| Butterlap |
Ride with strangers, every Wednesday at 7pm |
17 miles, mostly flat |
| Oakland → San Leandro breweries |
Via a mix of nice off-road paths in MLK Jr Shoreline Park and uglier roads |
15 miles, mostly flat |
| Skyline Shepherd |
Short but hilly and scenic loop (Tunnel → Shepherd Canyon), Oakland |
15 miles, 1700’ |
| Headlands Loop (dirt variant) |
Marin, with nearby simple gravel/dirt biking |
25 miles |
| Black Diamond Mines Park |
From BART, plus a guided underground mine tour |
21 miles |
| Livermore Wine Valley loop |
Bike from BART to wine tasting; I’ve done 5 or 6 variants over the years |
25 miles |
| Wildcat + Gravel |
Oakland → Richmond loop including a nice wide gravel/dirt road (no special bike needed) in Wildcat Canyon Park |
24 miles, 2100’ or shorter |
| SF’s Crosstown Trail |
Sneaky paved and dirt trails diagonally across SF, cutting through parks and up hills to panoramic views. Only a few staircases to carry your bike past. Takes longer than the distance would suggest. |
20–30 hilly miles |
| Port Costa Loop (route B) |
East Bay history, part of it on car-free paved trails |
31 miles, or various 50-mile extensions |
| Richmond → San Rafael bridge |
With a stop for lunch at Sol Food in San Rafael |
30ish miles round trip |
| Old Cazadero Road |
Done as a short local loop from Guerneville, with a few miles of twisty downhill dirt and a stream crossing |
26 miles |
| Ride & hike to the Tourist Club |
A few German culture/food/beer festivals a year, in the woods above Mill Valley |
38 miles + hiking |
| Bike + Kayak |
SF → Larkspur |
20 miles one-way |
| Point San Pablo Harbor |
From Oakland along the Bay Trail to a remote harbor of goats, sculptures, abandoned buildings, and a great lunch |
40 miles round trip, mostly flat |
| Old Railroad Grade (dirt) up Mt Tam |
Sometimes-rough dirt up Mt Tam but never too steep (former railroad route) |
40–50 miles round trip from SF, 4000'? |
| Salt flats and Bay levees |
Bay Trail from Oakland to Fremont, some of it gravel |
40 windy miles |
| Morgan Territory Road |
Gorgeous! Route updated 2022 to add various off-road paths and trails at the beginning |
44 miles, 2800’ |
| Sacramento River |
Amtrak → Sacramento and ride from there |
30–50 miles, flexible out-and-back |
| Paradise Loop |
Blah blah, everyone knows this one |
50 miles |
| Sonoma County Bike Paths via SMART train |
Multi-use paths through wine/cider/beer regions with a SMART train assist. More of a “choose your own adventure” template. |
30–80 miles, route A, route B |
| Grizzly Peak variant |
Wildcat, McEwen, Pig Farm, 3 Bears |
53 hilly miles |
| Alpine Dam |
Used to be my go-to scenic but tough road ride from SF |
70 miles, 5500’? Very hilly |
| Pescadero / Tunitas Creek (variant) |
Peninsula ride via Caltrain (or add 30 more miles and start in SF); long uphills and twisty descents |
63 miles, or 92 from SF |
| SF to Tomales Bay Oysters |
Who does this? |
100-mile round trip |
| Lagunitas Brewing |
SF ↔ Petaluma |
114-mile loop (ouch) |