San Francisco

Views, views, and more views bring skaters to the city of San Francisco, where trails along the Embarcadero and Ocean Beach offer glimpses of everything from the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges to Alcatraz Island and the windswept Pacific coast. But the city's skating hub is Golden Gate Park. Every Sunday (and soon, we hope, Saturdays too), a section of this 1,017-acre green oasis closes to traffic so skaters can slalom, stair ride, and just plain fool around without worrying about inattentive motorists with cell phones.

San Francisco itself sports a very active inline community dedicated to recreational skating as well as roller hockey, roller dance and speedskating. Several local shops sponsor and promote a host of skating events, while the California Outdoor Roller Skating Association (C.O.R.A. -- linked from our home page) puts on the infamous Midnight Rollers Friday Night Skate, plus other year-round events for roller and in-line skaters of all skill levels. If you're planning an extended visit to San Francisco, be sure to contact C.O.R.A. to find out about upcoming events.

South of San Francisco, the rolling coastal hills continue down the Peninsula to the Dumbarton Bridge. Over on the coast, Half Moon Bay offers skating alongside the Pacific, while San Francisco Bay's western shore is almost totally lined with paved trails. Inland, local favorites are the Sawyer Camp Trail and Canada Road, located right on top of the San Andreas Fault.

Trail City Distance Scenic Ability Pavement
Sierra Point Public Trail Brisbane 2 mi
Scenic Beauty - 2 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
Bayside Park/ Airport Hotel District Burlingame 7 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Rough
The City of the Dead Colma 3 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Smooth
Foster City Loop Foster City 12 mi
Scenic Beauty - 2 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
Foster City Shoreline Trail Foster City 8 mi
Scenic Beauty - 2 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
Half Moon Bay Beach Trail Half Moon Bay 6 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Rough
Bayfront Trail/ Dumbarton Bridge Menlo Park 18 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality OK
Golden Gate Park San Francisco 2.5 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
Lake Merced San Francisco 4.5 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality Smooth
Marina Green San Francisco 8 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Smooth
Midnight Rollers Friday Night Skate San Francisco 12.5 mi
Scenic Beauty - 2 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Advanced
Pavement Quality Rough
Monday Night Skate San Francisco 10 mi
Scenic Beauty - 4 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Advanced
Pavement Quality OK
Ocean Beach San Francisco 6 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Rough
State Recreation Area San Francisco 3 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality Smooth
The Embarcadero/ Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco 12 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality OK
The Embarcadero/ South Beach San Francisco 4 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
The Presidio San Francisco 4 mi
Scenic Beauty - 4 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality Rough
Treasure Island San Francisco 2 mi
Scenic Beauty - 4 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Beginner
Pavement Quality OK
Canada Road San Mateo 7.6 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality Smooth
Sawyer Camp Trail San Mateo 12 mi
Scenic Beauty - 3 of 4
Minimum Suggested Ability - Intermediate
Pavement Quality OK
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