15 miles, 3 cities, 1 greasy spoon — the scenic route to SFO |
A man with a rolling suitcase stood by the curb outside Oracle Park on Friday morning, and as I rode by on my bicycle, I couldn’t help but ask if he was also headed to San Francisco International Airport. “No,” he responded with overt confusion.
Several minutes later, at a tight bike path intersection outside Chase Center, I made room for an incoming trio also on wheels. A mother and her two boys, both strapped in those helmets with the silicone mohawks, passed by. When I volunteered my final destination, the mom called out: “That’s a great way to get there!”
I think it’s reasonable to bike to SFO.
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Getting to the airport is one of the foibles of air travel, often considered more stressful than the flight itself due to driving and parking. So last week, I set off from our newsroom in downtown San Francisco to glide along the bayshore toward the international terminal at SFO, roughly 15 miles away.
SFGATE travel editor Silas Valentino rides past the United Airlines San Francisco maintenance center during a bike ride from downtown San Francisco to SFO on April 17, 2026.
A sign lets bicyclists and motorists know about a bike route to SFO on South Airport Boulevard on April 17, 2026.
SFGATE travel editor Silas Valentino and social video editor Melissa Cho ride their bicycles down the bike lane on Terry A Francois Boulevard in San Francisco on April 17, 2026.
Reaching an airport by bike is inconceivable if you’re a heavy packer, but it’s not out of the question if you attach panniers or fly with just a backpack.
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Pink McDowall lives in the SoMa district — we connected after I left a note on their bike, locked at the SFO rack. McDowall told me it’s their preferred mode for traveling to SFO, which they do often, whether for work or leisure. “It’s really nice to get some exercise before a long flight,” they said. “And it makes you very conscious of what you’re bringing on your trip. It helps you be thoughtful: Do I really need that?”
San Franciscans are particularly blessed since few other international airports are more celebrated for bicycle infrastructure than SFO. It has multiple bike parking areas and service stations, and it’s routinely ranked among the best in the country for bike-to-flight travel.
Equally important, the ride is enjoyable, and mostly flat. I’ve explored many corners of the city on bike, but this trip put me on a few new avenues and gave me a more intimate sense of some neighborhoods that are easy to overlook when zipping by in a car or on public transit. The ride also ends with an absolute novelty for flying in 2026: free parking at SFO.
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SFGATE travel editor Silas Valentino and social video editor Melissa Cho get ready to ride their bikes from the San Francisco........