Marin County - Top Bike Climbs

#1
Mt. Tam via Panoramic Hwy North
USA, CA
#2
Mt. Tam via Fairfax-Bolinas Road
USA, CA
#3
Mt. Tam from Miller Ave
USA, CA
#4
Mt. Tam via Muir Woods
USA, CA
#5
Mt. Tam via Hwy 1 South
USA, CA
#6
Mt. Tam from Marion Ave
USA, CA
#7
Fairfax-Bolinas Road
USA, CA
#8
Mt. Tam via Alpine Dam
USA, CA
#9
Mt. Vision
USA, CA
#10
Limantour Road
USA, CA

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

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Statistics: View Tutorial

Total Climbs: 15
Top 100 World: 0
Avg. FIETS (Top 5): 3.9

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Showing All 15 Climbs

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FIETS
1 - 25
26 - 50
51 - 75
76 - 100
over 100
Climb Info

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Mount Tamalpais
United States (CA)
8 ROUTES
0 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
100
mi
DISTANCE
21,416
ft
ELEV. GAIN
Sonoma County
United States (CA)
19 ROUTES
39 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
269.3
mi
DISTANCE
41,801
ft
ELEV. GAIN

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FULL SUMMARY

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.

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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.  

We have researched and documented for this page the 30 hardest and most difficult bike climbs ever included in the Tour de France. 

The all-time hardest bike climbs of the Tour de France 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. We feel this page provides a good summary of the top, hardest and best bicycling climbs of the Tour de France.

The 10 hardest bike climbs ever to appear in the Tour de France are %TOP10 

Also visit our 2023 Tour de France Home Page for all the stages, climbs, details of the 2023 Tour de France as well as all the historical data for the Grand Tour.