Golden Gate Bridge Conzelman Road (Northwest) Parking Lot
AKA “The Northwest Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot”,
“The GGNRA Coastal Trail Trailhead Marin Headlands Parking Lot”,
“The North Tower Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot”,
& “The Dillingham Parking Lot”
…and even, “The one on the other side of the freeway from Vista Point!”
(Whew, that’s a lot of names for one parking lot!)
Conzelman Road near Alexander Ave., Sausalito CA 94965 (See map below)
No office or phone.
Walkers and Bike Riders: To take the safest and most beautiful route from the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito you will use the sidewalks at this location. The video below starts just below the lot.
Note: this parking lot goes by many names, which is one reason it is known to far fewer people than its larger cousins. Between government and online sources, alternate names to Conzelman Road Parking lot include:
- The Northwest Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot, which is an accurate description of its location
- The GGNRA Coastal Trail Trailhead Marin Headlands Parking Lot, (or some subset of that mouthful of words) since it serves that role for the Marin side of the Coastal trail in the GGNRA, anchoring the trail next to the Golden Gate as it leads west across the bluffs of the Marin Headlands to Rodeo Beach
- The North Tower Golden Gate Bridge Parking Lot, which is logical since it’s closer to the North Tower than the South Tower!
- The Dillingham Parking Lot, so named informally because Dillingham Construction Co. used it for their equipment and employee parking for an extended period when they were working on earthquake retrofits for the Golden Gate Bridge.
Conzelman Road Parking Lot Address for Your GPS: Use “Conzelman Road at Alexander Avenue, Sausalito CA 94965.” This will place you just down the hill from the entrance to the parking lot, which will be on your left as you drive up the hill. This parking lot is not shown on most maps, although it was extensively improved for the 2012 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. Google Maps lists it as a “Trailhead” (see map below) with a sub-caption as a parking lot. The driveway that leads from Conzelman Road is unnamed so there’s no street sign.
Insiders Tip: If you want to walk across the span from the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge and DO NOT want to drive into San Francisco itself or pay a toll to cross twice to park at Vista Point, this “secret” lot at the north end is your destination. Local bike riders in particular, however, know about this lot, so on nice weekends you can’t count on finding an open space without a wait, and on busy summer days that wait could be a long one.
There are porta-potties here, and actual bathrooms are accessible via the passageway to Vista Point.
Click here for Golden Gate Bridge bike ride information, and you can click here for information on walking from here to Sausalito in addition to reading the information below. We also have a page about walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The satellite map below is a close-up of the two parking lots at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The larger lot on the right is the famous Vista Point, which has a big sign and its own freeway exit.
The smaller one on the other side of the freeway is the undocumented Conzelman Road lot, which does not appear on street maps.
A path for pedestrians and bikes leads down from this parking lot to the western sidewalk of the Bridge. Pedestrians and weekday bike riders take the walkway under the Bridge (a fun part of the trip!) to reach the eastern walkway.
Insiders Tip: On the weekend pedestrians should look out for bike riders as you walk down the dual-use path from this lot before reaching the Bridge. Almost all are considerate, but some first-time-Bridge-bikers incorrectly think this path is bikes only and aren’t expecting to see pedestrians. One guy yelled at me for walking on a designated sidewalk, and I saw his more experienced companions blanch and give me the “Sorry — he doesn’t know the area” look.
The Best Bike and Pedestrian Route from the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito
Signs were painted on the pavement so bike riders and pedestrians bound for Sausalito would bear left in the lot, and those going to the Marin Headlands would go right. In the photo above we have superimposed the words below the images so the signs are easier to read. Both paths are mixed use for hikers and bike riders.
The recent upgrades to this lot included a path that allows visitors who have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and want to go on to Sausalito to to bypass the dangerous Sausalito Lateral’s speeding traffic and instead go through Fort Baker. This is a more beautiful route as far as a far safer and more comfortable pathway.
The route through Fort Baker rejoins the main road just outside the southern edge of populated Sausalito.
The entrance to the path to Fort Baker and Sausalito is pictured below.
How to Get To Conzelman Road Parking Lot: Mass Transit
From San Francisco via Muni: Muni Route 76 crosses the Golden Gate Bridge and stops at the entrance to the Conzelman Road parking lot.
From Marin via Golden Gate Transit: Route 30 and Route 92 stop at Alexander Ave. and Danes Drive (where the sign identifies the turnoff for Bunker Road), but you then have to cross the Sausalito Lateral (with high speed traffic) and walk about a quarter mile up the hill to reach Vista Point. From there a passageway under the Bridge leads to the Conzelman Road Parking Lot.
How to Get To Conzelman Road Parking Lot: Driving
Insiders Tip: Since this parking lot and often fills up on weekends and during the summer, if (and only if) you’re coming from the south on Highway 101 you can park in Vista Point lot and take the passageway (described below) under the road to Conzelman Road Parking Lot.
Driving via Northbound Highway 101: Take the Sausalito-Alexander Ave. exit just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Bear left immediately and you’ll come to a stop sign. Turn left onto Alexander Ave. and go under the freeway, then make the first possible right turn onto Conzelman Road. The entrance to the parking lot is the first (and only) left turn on Conzelman.
Driving via Southbound Highway 101: Take the Sausalito Alexander Ave. exit just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. You’ll come to a stop sign. Turn left onto Alexander Ave. and almost immediately make the first possible right turn onto Conzelman Road. The entrance to the parking lot is the first (and only) left turn on Conzelman.
Driving from Sausalito: Follow Bridgeway southbound all the way out of town. The road will change names several times but it will take you all the way up to Highway 101. You will now be on Alexander Ave. Take Alexander under the freeway, then make the first possible right turn onto Conzelman Road. The entrance to the parking lot is the first (and only) left turn on Conzelman.
Access to Vista Point and Golden Gate Bridge Bridge East Sidewalk
The passageway itself is a surreal — though loud — place to walk.
Insiders Tip: It’s very loud inside this passageway when you’re actually under the Bridge roadway. If a huge truck travels over the expansion joint that’s over this location it sounds like someone fired a rifle from ten feet away. If you’re sensitive to loud noises you should cover your ears or wear earplugs and hustle your way along here.
