Once called "the bridge that couldn't be built,"
today it is one the seven wonders of the modern world. This magnificent span,
perhaps San Francisco's most famous landmark, opened in 1937 after a four-year
struggle against relentless winds, fog, rock and treacherous tides.
Crossing the strait of the Golden Gate from San Francisco
to the Marin headlands for 1.7 miles is the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge,
easily identified by its International Orange color. Opened in 1937, the bridge
was built at a cost of $35 million in principal and $39 million in interest and
11 workers’ lives. The single-suspension span is anchored by twin towers that
reach skyward 746 feet, and was once taller than any building in San Francisco.
To support the suspended roadway, two cables, each more than 7,000 feet in
length and both containing 80,000 miles of wire stretch over the top of the
towers and are rooted in concrete anchorages on shore. More than 10 years in
planning due to formidable opposition, but only four years in actual
construction, the Golden Gate Bridge brought the communities of San Francisco
and Marin counties closer together.
General Visitor Info
Pedestrians including wheelchair users and bicyclists can
go on the sidewalks of the bridge during daylight hours but roller blades,
skateboards and roller skates are not permitted. There are vista points on both
north and south sides of the bridge with parking lots. For information on
sidewalk closures due to construction, visit goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php.
If you can’t visit the bridge in person, do the virtual bridge
walk and don’t forget to check out the view from the top of the south
tower.
How to Get There
From downtown, take #38 Geary Boulevard to Park Presidio
and transfer to #28 northbound to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. If you’re
taking Golden Gate Transit from San Francisco, the #10, #70 or #80 lines will
take you to the bridge.
For additional information, routes and schedules, please
visit the San Francisco
Municipal Transportation Agency andGolden Gate Transit sites.
Surrounding Neighborhoods
Get more information on the neighborhoods here.
Golden Gate Bridge Tours & Photo Experience
Passion. Ingenuity. Danger. Triumph. Learn why the
beautiful Golden Gate Bridge is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World
and hear incredible stories about the challenges and dangers that workers had
to overcome to build the Bridge on personally guided 45-minute tours.
The 2013 tour season runs April 1–Oct. 6, 2013. Tours are
offered seven days per week, six times per day (10:30 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm,
1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm)
Please plan to arrive at the Bridge at least 30 minutes
before your tour time in order to find parking and obtain audio equipment.
Tours leave promptly and tickets are not refundable.
Advance tickets at www.goldengatebridgetour.com or
(877) 349-7625. Walk-up tickets are sold at the Round House, subject to
availability.
Golden Gate Bridge Photo Experience:
Did you ever think you could:
Ride your bike or walk your dog up the main cable?
Let your baby crawl up the cable?
Pose for a family portrait atop the Bridge?
Smooch your sweetie on top of the 746-foot-high tower?
Get a perfect shot of yourself standing in front of the
Bridge, even when it’s completely fogged in?
Yes, you can (virtually), and in just a few minutes'
time! For more information, visit www.ggbridgephotos.org.
Looking to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge? Rent a bike
with Spinlister and
new users can get up to $20 off using the code: RIDEABOUT
Did You Know?
The Golden Gate Bridge has lost 7,500 tons (in weight)
since it opened in 1937.
It is estimated that 5,000 - 10,000 gallons of paint are
used to repaint the Golden Gate Bridge each year.
Three babies have been born on the Golden Gate Bridge. All
of them have been boys.
The name came from the fact that the Golden Gate Strait
(named by John Fremont) is the entrance into San Francisco Bay from the Pacific
Ocean.
International Orange was selected as the color of the
bridge because it provided visibility in the fog for passing ships and also
because it was a color that fit in naturally to the bridge’s setting and the
surrounding land area.
The bridge has only been closed three times due to weather
since it was built; all three times due to high winds gusting close to or over
70 miles per hour.
The bridge has also been closed for visits from dignitaries
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Charles de Gaulle of France and
also on its 50th and 75th Anniversaries.
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