Oakland Hills to Downtown San Francisco: I Timed the Commute by Bike and Ferry
Can I get to downtown San Francisco from the top of the Oakland Hills just as fast as someone who already lives in the city?
That's the question I set out to answer. I took my mountain bike from the top of the Oakland Hills down to the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. No car, no BART, just my bike and the ferry. My target was an hour and fifteen minutes, which is roughly how long it takes to get from the western side of San Francisco to downtown on transit.
A lot of people looking at homes here assume the Oakland Hills is too far away from the city. So I thought it'd be fun to start from the very top and see if I could make it downtown in about the same time as someone catching a bus across San Francisco. And give you a tour of Oakland along the way.
The starting line: Redwood Regional Park
The ride begins on West Ridge Trail. West Ridge and East Ridge together make a nine mile loop around Redwood Regional Park, with a ton of smaller hiking trails cutting through the middle. Redwoods, creeks, picnic areas, shaded singletrack.
The whole thing feels much further from the city than it actually is, and that's the part a lot of people moving to the Bay Area don't realize. Oakland has a ridiculous amount of nature inside the city limits. Plenty of people who live in San Francisco have barely been over here.
You're commuting to a glass tower to stare at a screen all day. You're starting in what feels like a remote forest.
From there I dropped into Joaquin Miller. West Ridge is better for cross-country riders who want to crank out miles and get views, but I prefer downhill, so I took Cinderella, the best-known legal mountain bike trail in Oakland.
One thing worth saying clearly: this part of the route is 100% optional. There's a smoother, much less extreme way down. This is just the version I think is the most fun.
Piedmont Pines: redwoods, and a hill for every errand
Castle Drive is one of my favorite streets in Oakland. You're right next to the redwoods and still a couple of minutes from Montclair Village, which has all the essentials. Coffee, groceries, restaurants, gas.
Homes around here run roughly $1 million to $2.5 million.
This is the version of Oakland that doesn't match the reputation people have in their head. You get trees, quiet, views, and trail access out the front door. You also get hills, narrow roads, fire risk, and a life where almost every errand means going downhill and then back up. To me that's a fair trade. It isn't for everyone, and I'd rather you know that before you buy here than after.
Crocker Highlands and Trestle Glen
Heading down, the route passes through Crocker Highlands and Trestle Glen. Still Oakland, close to Lake Merritt, connected to the city, but calmer and more residential.
This is not a hidden affordable alternative. These are some of the most expensive homes in Oakland, in the range of $1.5 million to $2.5 million depending on the house.
The neighborhood sits right on the border of Piedmont, which is technically its own city but is completely surrounded by Oakland. Piedmont has some of the most expensive housing in the East Bay, with sales over $10 million. The feel of the streets changes fast here: bigger homes, more traditional architecture, wider roads, more manicured yards. Also Oakland, and also nothing like the Oakland people argue about online.
Lakeshore and Lake Merritt
Lakeshore is one of Oakland's most walkable neighborhoods. Coffee, restaurants, shops, groceries, easy access to the lake, and a farmers market every Saturday. The one real gap is BART access, which isn't convenient from here.
This is also where the commute stops feeling like a scenic bike ride and starts feeling like city life.
Lake Merritt is Oakland's answer to Dolores Park, except instead of one hill full of people it's a three mile loop around the water. On a sunny day you'll see people running, walking dogs, sitting by the water, getting coffee, meeting friends.
It's also where the ride gets busier. More cars, more pedestrians, more stoplights, more people opening their car doors without looking.
Downtown Oakland
Downtown is where the commute gets less beautiful. It feels rough around the edges in places, and I wouldn't describe downtown Oakland as thriving right now. There are still good restaurants, beautiful old buildings, and parts of it I like a lot, but it's uneven block to block. It's also one of the areas buyers aren't looking at much at the moment.
If I did this ride every day, I'd adjust the route slightly to skip a few of these lights. I caught every single red. Even if a detour added a couple of minutes on paper, I'm pretty sure I'd get through it faster.
Jack London Square and the ferry
A few more blocks and I was at Jack London Square, Oakland's waterfront. Old warehouse buildings, restaurants, bars, Amtrak nearby, and the ferry terminal.
The San Francisco Bay Ferry runs from Jack London Square to the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco, and it takes bikes. You roll on and park it. Instead of bridge traffic or a crowded BART car, you cross the bay with one of the best views of San Francisco you can get. Tourists ride this route just for the view.
There's indoor and outdoor seating, wifi, snacks, coffee, and beer. BART is practical. The ferry is fun.
The trade-off is the schedule. You have to time it, and if you miss the boat you're waiting 30 to 40 minutes for the next one. Not the fastest option every time. Easily the most enjoyable.
The last mile
From the Ferry Building to the Salesforce Tower is about a mile with a lot of stoplights, but it moves quickly. Straight up the Embarcadero and through downtown.
One hour and nine minutes, door to door.
The route I just took is what a lot of people would be happy to get on a weekend. If you live in the Oakland Hills, it can be your Tuesday.
Thinking about the Oakland Hills?
I'm a real estate agent working in the Oakland Hills and across the SF Bay Area. If you're weighing the hills against a neighborhood in San Francisco, or you just want to know what a specific street actually feels like at 7am, get in touch.