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Marin County & Napa Valley, Part II a
Reaching Marin County from San Francisco
A scenic auto route to Marin County
You’re about to explore one of the most scenic areas of the United States, and by following our route, the beauty starts even before you reach the Marin County coastline, Muir Woods redwoods, or the Napa wine country.
These directions lead you to the start of our Marin County or Napa Valley scenic drives.
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part I (Introduction)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II a (Reaching Marin from S.F.)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II b (Reaching Marin from SFO)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II c (Reaching Marin from Oakland)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part III (Marin County scenic drive)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part IV (Napa Valley scenic drive)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part V (Accommodation suggestions)
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This page tells you how to reach Marin County from San Francisco, with the best scenery along the way.
You can either start in the downtown Union Square and Financial District, where most hotels are located, or from your Fisherman’s Wharf hotel.
From Union Square and Financial District
From Union Square and Financial District
From the downtown Union Square and Financial neighborhoods, begin your scenic drive on any major westbound street. These include Geary, Sutter, and Pine.
One block after crossing busy Van Ness (which is also U.S. Highway 101), turn right—north—onto Franklin Street. Franklin has less congestion than Van Ness/101.
Continue northbound on Franklin to Bay Street. You’ll see the entrance to old Fort Mason directly in front of you.
Turn left—westbound—onto Bay Street.
At the end of the Fort Mason base (on your right), turn right onto Laguna.
When you reach the waterfront, traffic on Laguna veers to the left onto Marina Boulevard. Do this.
You’ll be joining the Fisherman’s Wharf group below.
From Fisherman’s Wharf
From the Fisherman’s Wharf hotel area, drive westbound on Bay Street, which runs several blocks inland from the waterfront.
As you reach the west end of the Fort Mason (on your right), turn right onto Laguna.
When you reach the waterfront, traffic on Laguna veers left onto Marina Boulevard. Do this.
You are joining the group from downtown below.
All travelers from San Francisco
You should be travelling westbound on Marina Boulevard now.
The views along here are incredible at times, but anchored boats usually block the views from the street. You have to get out after several blocks, and join the many San Franciscans who love to walk along this bay front.
The island just off shore is Alcatraz. Can you imagine having been a former prisoner on this island and seeing the city so close by?
The neighborhood facing the bay is called the Marina, one of the most popular places to live in San Francisco.
From this point on in San Francisco, you’ll usually be travelling near the shoreline; so don’t worry if you make a wrong turn. You can always get back on track by knowing that you are somewhere south of San Francisco Bay or the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
As you pass the yacht harbor, most traffic veers slightly left to join U.S. 101 directly to the bridge.
Do this, and drive slightly uphill to reach U.S. 101.
Go northbound on 101.
You are now in the Presidio, a former army base that is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Continue northbound on 101 to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge
You pay no bridge toll going north, but you’ll need $5 cash on your return.
Once on the bridge, stay in the right lane.
You are now on both U.S. 101 and CA Hwy 1. You are entering Marin County.
At the end of the bridge, exit right at the vista point even if it's foggy.
Fog on the bridge tends to run in bands. If you wait a moment, you may be in sunshine. Beautiful views of the bridge and San Francisco can open up in an instant.
If you wish, you can walk out onto the bridge. Have a jacket, as the winds can be strong. This is the only spot on the entire California coastline where there is a sea level break in the coastal range reaching all the way to the inland valleys. The resultant air flows are powerful.
The currents below you are also incredibly strong. Warmer, fresher water from inland waterways fights to get out, and colder Pacific seawater battles to rush in.
All this—the currents and the wind—as well as the length of the crossing, made the bridge extremely difficult to build.
It is truly an engineering marvel.
Notwithstanding the superb safety features in place—including a massive net to catch workers falling—11 men died during construction.
Although completed in 1937, you don't see the original Golden Gate Bridge. Nearly all bridge components have been replaced due to constant corrosion caused by the damp air, except for the innovative suspension cables incased in watertight holders.
Currently, the Golden Gate Bridge is being strengthened—in many cases being made more flexible—to withstand an 8.3 earthquake. The magnitude of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was perhaps 7.9 on the Richter scale. The magnitude of the 1964 Alaska earthquake reached 9.2.
This construction work does not interfere with traffic and will not change the beloved profile of the bridge.
It's time to start your tour of Marin County or Napa Valley!
Use one of the following links to reach your scenic drive:
Go on to Marin County Scenic Drive, Part III, or
Go on to Napa Valley Scenic Drive, Part I
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part I (Introduction)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II a (Reaching Marin from S.F.)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II b (Reaching Marin from SFO)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part II c (Reaching Marin from Oakland)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part III (Marin County scenic drive)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part IV (Napa Valley scenic drive)
Marin & Wine Country Scenic Drive, Part V (Accommodation suggestions)
