My girlfriend, Sarah, took me on this route for my first ever 50k, and what a route it was! If you <3 beautiful trees and coastal plains then this is the route for you, as there is no shortage of either along the entirety of the 50km - truly stunning.
We each brought 1.5l of water, which was a comfortable amount of hydration considering the conditions. It wasn't especially hot but the UV index was relatively high so it felt a good deal hotter, and we drank a good bit of water as a result. We refilled at Cardiac ~18 miles in.
We briefly made a wrong turn on Dias Ridge Trail but corrected our error before ending up all the way down at Muir Beach. This detour only added .5 miles, and some additional pretty views though, so it was more than fine.
Possibly the best route in the Bay! 10/10 will do again!!!
We parked at Golden Gate Bridge and Ubered to the start line in order to streamline driving logistics. Our driver could not have been worse at operating a motor vehicle, and we both started the run with fairly significant nausea as a result, but the aforementioned stunning views helped settle our stomachs after a few miles. Not having to deal with two cars made it worthwhile anyway.