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ALERT: The Golden Gate Bridge District and CHP close the North Vista Point and the Welcome Center parking lot at the South Vista Point to passenger cars from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on most high-traffic summer and holiday weekends. We have all the details from past closures here. See below for other parking lots farther from the Bridge that will remain open, but arrive early to have the best chance at getting a spot.
Golden Gate Bridge Parking Guide
We have the only complete list and map of Golden Gate Bridge parking lots on the Web. Whether you come for bike riding or you come for walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, the parking at the Golden Gate Bridge can be tricky, especially if you’re coming from the north. Scroll down for maps and a list of more than twelve different places to park — including some unpublished parking lots — with Insider Tips and links to mass transit options that let you skip all the hassles of parking!
ALERT: Car break-ins and thefts have become common in California due to a change in criminal punishments, and the Golden Gate Bridge parking areas are no exception. Locals have gotten used to always putting everything in their trunks when they park. If you rent a car, be sure it has a trunk or other space where you can hide suitcases etc. It is not as common in Sausalito as in San Francisco and larger cities, but there is nowhere in California where this is not an issue.
The Bridge is ringed with a series of parking lots, but given that each end of the structure is anchored on a rocky promontory high above the Bay there are lots of complications in access and availability for each lot. The most popular lot, which contains the Welcome Center, has the fewest spaces! We have unpublicized lots as well as the official parking areas all listed below, including one parking lot that isn’t even displayed on area road maps! Scroll down for all the details.
Insiders Tip: You only pay a toll crossing the Golden Gate Bridge southbound into San Francisco. Driving north to Sausalito is free. Pedestrians and bikes cross the Bridge for free.
Insiders Tip: Pedestrians are required to walk on the eastern sidewalk of the Golden Gate Bridge, the side facing San Francisco. On weekends and on weekdays after 3:30 PM bike riders use the western sidewalk, facing the Pacific Ocean. The rest of the time they have to share the eastern sidewalk with pedestrians.
Insiders Tip: On weekends and holidays, especially during the summer and early autumn, many of the parking lots for the Golden Gate Bridge can fill up (even the semi-secret ones), especially from mid-morning through the afternoon. Consider using the mass transit options we list for each parking lot.
SOUTHERN GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE PARKING AREAS (SAN FRANCISCO SIDE)
Numbers on Map Correspond to Parking Lots Listed Below — Scroll Down for Interactive Google Map
1. Southeast Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot, South Vista Point, Strauss Plaza & Welcome Center
If you’re coming from San Francisco This is the easiest and most-visited entry point to the Bridge, and even if you park in one of the overflow lots (as is likely during popular visitor times) it’s the best place to start your visit to the Bridge if you’ve never been here before.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
Insiders Tip: The new earthquake-resistant Doyle Drive has largely been completed, with much of it buried in tunnels to open up parkland above. Coming north on either route to the Bridge from San Francisco get in the extreme right hand lane a full mile before you reach the toll plaza and watch carefully for signs for the last San Francisco exit so you turn off before crossing the Bridge. It’s easy to miss, and if you’re not in the right lane already when you see the signs you may not be able to get over in time.
Walkers and weekday bike riders can proceed directly from this lot to the east walkway of the Bridge to walk across. Weekend bike riders take an underpass to reach the western walkway, where bikes are required to go on Saturday and Sunday.
2. Weekends Only: Employee Parking Lot, West Side of Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza
This lot is only available on weekends for a flat fee of $5 per day.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
3. Fort Winfield Scott Parking Lot on Lincoln Boulevard
Click here for our detailed page on the Fort Winfield Scott Parking Lot near the Golden Gate Bridge.
This lot was taboo for Bridge visitors for decades, but is now OK to park in since the Presidio became part of the GGNRA.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
4. Langdon Court Overlook of Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot
This lot is a mix of asphalt, gravel and dirt/sand. It was intended to serve the Overlook, but during construction (which has closed other lots) it is a de facto Bridge overflow lot.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. from San Francisco. Drive up the hill from the Fort Winfield Scott parking lot and Langdon Court (really a driveway into the parking lot) will be on your right.
5. Fort Point Parking Lot (beneath the Golden Gate Bridge)
Click here for our detailed page about Fort Point, including its parking lot!
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
It’s also the location of a famous scene from the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo. The walk up the hill to the Bridge is somewhat steep, though short.
6. Crissy Field “West Bluff” Parking Lot on Marine Drive
It’s not too long a walk to the Bridge from the Crissy Field West Bluff parking area, which is just west of the traffic circle on Marine Drive, but you do have to climb a fairly steep, short path up the hill.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
7. Coastal Trail Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot
Just up the hill from the employee parking lot next to the Toll Plaza is another lot, which just re-opened in 2016 after being remodeled and re-paved. Stepping just a few paces down a path from this lot also reveals a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge looking directly north along its roadway.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
8. Battery East Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot
Downhill from the main South Parking Lot on Lincoln Blvd. going towards Fort Point, the Battery East lot is an auxiliary lot newly repaved and remodeled for 2016. This lot has a view of the Golden Gate Bridge that rivals that of the famous picture postcard view from the Vista Point at the southern end of the Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via tunnel under Bridge.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Lincoln Blvd. or Mason St. from San Francisco.
NORTHERN GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE PARKING AREAS (SAUSALITO SIDE IN MARIN COUNTY)
Letters on Map Correspond to Parking Lots Listed Below — Scroll Down for Interactive Google Map
A. Vista Point and North Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot (Sausalito Side)
Click here for our detailed page about Vista Point and the Golden Gate Bridge Northeast Parking Lot.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes
Access from Highway 101 South: No (See Vista Point page for pedestrian route from Conzelman Road lot)
Access via City Streets: No (See Vista Point page for pedestrian route from Conzelman Road lot)
The Vista Point parking lot at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge can only be reached coming from the south. Since the Bridge toll is only collected from cars traveling southbound, you will have to pay a toll to reach that northern lot, even if all you do is turn around and re-cross the Bridge. If you’re going to San Francisco anyway it doesn’t matter — just stop to visit the Bridge on your way back north. But if you come from Sausalito or points north and the Bridge is your final destination you want to try to park at the Conzelman Road Parking Lot.
B. Conzelman Road: The Northern Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot That’s Not on the Maps
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Alexander Ave.
If you’re coming from the north and not planning to cross the Bridge into San Francisco this is the easiest lot to use, but it is small and often full at popular times on weekends and during the summer.
Many local maps have no label on the street that serves as the entrance to this lot, and have no label on the parking area. Google Maps (where much of the labeling is done by users) just calls it “Trailhead,” which is accurate since it also is in fact a trailhead. But local bike riding and hiking groups know all about this lot, and now you will, too!
C. Fort Baker GGNRA Parking Lots
The good news: these lots are reasonably close to the north end of the Bridge and you can usually find a place to park here. The bad news: the lots are gravel and you have climb up the steep road to the top of the hill to reach Vista Point on the eastern side of the Bridge and the Conzelman Road Parking Lot on the western side.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Bunker Road.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Bunker Road.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Alexander Ave and East Road.
D. Conzelman Road Golden Gate Bridge Parking & View Turnouts
Click here for our page introducing the series of turnouts and small parking areas past the main Conzelman Road lot, each with parking for as few as eight cars. As the name suggests, most of these are not really parking lots but areas where Conzelman Road was recently widened to allow cars to turn out and park so people can see the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Skyline. These are perfect spots for cherished photos of the Bridge. Some (like those near Battery Spencer) are also adjacent to other points of interest.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Conzelman Road.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Conzelman Road.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Conzelman Road.
E. Fort Baker Pier GGNRA Parking Area
There are a few spaces near the pier that are a city block or two closer to the Bridge than the large Fort Baker lots. The Pier itself offers spectacular views, but you still have climb the steep road up the hill to reach Vista Point on the eastern side of the Bridge and the Conzelman Road Parking Lot on the western side.
Access from Highway 101 North: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Bunker Road.
Access from Highway 101 South: Yes, via Alexander Ave. and Bunker Road.
Access via City Streets: Yes, via Alexander Ave and East Road.
