section lists choices for a wide variety of preferences: wildflowers, forested creeks, shorebird watching, coastal bluffs, bay side strolls, gardens, city life, and family rides, to name a few. Each selection is further detailed with carefully crafted directions both for getting to the starting point and for heading down the road or trail (I find the author’s directions more than adequate–they flat out get the job done, but map freaks may feel more comfortable supplementing their guidance with the appropriate map). The Sprouts know the neighborhood like the back of their hand and have walked and hiked this area for many years. Their deep knowledge of their subject enhances the activities they describe–you’ll learn a lot of history along the way, that’s for sure. Practical details are in abundance, from things to do with the kids to cleverly presented advice and opinion based on years of experience. You’re unlikely to just bump into many of the activities they’ve included–the Golden Gate Trailblazer will help you find and enjoy an array of experiences most tourists will forever miss. Even long-time locals will find lots of exciting new ideas they had no idea were in their own backyard. A great resource. Pick up one and enjoy.

5 Stars Golden Gate Trailblazer goes the extra mile
I found this book mentioned on a northern California traveler’s blog and immediately went out and bought it for the family. Now that we’ve been using it for about a month it’s opened up a whole new world of mountain trails, parks and off-the-radar beaches like Tennessee Valley which is tucked away near Mill Valley.

While there are heaps of travel books on the San Francisco Bay Area, I find this one is better than all the others. It has a good mix of activities and is laid out really logically. If you’re on a budget it’s a good fit since everything in it is free. Your own energy and curiousity is all that’s needed. In addition to their long list of insider spots they’ve added some California history, just enough to make the outing interesting. This book will never go out of style.

5 Stars A golden guide
I put it to the test as often as I can. It’s a great bargain when you think of where it sends you to…….all the unpaved wild spaces around here and the best of the city walks. I like that I learn a little history along the way and the location photos give it some spunk. If you’re planning to go, read it before you get here so you can prioritize. The extra clean format makes it simple for getting out and about. The maps inside an added bonus.

5 Stars A balanced guide for exploring crown jewel of West Coast
Unlike other outdoor recreation guides for this area that solely write about one type of activity, this one is different, it offers three. Personally I like to mix biking and hiking up so it really suits my style and delivers all the information I could ever want.

Marin County and San Francisco have to be the most beautiful of all the places to get outside around here. I use this book as a trail finder mostly for dayhikes and coastal rides. It’s unfussy and since the authors are natives and know the terrain so well, list plenty of places that are not on the postcards. The writing style is fresh and humor is interjected here in unsuspecting places. It’s a unbelievable value for residents.

5 Stars Best Bay Area hiking book I know
The reason that there isn’t much competition to this guidebook is the fact that this one is so complete. They’ve probably got around 300 trails and the bike routes are all in there too. I get up early and have to cross the Richmond Bridge to get to my day’s destination but it’s well worth the commute. Marin has some astounding scenery and without a guide like this you’d never find the sweet spots. The Tiburon hills have some stunning vistas of the bay.

The trail descriptions detail the roundtrip hiking miles and the parking directions, most important in these urban areas. When I’m out at the Pt. Reyes National Seashore I bring along a topo map for elevations.

Golden Gate Trailblazer is an exhaustive cruise along reference with tons of active freebie things to do on the weekend. I’m glad Amazon carries it at an affordable price. My first copy is so worn I’m on my second.

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Filed under: Mountain Bike Book Reviews