 49-Mile Scenic Drive | |
|---|---|
 49-Mile Scenic Drive highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained bySan Francisco DPW | |
| Length | 48.8 mi[2][3][4] (78.5 km) |
| Existed | September 14, 1938 (1938-09-14)[1]–April 2020 (2020-04)[citation needed] |
| Major junctions | |
| Loop aroundSan Francisco | |
| Major intersections | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Francisco |
| Highway system | |
| Streets in San Francisco | |
The49-Mile Scenic Drive is a historic scenic road tour highlighting much ofSan Francisco,California. It was created in 1938 by the San Francisco Down Town Association to showcase the city's major attractions and natural beauty during the 1939Golden Gate International Exposition.[1]
Originally beginning atSan Francisco City Hall and ending onTreasure Island, the route has been modified several times since.[5] By 1999, the route formed a loop proceeding counterclockwise from Civic Center Plaza, and its length was closer to 48.8 miles (78.5 km).[6][2][3][4] Modern signage for the route, depicting a seagull in profile on a sky blue background, were erected in 1954 and maintained by theSan Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic.[7] Owing variously to its length, its labyrinthine route, and the difficulty of driving through a bustling city, the drive remained relatively unpopular with tourists and locals alike.[1][7] Permanent closures to vehicular traffic on John F. Kennedy Drive inGolden Gate Park and onGreat Highway in the 2020s made the loop discontinuous.[8][9]
In 2019, theSan Francisco Chronicle proposed a non-driving alternative that it called the49-Mile Scenic Route.
The drive begins onPolk Street oppositeSan Francisco City Hall. CirclingCivic Center Plaza and passingBill Graham Civic Auditorium, theSan Francisco Public Library's main branch, and theAsian Art Museum, the route continues north along Larkin Street throughLittle Saigon before turning ontoGeary Boulevard and proceeding west upCathedral Hill.[10] After enteringJapantown, the drive turns north onto Webster Street before immediately returning east along Post Street, where it continues pastJapan Center,Lower Nob Hill, andUnion Square.[11]
AtGrant Avenue, the route again turns north and entersChinatown through its Dragon Gate. Drivers are soon directed ontoCalifornia Street and up Nob Hill, passing its landmark hotels. Turning north atGrace Cathedral, the route then directs drivers east onto Washington Street, passing theSan Francisco Cable Car Museum, then south onto Powell Street for one block before descending east along Clay Street, back into Chinatown.[12] AtPortsmouth Square, the route proceeds north along Kearny Street for two blocks and turns northwest ontoColumbus Avenue, enteringNorth Beach. After passingCity Lights Bookstore and turning onto Grant Avenue once more, the route travels for six blocks upTelegraph Hill before turning west ontoLombard Street nearCoit Tower. Passing theJoe DiMaggio Playground, the route turns north towardFisherman's Wharf on Mason Street.[13]
At Jefferson Street, the route proceeds alongside the waterfront—passingAquatic Park and theSan Francisco Maritime Museum with several quick turns heading into theMarina District nearFort Mason.[14] Over the next few miles, the route passes nearly all of San Francisco'sGolden Gate National Recreation Area locations. The route detours through theMarina Green parking lot and takes a path of residential streets to thePalace of Fine Arts, the most prominent remaining structure from the 1915Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Continuing for a few blocks each on Baker, Bay, Broderick, Chestnut, and Lyon streets, the route enters thePresidio at Lombard Street.[15]
At 8.6 miles (13.8 km),[2] the route passes theLetterman Digital Arts Center, proceeds onto Presidio Boulevard, and continues onto Lincoln Boulevard. The route detours through the Presidio's Main Post before returning to Lincoln Boulevard nearSan Francisco National Cemetery. Passing aboveCrissy Field andFort Point, under theU.S. Highway 101 (US 101) approach to theGolden Gate Bridge, and aboveBaker Beach, the route exits the Presidio intoSea Cliff.[16] Continuing along El Camino del Mar intoLincoln Park, the route passes theLegion of Honor and exits the park into theRichmond District. Turning westward onto Geary Boulevard, drivers proceed several blocks and continue onto Point Lobos Avenue, soon reaching theSutro Baths andCliff House.[17]
At 15.2 miles (24.5 km),[3] the route proceeds due south along the city's Pacific coast onGreat Highway, passingOcean Beach, the edge ofGolden Gate Park, theSan Francisco Zoo, and skirtingLake Merced before returning north on Lake Merced Boulevard pastSan Francisco State University and continuing through theSunset District along Sunset Boulevard.[18] The route then enters Golden Gate Park and winds through it for about 5 miles (8.0 km)[19]—circling Stow Lake; passing theJapanese Tea Garden,San Francisco Botanical Garden, andCalifornia Academy of Sciences; turning at theAIDS Memorial Grove; and exiting the park's East Portal at Stanyan Street.[20]
Briefly skirting theHaight-Ashbury andCole Valley neighborhoods, the route ascends Parnassus Street and passes theUniversity of California, San Francisco's main campus. Turning south onto 7th Avenue in the Inner Sunset, the route curves aroundMount Sutro and theLaguna Honda Reservoir before turning east and climbingTwin Peaks. From Twin Peaks Boulevard, drivers are directed into the north peak's parking area and offered unobstructed views of the city below. The route then descends intoCorona Heights—built to take full advantage of the views at this height. Winding its way down the hill, the route takes drivers past theRandall Museum before descending east along 14th Street into San Francisco's prominentgay neighborhood,The Castro.[21] Now 36.6 miles (58.9 km) into the drive,[4] the route turns southward along tree-lined Dolores Street, passingMission San Francisco de Asís andMission Dolores Park while splitting the Castro,Mission District, andNoe Valley en route toCesar Chavez Street. At Cesar Chavez Street, the route continues east throughPotrero Hill before abruptly directing drivers onto northboundI-280.[22]
After about 40 miles (64 km) ofsurface streets, the route travels along I-280 for the final 1.5 miles (2.4 km)[23] of that freeway, exiting nearMission Bay andOracle Park. It winds alongThe Embarcadero and underneath theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge—once the final leg of the route before itsTreasure Island terminus. AtMarket Street, the route crosses in front of theFerry Building and shortly thereafter turns westward along Washington Street to enter theFinancial District. Proceeding south on the often-congested[24] Battery Street, the route crosses Market Street and enters theSoMA neighborhood on 1st Street. Turning again at Howard Street, the route passes theSFMOMA,Yerba Buena Gardens, andMoscone Center before making its final turn onto 9th Street, crossing Market once more, and returning to Civic Center Plaza. The route ends where it began, in front of City Hall, after traveling 46.3 miles (74.5 km).[2][3][4][25]
In the late 1930s, residents of San Francisco and the greaterBay Area celebrated the completion of both theGolden Gate Bridge andSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. In July 1938, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt was given a vehicular tour of the city, including its two bridges, with SenatorWilliam Gibbs McAdoo and MayorAngelo Joseph Rossi before speaking at theTreasure Island fairgrounds, site of theGolden Gate International Exposition of 1939–40.[26] Later that year, the San Francisco Down Town Association devised a route from behind City Hall to Treasure Island that was originally titled the "50-Mile Scenic Drive", marking the way with blue and gold triangular signs.[1] The name was changed shortly thereafter—probably with marketing intentions—to reflect San Francisco's approximate area (46.9 square miles (121 km2)) and reference theCalifornia Gold Rush of 1849, from which the term "forty-niner" originates.[5] The Down Town Association produced brochures highlighting the scenic drive for tourists.
On September 14, 1938, the 49-Mile Scenic Drive was officially opened byDouglas Corrigan, who had achieved fame (and his nickname, "Wrong Way") earlier in 1938 for claiming to fly fromNew York City toLos Angeles but ending up inDublin.[1] Corrigan drove at least part of the route in reverse on that day.[27]
After the Golden Gate International Exposition was closed in 1940, control of Treasure Island was transferred to theU.S. Navy, and the drive was rerouted for the first time. DuringWorld War II, civilian access to thePresidio was closed, the route effectively closing along with it.[5] In 1947, the drive reopened with an expanded southeastern segment, which now continued south pastMission San Francisco de Asís toExcelsior,McLaren Park, andVisitacion Valley before returning via theBayshore Freeway and Bryant Street to The Embarcadero.[28]
In 1954, the Down Town Association held a contest to design a new sign to mark the route, offering the winner a $100 prize. Local artist Rex May submitted the winning entry, a seagull in profile on a sky blue background with white and orange text.[5] The signs have proved a popular target for theft and many portions of the route are unsigned. The San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic, which manages the signs, attempts to replace them when they are informed.[7]
By 1976, the drive had been rerouted once more. The initial segment now moved west from Van Ness Avenue through Japantown, showcasing the recently completed Japan Center. A more complex loop through Chinatown included a trip up Nob Hill. A formalized detour toFort Point was indicated, and the route now turned in Lincoln Park to reach Cliff House via Geary Boulevard instead ofFort Miley. A longer route through Golden Gate Park now included a circle of Stow Lake from the north, and the southeastern loop to Visitacion Valley was truncated and replaced by a turn on Army Street (Cesar Chavez). Finally, a new segment onInterstate 280 allowed the drive to return to The Embarcadero.[29]
In 1999, the route was again modified. Changes included beginning at Civic Center Plaza rather than on Van Ness Avenue, removing the former detour to Coit Tower, and traveling on Howard Street instead of Market Street at the end of the route.[6]
In April of 2020, John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park was closed to vehicular traffic. In 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to permanently keep the 1.5-mile stretch of JFK Drive closed to vehicles, making it a permanent car-free route known as the JFK Promenade.[8]
On March 14, 2025, a two-mile stretch of Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean was closed to traffic permanently.[9]
With the road closures in 2020 and 2025, and with no alternative routes either planned or proposed by the San Francisco Department of Public Works, the agency unofficially but effectively decommissioned the Scenic Drive.[citation needed]
The 49-Mile Scenic Route is a modern reimagining of San Francisco's historic 49-Mile Scenic Drive, designed to offer a walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly exploration of the city's diverse neighborhoods and landmarks. Initiated by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub in 2019, this updated route emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity, moving away from the car-centric approach of the original drive. It is a scenic tour of San Francisco designed to be accessible to non-drivers.[30] It is an alternative to the 49-Mile Scenic Drive.
In 2019, Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight of theSan Francisco Chronicle wrote a series of articles about a proposed new scenic route. They started by doing the existing scenic drive via a variety of non-car modes of transport to figure out what works when not driving. After publishing their initial experience,Chronicle readers were invited to take a survey about the proposed scenic route.[31]
The route measures just over 49 miles, and adds neighborhoods such asIngleside,The Bayview, andBernal Heights, as well as multiple parks. The scenic route also highlights independent bookstores, neighborhood theaters, museums, art galleries, and restaurants.[32]
While the scenic drive started at City Hall, the scenic route starts at the San Francisco Chronicle building at 5th and Mission. Like the drive, the route proceeds counterclockwise around the city. The section from the Financial District to the entrance of the Presidio is the same on both the scenic route and the scenic drive. The route leaves off some parts of the Richmond District and Sea Cliff.[32]
