Bike camping in Kirby Cove: For years I’d wanted to camp here (and use it as an easy introductory S24O ride for some friends interested in trying out bike camping who didn’t want to ride 40 miles each way to Samuel P Taylor or Point Reyes), but the reservations fill up three months ahead within minutes of being posted online.
I finally managed to snag a Saturday night slot and mustered a posse. We biked up carrying two boxes of firewood, all our water, and a pile of victuals from the farmers’ market (Jimmy Nardello peppers and peaches for the grill, and onions, potatoes, sausages with fresh herbs and butter to wrap in foil and toss on the coals) for a delicious, satisfying meal.
It was a great place to camp– only four sites so relatively private, and just a three-minute walk to a sand beach looking in the Golden Gate. And the ride itself was relatively short (just about 8 miles each way from the SF Ferry Building) and accessible– adventurous friends even brought their baby daughter. Though there’s a hill up from the bridge and then a shouldn’t-have-been-surprising-in-retrospect long dirt hill to get to the camp site, so not a completely easy ride when pulling trailers or fully loaded. I’ll be back.