2.9
PDI
1.8 mi
DISTANCE
538 ft
GAINED
5.8 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
Page Contributor(s): Ian Dennis, Occidental, CA
INTRO
Ride up Conzelman Road on a clear morning and the Golden Gate Bridge sits just off your left shoulder, so close it fills the frame, with the city stacked up behind it. By the top you're higher than the north tower. Hawk Hill is the short climb that buys you that view: 1.8 miles (2.8 km) from the bottom of Conzelman to the top of the road at 810 ft, gaining 538 ft (164 m) at 5.8%. It's the first climb nearly every visiting rider does in San Francisco, and the one locals time themselves on to see where their legs are.
It starts with the hardest bit of the lower road - close to 9% for the first 0.3 mile up to the hairpin at Battery Spencer, where the tour vans pull in. From there you get a bike lane along the cliff edge, a couple of spots where the road nearly levels off, and the roundabout at McCullough Road at 1.1 miles. Above the roundabout the lane ends, the road narrows and the last 0.6 mile is the real work: about 7%, with a tenth of a mile over 9%.
The road doesn't end at the top. Past Hawk Hill it turns one-way and plunges toward Point Bonita at around 18%, with the Pacific straight ahead - riders who've reviewed this page keep telling us that descent is the best part of the ride, and we agree. If you'd rather just look, the hill above the road is part old fort, part bird blind: Battery Construction 129, a World War II gun battery begun in 1942 and abandoned by 1944 without ever being finished or named, and the spot where Golden Gate Raptor Observatory volunteers count migrating hawks every fall - well over 10,000 raptors in a season, most of them red-tails and turkey vultures, mid-August into early December.
The classic way to ride it is our 18-mile loop from the south end of the bridge, across, up Hawk Hill, down the one-way and around the Headlands back to the start (Map).
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With a PRO Membership you can use this climb as a reference when creating your route. Hawk Hill climbs 538 ft (164 m) in 1.8 miles (2.8 km) at 5.8%, from 272 ft (83 m) at the bottom of Conzelman Road to 810 ft (247 m) at the top of the road, just below the summit of Hawk Hill. It's two different climbs joined at the McCullough Road roundabout.
Mile 0 to 0.3: The steepest sustained stretch of the lower road - 8.5 to 9% from the Alexander Avenue turn up to the hairpin at Battery Spencer. This is also where you'll find the steepest half kilometer of the climb, 8.6%.
Mile 0.3 to 1.1: Stepped and easy to pace. The road swings west along the cliffs with a bike lane, mixing 3 to 6% with one short 8% kick near mile 0.4 and two almost flat stretches around miles 0.6 and 0.9. You reach the roundabout at about 585 ft.
Mile 1.1 to 1.8: The climb proper. About 230 ft in 0.6 mile at 7%, with the steepest tenth (9.2%) between miles 1.3 and 1.4 and another 8% tenth after it. The steepest full kilometer, 7.2%, sits here. It backs off to 4 to 6% for the last couple of hundred yards to the top.
Steepest 100 yards: 9.7%. If you start your watch at the bridge, add the flat roll to the Conzelman turn - and save something for the 18% one-way drop on the far side.
Roadway: Smooth, wide National Park Service pavement - Conzelman was rebuilt in the early 2010s and sealed again in 2019 - with a striped uphill bike lane from the bottom to the McCullough Road roundabout. Above the roundabout the road is narrower with no lane. Past the top it turns one-way, downhill only, all the way to Field Road near Point Bonita, so you can't ride back up that side: the way home is Field Road to Bunker Road, then either east through the Baker-Barry Tunnel to Alexander Avenue or up McCullough Road to the roundabout. Lower Conzelman closes for big running events (the Golden Gate Half on the morning of November 1, 2026, for example); the Golden Gate National Recreation Area alerts page lists them.
Traffic: No through traffic, but plenty of visitors: rental cars circling for a spot at Battery Spencer and the pull-outs, tour vans, rental bikes and people walking in the road with cameras. It's busiest on weekends, holidays and around sunset. A weekday morning is the quietest time. Expect wind on the upper half, and a cold, damp top when the fog is in.
Parking: Two of the best places to park to start a ride in San Francisco are the lots on either side of the Golden Gate Bridge: (North) (South). We always start our rides from one of these two - the south lot sets you up for the full loop across the bridge, the north lot puts you a few minutes from the bottom of Conzelman. The park warns about break-ins at bridge lots and overlooks, so leave nothing in the car. Check out our Ride Suggestions in the Full Summary for full ride ideas including this climb.
Gear: At 1.8 miles and under 10% anywhere, any road bike handles it - the steep part is the one-way descent, so check your brake pads before you go. What matters more is clothing. Hawk Hill is exposed, the wind off the Pacific picks up, and a sunny morning at the bridge can turn into a gray, dripping, chilly top when the fog rolls in. Pack a vest or a wind shell in a jersey pocket, even in July - you'll want it for the plunge to Point Bonita. A rear light helps in the Baker-Barry Tunnel on the way back (it has a bike lane on each side).
Provisions: There's nothing to buy on Conzelman Road, so fill bottles before you start. At the south end of the bridge, the Round House cafe (Equator Coffees, open daily from 8 or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) is the obvious coffee stop, and Sausalito, a couple of miles down Alexander Avenue, has the cafes and delis for the post-ride stop.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
The loop: There's an extremely popular 18-mile loop across the bridge that includes Hawk Hill (Route) - about 2000 ft of climbing from the south bridge lot, over the bridge, up Conzelman, down the one-way toward Rodeo Beach, then back up McCullough Road for a second pass at the top before rolling back to the bridge. It has its own page too: Hawk Hill Loop. Want a real day? Keep going north to Mt. Tam. For more ideas to plan your climb, check out our full ride ideas in the Full Summary.
Crossing the bridge: Bikes ride free on the sidewalks 24 hours a day, but which side depends on the day and the season. Weekdays, it's the east sidewalk from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the west sidewalk after that, until 9 p.m. in daylight saving time and 6:30 p.m. in standard time. On weekends and holidays in daylight saving time both sidewalks are open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.; in standard time it's the west sidewalk only until 6:30 p.m. At night you ride the east side and buzz the security gate at each end. The limit is 15 mph, 5 mph around the towers, and pedestrians have the right of way - on a summer weekend that means a lot of slowing down.
Worth a stop: Battery Spencer, a short walk from the first hairpin, is the classic bridge photo. From mid-August into early December, walk up to the hawk watch on top of Hawk Hill. The Point Bonita Lighthouse trail at the bottom of the one-way is open only on the third Saturday of the month, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Gravel riders can head into the Headlands fire roads on Bobcat Trail or Marincello.
Needless to say, there's no shortage of world class hotels in the San Francisco area, and if you're staying in or near the city you absolutely cannot miss out on attempting a few of the Top 10 Steepest Climbs in San Francisco.
We also recommend staying on the east side of the bay, either in Walnut Creek (access to Mt. Diablo) or the San Jose area (access to Mt. Hamilton and Mt. Umunhum), three of our all-time favorite bike climbs in California.
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Huber.J
Agreed with the other comment about taking the 18% gradient descent - breathtaking views on the other side!
ErosPoli
Even better if you start from the bottom of Conzelman Dr (Fort Baker). That will give you about 780 feet of elevation in 2.4 miles.
lirizar1
Absolutely amazing views! Highly recommend going down the 18% grade at the end rather than doing the out and back route and coming up McCoulough Road to loop back around. The views on the backside are even better than the climb!!!
