Cycling with you to the summit!

SIGN UP

SHARE WITH FRIENDS

Facebook

Twitter

Other

Marin County - Top Bike Climbs

Mt. Tam via Panoramic Hwy North

USA, CA

Mt. Tam via Fairfax-Bolinas Road

USA, CA

Mt. Tam from Miller Ave

USA, CA

Mt. Tam via Hwy 1 South

USA, CA

Mt. Tam via Muir Woods

USA, CA

Mt. Tam from Marion Ave

USA, CA

Mt. Tam via Alpine Dam

USA, CA

Fairfax-Bolinas Road

USA, CA

Mt. Vision

USA, CA

#10

Limantour Road

USA, CA

ALL CLIMBS

PJAMM TRIPS

MEMBER COMMENTS

Cross the Golden Gate and enter the enchanted cycling world of Marin County. This page contains the top bike climbs in Marin County, including the most popular route up to Mount Tamalpais which in our opinion is the best bike climb pound for pound in the Bay Area. We have cycled in 31 countries over the past decade and the out and back from San Francisco, across the Golden Gate up to Mount Tam (then walk to the observation viewpoint at West Peak) is a Top 10 all-time best cycling experience (bring mountain bike shoes and pedals or walking shoes for the 1/4 mile hike to the top).

The hardest, most difficult and challenging cycling climbs in Marin County are, in order of difficulty, 1. Mt. Tam via Panoramic Hwy North, 2. Mt. Tam via Fairfax-Bolinas Road, 3. Mt. Tam from Miller Ave, 4. Mt. Tam via Hwy 1 South, 5. Mt. Tam via Muir Woods, 6. Mt. Tam from Marion Ave, 7. Mt. Tam via Alpine Dam, 8. Fairfax-Bolinas Road, 9. Mt. Vision, and 10. Limantour Road

The top road bike climbs of Marin County can be viewed on this page via the map (zoom in to view climbs in particular areas), by Climb Cards (photo and stats) or by a detailed list of the climbs that can be arranged in metric or imperial units by difficulty, distance (longest climbs in the area), altitude gained, highest elevation (highest summit), average grade (sort the grades by varying distances), lowest start point, etc. Click on "Climb Page" to jump to the detail page for that particular bike climb. This page provides an excellent and comprehensive summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs in Marin County.

Our PJAMM Adventure App preloaded Mount Tam page is located at the bottom of this page.

Climb List: Marin County
(sort by distance, difficulty, elevation and more)

View:

Statistics: View Tutorial

Total Climbs: 15

Top 100 USA: 15

Avg. PDI (Top 5): 13.1

Sort By Attribute:

Display:

Showing All 15 Climbs

Measurement System

USA Rank

PDI

1 - 25

26 - 50

51 - 75

76 - 100

over 100

Gravel

Style

Climb

Location

Climb Info

SHERPA MAP ELEVATE YOUR ROUTE PLANNING

We've partnered with Sherpa-Map.com to bring you the best route planning tool. With Sherpa Map you can plan your route up a PJAMM climb or use their route generator and custom map styles to plot your next big ride.

VISIT SHERPA MAP

PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES

Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure.

ALL TRIPS

Browse all of our prepackaged trips and find your next adventure!

Mount Tamalpais

United States (CA)

8 ROUTES

0 POIs

ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)

100

DISTANCE

21,416

ELEV. GAIN

Sonoma County

United States (CA)

19 ROUTES

39 POIs

ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)

269.3

DISTANCE

41,801

ELEV. GAIN

MEMBER COMMENTS

Already have an account?

Cycling Mt. Tamalpais from Alpine Dam - view of San Francisco and SF Bay from top of Mt. Tam

Cycling Marin County, Mt. Tamalpais

Mt. Tam is the centerpiece of all road bike climbing in Marin County

View of San Francisco from Mt. Tam’s West Peak

Marin County is an exceptional place to climb hills and a mountain by bike. This county has it all for cycling: the Pacific Coast, riding through redwood trees past lakes, and on up to Mt. Tamalpais which offers views of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay that beat any other location.

Mt. Tamalpais from Alpine Dam

THE MOST POPULAR ROUTE TO THE TOP OF MT. TAMALPAIS

We have plotted five routes to the top of Mt. Tam (Alpine Dam, Muir Woods, Fairfax-Bolinas Road, Panoramic Highway, Panoramic Highway North), and Alpine Dam is the most popular by a good stretch. This climb begins at serene Alpine Reservoir in western Marin County, rides through the redwoods, along a ridgeline with the Pacific Ocean to our right, and on up to Mt. Tamalpais’ West Peak with the greatest views of San Francisco anywhere.

Mt. Tamalpais via Panoramic Hwy North

THE MOST DIFFICULT ROUTE TO THE TOP OF MT. TAMALPAIS

Cycling Mt. Tamalpais from Panoramic Highway North, View from Mt. Tam’s West Peak

Most difficult bike climb in Marin County

Ride 6.6 mile gaining 2,378’ at 6.8% average grade.

Boasting an impressive 5.02 FIETS index, Mt. Tamalpais from Panoramic Highway North is by far the most difficult bike climb in the area. This climb begins at the popular coastal town of Stinson Beach, and is divided into three legs: The 3.6 mile stretch of Panoramic Highway from Stinson Beach, onto the 1.4 section of Pantoll Road, and then the final stretch of 1.5 miles along Ridgecrest Boulevard.

Mt. Tamalpais from Muir Woods

THE MOST SCENIC START TO THE TOP OF MT. TAMALPAIS

Cycling to Mt. Tamalpais West Peak from Muir Woods

Ride 8.9 miles gaining 2,484’ at 5% average grade.

Marshall Wall East

THE MOST RUSTIC AND AGRICULTURAL BIKE CLIMB IN MARIN

Cycling Mt. Tamalpais from Muir Woods - Cyclist at Mt. Tam West Peak with San Francisco in background

Cycling the Marshall Wall East, Marin County, CA

2.8 miles gaining 553’ at 3.7% average grade.

Don’t seek this climb out for a significant challenge, as using the term "Wall" to describe this ascent is a bit of a misnomer. That being said, there is much to be seen on this climb by way of a landscape composed of almost exclusively rugged pastureland with some views of Tomales Bay, the Pacific Ocean and Marin County's Arroyo Sausal Reservoir.

Mt. Vision

THE MOST REMOTE BIKE CLIMB IN MARIN

Mt. Vision

Mt. St. Helena center photo

This is an "outlier" climb by Marin County standards -- only 1,030 Strava segment attempts as of August 29, 2015 versus over 30,000 for climbs closer to "civilization" and the very popular Mt. Tam routes. However, this is an enjoyable and unique climb in a remote area of Marin where you are likely to encounter no one during your 4.4 mile trek to the top. There are great views of the Pacific Ocean and coastline to the west and one spot where we have a great view of Napa County's Mount St. Helena some 50 miles north.