Touring * Fitness * Beginner * Historic * Artistic *

Entering the city on U.S. 101 from over the Golden Gate Bridge, take the 19th Avenue/Golden Gate Park exit. After emerging from the tunnel, cross four city blocks and turn right (west) on Geary Boulevard. Veer right onto Point Lobos Avenue when you reach 40th Street. Point Lobos meets the shore in eight more blocks. The road turns south down a steep hill. Park at the bottom of the hill on the street, now called the Great Highway. To start from the south end, take Sloat Boulevard west to the Great Highway. Cross the Great Highway and park at the beach parking lot. The trail begins north of Sloat, on the east side of the highway.

Wild, windblown, and foggy most of the time, Ocean Beach is a far cry from its warm, sun-drenched Southern California counterparts. But it's the place to be on one of those hot Indian Summer days in the fall, when the rest of the city is wilting under the heat. From the bottom of the Point Lobos hill, start by skating south on the Esplanade (the pavement is a bit uneven), which takes you past the western end of Golden Gate Park and a couple of windmills. At Lincoln Way, the southern border of the park, cross to the other side of the street. Here begins two miles of a well-maintained, but rough-surfaced, asphalt trail, which ends at Sloat Boulevard and the San Francisco Zoo (no skating allowed). You can also start this trip at the zoo and skate north. More adventurous skaters will want to skate up the hill at the north end of the Esplanade to the Cliff House, a popular, if touristy, restaurant with a fine view of the ocean and the southern end of San Francisco. Make sure you have good downhill or braking skills for the skate back before attempting the climb. Watch out for the pedestrians on your descent. They're more likely to be looking at the view than at you. If you're game for more, you can find good street skating with light traffic and moderate slopes in the residential areas to the east of the Great Highway and south of Golden Gate Park.