Route!

For those inclined to take on a little more adventure, you might enjoy sending it up the back-side of Mt. Tam on a gravel bike. If you want to enjoy yourself a bit less, do it on a road bike — like my buddy and I did. This route will surely give you those saddle sores you’ve been avoiding all season, but the buckets of beautiful scenery and espresso donuts make it all worth the pain.

This route takes you from the Golden Gate Bridge, through Sauce town (Sausalito), into the lush-green Mill Valley, and up what used to be an old railroad road. This gravel route up the back-side of Mt. Tam is a favorite among gravel riders, mountain bikers, hikers, and local group rides like PAS (Pas Normal).

Old Railroad grade is a nasty “little” climb that winds up the east side of Mt. Tam. Starting in Mill Valley, it stretches out 5.3 miles over chunky rocks, ruts, and outcroppings before reaching the West Point Inn. Being new to the area, of course, I wanted to see what North Bay’s gravel scene is like. Not being ones to follow along with all the gravel bike hype that seeped its way into the cycling community, my buddy River and I chose to ride road bikes on this particular adventure. What a mistake that was. I thought that when folks around here say “gravel”, they mean nicely groomed, grated, and uniform gravel roads like they have back home in North Carolina. But boy this ride showed me I need to shake that association real fast.

This particular gravel climb is a nasty one. The climb used to be a railroad track back in the late 1800s, making it one of the windiest railroads in the world. A tasty 5% grade filled with enough stimulation to keep your ass numb from all the bumps and your fists clenched around the bars as you get bucked back and forth. Challenging and limited options for line choice force you to weave back and forth over the road, searching longingly for the smoothness that promises sweet relief for your bum. Some sections are just unavoidably bumpy, however. Again, doing this on a gravel bike with some fatter tires will make you float a bit easier up the long road, but probably not by much. It’s climbs like this that remind you how weak your core has gotten. I guess this also largely depends on your riding position; for me, an aggressive road stance put a lot of strain on my lower back which screamed at me the whole way up. But the plus side is that the views along Old Railroad grade will surely blow your pain and suffering away. Stunning you with the gorgeous mountains giving way to the sparkling crystalline waters of Richardson Bay, sleepy Sausalito, and the San Francisco Skyline (on clear days).

There were no mechanical issues on this ride, surprisingly. Lots of sharp chunky rocks threaten to blow out your sidewalls if you’re not careful! If anything does go wrong, you’re likely to find both nutritional help from passing hikers and mechanical assistance from the assortment of riders who like this challenging climb. One funny thing I noted was the brutal honesty some of the riders and hikers had. One hiker called River’s bike “a piece of crap” as he trudged along. One rider questioned my sanity as they passed me, to which I assured them that my bike choice was a calculated decision — definitely NOT insane…

Moving on.

A tasty little road segment splits the climb, albeit the road being almost as rough and chipped as a gravel road. The final kilometer is marked by a sharp left turn into some more paved bliss. The speed difference between the unpaved and paved sections is massive. The top of this climb doesn’t really summit to anything too impressive. As we crested the top of the climb, our heart-rates settled back down to less concerning numbers once again.

We descended into a section of the Seven Sisters, near the junction by Cushing Amphitheater, then took Pantoll road down to the ranger station where we continued our descent on the Panoramic Highway. Winding your way down the dark and flowy road feels amazing as you rip the corners. Most of the turns can be taken with a good amount of speed. Though the grade is gentle enough for less experienced descenders to still have a good time. The descent ends at a T. to the right you’ll find a café stop at Stinson Beach, to the left is more climb. I had a nice café in mind back in Sausalito so we continued to the left, climbing up the coastal highway.

The Panoramic Highway will take you all the way back toward Sausalito, providing you with more breathtaking views of the ocean and surrounding cliffside. The turquoise waters would look so enticing if it weren’t for the 100ft drop onto the beach below. This section of the route is your first climb since Old Railroad Grade, which might feel a bit harsh on your stiff legs (from all the descending), but the climb itself isn’t too steep or long — 5% grade and 1.26 miles in length. The traffic can get a little thick on these roads and the bike lane is somewhat narrow, but it’s nothing too crazy for the bay area. On the left, three long rusty pipes protrude from the mountainside, begging you to fill your bottles with its fresh mountain water. Two more climbs not longer than 1.75 miles follow before you descend back into Sauce Town.

In Sausalito, we stopped at the Equator Coffee shop just off Bridgeway Road for a cortado and a vegan espresso donut. The café has two bike parking hangers for the hoards of cyclists that come through every weekend. 

The Sausalito road climb back to the bridge is always a fun punchy climb to really drain everything from the legs before sending it back into SF, over the Golden Gate Bridge once more. On weekends be prepared for scooter-folk, families biking with unaware children, and wannabe Instagram influencers taking bridge selfies as they the whole path. It might not be the best idea to do your last interval coming back over the bridge at this time. Too many unaware innocent children and casual cyclists get in the way and make it dangerous for anyone going over 15mph. There is no reason to go fast and be an ass through this section if it means putting yourself or some unaware family in danger. 

Back over the bridge and into the city you go! You’ve done it. You’ve conquered the infamous gravel road on the back of Mt. Tam. Infinite kudos to the ones bold enough to do it on road bikes (and I’m not just thinking about myself and River). Cheers!

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