Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is a magical place. It’s a place where I’ve seen coyotes, snakes, slugs, salamanders, wild turkeys, and more! It’s a place where the air has a distinctive scent that is unmistakable. It’s a place where I’ve found peace, inspiration, runspiration, hope, and the most epic views in the Bay Area.

I’m talking about the Marin Headlands! Should you tackle the long option for our adventure run (8.5ish miles), you’ll get a quality taste of this magical place. If you’re tackling the short route (4.8 miles), you’re still tackling a magical course as you’re crossing the bridge and getting some pretty amazing views!

Here’s a link to the course map for this magical adventure run….

Adventure Run 4.8ish/8.5ish miles

Here’s the lowdown on navigating this ‘magical’ adventure run…

• Head up Long Avenue from the Warming Hut and take an IMMEDIATE left to head towards LONG AVENUE. Long Avenue is effectively a short hill that heads up towards Lincoln.
• Everyone will head up Long Avenue along the shoulder until you reach a stop sign. This is LINCOLN. Take a right on to the paved cyclist/pedestrian path and follow this path to your right. Stick to this path as it heads towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Make sure that you are on this path and NOT on Lincoln. You do not want to be running on Lincoln for this course.
• You will follow the path for roughly 1/2-3/4 of a mile. There will be a few points at which the path may fork, but stick to the MAIN path. You will soon see the Golden Gate Bridge approaching.
• You will reach a point where you can continue running and run underneath the bridge or take a hairpin LEFT and wind your way up to the pedestrian side of the bridge. You want to do the LATTER and turn left and head onto the pedestrian side of the bridge.
• Continue towards the North end of the bridge. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! THERE ARE TYPICALLY A REASONABLE NUMBER OF TOURISTS WHO AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION. BE SMART AND BE POLITE IF YOU NEED TO GET AROUND SOMEONE.
• Continue to the end of the bridge to the Visitor Center. This is 2.4 MILES. You can stop here to grab some water, use the restroom, and/or take a gel, clif shot, etc. If you’re tackling the short route, you will turn around here and return to the Warming Hut for 4.8 miles!
• If you’re tackling the long route, you’ll run underneath the bridge. There’s a funky little paved path that goes underneath the bridge and ends in a parking lot. From here, you’ll connect with Coastal Trail and your adventure continues!
• You’ll zig zag up Coastal Trail across Conzelman Road and continue on SCA Trail (2.7 miles). There are some QUALITY hills on this run, so there’s no shame in walking a few of them to catch your breath!
• At the t-intersection of SCA @ Slacker Trail, you’ll turn LEFT (3.6 miles).
• Continue to the bottom of Slacker Hill Trail (4 miles). Head up Slacker Hill and take in the incredible view at the crest! Take a few deep breaths and descend to continue with our adventure.
• At the bottom of Slacker Hill (4.4 miles), turn LEFT and continue on Slacker Trail to the restrooms just past McCullough Rd (4.7 miles).
• Continue on Coastal Trail running parallel to Conzelman Road until you reach the Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point (5.6 miles). Take a breather and a few pics at this AWESOME SPOT!
• Continue on Coastal Trail and turn RIGHT at the Conzelman Road crossing and follow the trail to the parking lot (6 miles).
• Follow the paved path under the bridge and connect to the pedestrian path. Follow the pedestrian path back across the bridge and back to the Warming Hut the way you came for a total of 8.5 miles.
• *NOTE-While the long route is a ‘mere’ 8.5 miles, it’s no mere 8.5 miler! This route is beautiful, but includes many hills, technical terrain, and 1,700+ feet of ascent/descent. With this in mind, I’d recommend bringing water/fluids, GU Energy products (we can provide!), and focusing on ‘level of effort’ while tackling any hills. Again, there’s no shame in taking a walk break or two!