Getting to Marin

There are several hikes in Marin that are easy to get to from San Francisco without making a transfer. Check out Angel Island for world-class views from an island one quick ferry away, or go hiking in the Headlands along the ridge above Sausalito on the SCA Trail!

To get outdoors in Marin, it can feel like you have to become a transit planner. Transit in the Bay Area generally does a very good job at having timetables and real-time data on Google Maps, Apple Maps, and the Transit app, so simply using those apps to determine how to get to a specific trailhead is perfectly doable. However, if you know which buses serve the trailheads you are considering, you can understand how many transfers and how long it might take to get to a given park more easily.

When riding Golden Gate Transit and Marin Transit buses, it’s important to tag on when you board and tag off when you get off. The buses charge distance-based fares, and forgetting to tag off can result in a much higher fare than expected. If you forget to tag off, you can contact Clipper customer sevice for a refund of the excess.

• Getting around Marin
  • Muir Woods Shuttle
  • Marin Transit 61
  • Marin Transit 68
• From San Francisco
  • Muir Woods Shuttle
  • Marin Transit 61
  • Marin Transit 68
• From the East Bay
  • Muir Woods Shuttle
  • Marin Transit 68
  • Marin Transit 61

Getting around Marin

There are parks everywhere in Marin. The most famous, however, are mainly located along the two West Marin Stagecoach routes 61 and 68.

Muir Woods Shuttle

The Shuttle is the easiest and most convenient way to get to world-famous Muir Woods. Operating only during the peak season, around March to October, the shuttle runs from either Larkspur Landing ferry terminal or the Sausalito Ferry terminal, depending on the day. Weekend service departs from Larkspur Landing, acting mainly as a parking overflow shuttle, while weekday service offers tourist-oriented ferry connections.

The Muir Woods Shuttle requires advance reservations, and certain runs on busy days do book out.

For more information, visit the Muir Woods Shuttle website »

Marin Transit 61

Route 61 serves Mount Tamalpais, Muir Woods, and beaches from Stinson Beach up to the Bolinas Lagoon. The major transfer points for Route 61 are the Sausalito Ferry Terminal (GGT 120 and Sausalito Ferry) and the Marin City Hub (GGT 120).

Marin Transit 68

Route 68 serves Samuel P. Taylor State Park, Tomales Bay State Park, and Point Reyes National Seashore. The major transfer point for Route 68 is San Rafael Transit Center.

From San Francisco

If the ferry schedule lines up with your plans, it is by far the most alluring way to go hiking. For hiking directly off the ferry, Angel Island cannot be bested; Old St. Hilary’s Preserve and the Morning Sun Trailhead in the Headlands are just over a half-hour walk from the Tiburon and Sausalito ferry terminals respectively, but otherwise you will need to transfer to a bus, in which case it’s almost certainly better to skip the ferry entirely and take a Golden Gate Transit bus from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Transit runs buses half-hourly or better for most most of the day seven days a week, but not all routes serve all transit centers in Marin. All San Francisco departures below are the time of departure from the Salesforce Transit Center.

Read more about the 101 (San Rafael) and 120 (Sausalito) buses on Golden Gate Transit’s website »

Muir Woods Shuttle

The Muir Woods Shuttle runs from March to October weekends and holidays from the Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal, and June to August weekdays (except holidays) from the Sausalito Ferry Terminal to the main Visitor Center of Muir Woods National Monument. For more information, to check availability, and reserve a spot on the shuttle, visit the Muir Woods Shuttle website »

Sausalito (weekdays)

Holiday and spring Friday shuttles leave from Larkspur. Check the location displayed after selecting the number of people traveling.

Outbound: Connections work decently well for the first three ferries of the day. Consider leaving extra time to explore Sausalito, as the ferry landing can be crowded, and the shuttle service recommends arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. Otherwise, catch Golden Gate Transit 120 buses (half-hourly or hourly, depending on time of day) northbound from San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge to Bay & Bridgeway to catch any of the shuttle runs.

Inbound: The final ferry departing Sausalito leaves at 6:30pm. However, if you miss the last ferry, Golden Gate Transit 120 buses run hourly back to San Francisco until nearly midnight.

Ferry Connections at Larkspur (weekends)

The ferry is the fastest way to connect to the shuttle and should be the preferred option unless you want to get to the park earlier than possible with it.

Outbound: Shuttles depart approximately every 20 minutes from 8:00am until mid-afternoon, with the shuttle company recommending arriving 15min before scheduled departure. The earliest ferry from San Francisco departs at 10:45am and arrives at 11:20am, which provides a 20 minute connection to the 11:40am shuttle.

Inbound: The last San Francisco-bound ferry from Larkspur departs at 6:00pm. The shuttle has an estimated travel time of around 30-45 minutes, so when choosing a shuttle time, a departure time of 5:00pm or earlier offers a safer connection.

Bus Connections at Larkspur (weekends)

There is an hourly connection possible from San Francisco. San Rafael Transit Center operates on a timed “pulse”, where the GGT 101 bus arrives 5 minutes before the departure of a large number of local buses. Local buses do not wait for delayed GGT 101 buses.

1. Catch one of the mid-hour (ex: 8:32am, not 8:57am) northbound Golden Gate Transit 101 buses. Get off at San Rafael Transit Center.
2. There is a 5-minute transfer to Marin Transit 228 buses southbound.
3. It’s a 6-minute trip to your stop at E Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Larkspur Landing.
4. Walk 5 minutes to the shuttle stop.

To return, catch the Marin Transit 228 at the same stop and make a pulsed transfer to a southbound Golden Gate Transit 101 at San Rafael Transit Center.

Marin Transit 61

Golden Gate 120 buses start at the Salesforce Transit Center in Downtown San Francisco and make stops as they head toward the bridge. If you’re transferring from BART, catch at Civic Center BART by walking to Larkin St & Grove St. Transfer to Marin Transit in downtown Sausalito at Bridgeway & Bay.

Weekday bus transfers

Weekend bus transfers

Ferry connections

The 61 is not timed to meet ferries in Sausalito. However, it’s a cute town that over a million people visit every year, so it would be entirely reasonable to take a ferry to Sausalito and wander around until the next departure.

Weekday ferry transfers at Sausalito

Weekend ferry transfers at Sausalito

Marin Transit 68

From San Francisco, catch Golden Gate Transit 101 express buses from the Salesforce Transit Center or from Larkin St & Grove St at Civic Center BART. From BART to San Rafael is approximately 45 minutes.

Weekday transfers at San Rafael

Weekend transfers at San Rafael

From the East Bay

East Bay to Marin transit is possible either via the Golden Gate Transit 580 bus across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, or by heading into San Francisco and taking a bus across the Golden Gate Bridge: transfer at Civic Center BART to Golden Gate Transit 101 and 120 buses one block away at the northeast corner of Larkin & Grove. The following charts describe connections from buses heading westbound across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on the 580 bus.

Read more about the 580 bus on Golden Gate Transit’s website »

Like to ride your bike? There are secure bicycle lockers available at San Rafael Transit Center on Tamalpais Ave just north of 4th St for $0.05/hour through the BikeLink app. It’s around 11.6mi one way from the Richmond BART station to the bike lockers in San Rafael, and you can ride one way and bring your bike on the bus the other way.

• Learn how to use BikeLink »
• Learn how to take your bicycle on Golden Gate Transit »

Muir Woods Shuttle

The Muir Woods Shuttle runs from March to October weekends and holidays from the Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal, and June to August weekdays (except holidays) from the Sausalito Ferry Terminal to the main Visitor Center of Muir Woods National Monument. For more information, to check availability, and reserve a spot on the shuttle, visit the Muir Woods Shuttle website »

Larkspur Landing (weekends)

There is an hourly connection possible from the East Bay. For the GGT 580 buses departing El Cerrito at 6:47am and 7:45am, the transfer is 10 minutes; for all other departures, the transfer is 40 minutes.

1. Catch any westbound Golden Gate Transit 580 bus. Get off at San Rafael Transit Center.
2. Transfer to Marin Transit 228.
3. It’s a 6-minute trip to your stop at E Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Larkspur Landing.
4. Walk 5 minutes to the shuttle stop.

To return, catch the Marin Transit 228 at the same stop and transfer to an eastbound Golden Gate Transit 580 at San Rafael Transit Center. This is a 5min transfer.

Sausalito (weekdays)

The quickest way from the East Bay to Sausalito is to head into San Francisco, and then continue on north from there. See San Francisco: Muir Woods Shuttle for more information on how to get from San Francisco to the Sausalito shuttle stop by bus or by ferry.

To take the bus from the East Bay to Sausalito without heading into San Francisco, catch the GGT 580 bus to San Rafael Transit Center and transfer to the Marin Transit 17 bus. This local bus takes approximately 45 minutes to complete its local route to the Sausalito Ferry Terminal.

Marin Transit 68

Certain morning runs of the 580 across the Richmond Bridge make decent connections to the 68. Unfortunately, most daytime runs on both weekdays and weekends arrive shortly after a 68 departs, leaving almost an hour transfer time.

Weekday transfers at San Rafael

Weekend transfers at San Rafael

Marin Transit 61

Transfers to the 61 are complicated, as the GGT 580 and Marin Transit 61 do not directly connect.

Transferring to the Marin Transit 61 requires taking the GGT 580, to the Marin Transit 71, to the Marin Transit 61. Transfers from the GGT 580 to the Marin Transit 71 are scheduled as a “pulse”, with a comfortable and consistent 10 minute transfer. The 61’s inconsistent schedule means the second transfer from the 71 is not as consistent, and trips should be planned around that.

Weekday transfers

Weekend transfers

Transfer tables on this page were updated in April 2026 using the MASCOTS schedule updates from Marin Transit, Golden Gate Transit, and Golden Gate Ferry. Verify timetables before leaving; in general, agencies update their timetables twice annually in January and in August.