Mount Tamalpais is the hill that every Bay Area rider eventually climbs, a long dark ridge across the Golden Gate that from the city looks like a sleeping woman on her back. The summit road starts in the town of Mill Valley and follows the Panoramic Highway through redwood and bay laurel, past the trailhead at Pantoll, to the Rock Spring and East Peak turn-offs. East Peak tops out at 2,571 feet, and from the car park a short walk takes you to the fire lookout and a view that takes in the city, the bay, the Pacific and, on the very best days, the Sierra Nevada.
The mountain has a quirky history. In 1896 a railway opened that wound up from Mill Valley to the summit in 281 curves, soon known as the crookedest railroad in the world, and visitors rode up to a tavern at the top. The line closed in the 1930s after a fire, but the Old Railroad Grade, a gentle fire road, follows its bed and is popular with walkers and mountain bikers. Since 1913 the Mountain Play has staged a musical each spring at a natural rock amphitheatre on the slope, drawing thousands of picnickers.
On a motorcycle, the roads here are a matter of patience and attention. They are narrow, shaded and twisty, with limited sight lines, steep drop-offs and cyclists in numbers, particularly at weekends. The surface suffers from damp and tree roots, and speed limits are low. Fog can fill the lower forest while the summit stays clear, and in winter, ice and fallen branches are possible. Mornings are lovely, with a clean light and few cars.
Fuel and food are in Mill Valley and Kentfield, where you will find bakeries, cafés and delis, and there is nothing on the mountain itself apart from a small snack stand at times in summer. Fill up before you climb, carry a layer, and leave time at the top for the view, since it is the reason the road exists.