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How to Plan for Golden Gate Bridging

Whether you are traveling from out of state or over the bridge, planning can be the most exciting part of the trip…especially for the girls. Depending upon where you are coming from, will depend on the extent of your travel arrangements.

Below are a number of helpful resources:

By clicking the following links, you may leave the GSNC Web site. These links are provided for informational purposes only. GSNC does not endorse or guarantee the content of any of these sites.

GGB Frequently Asked Questions

Please download and review the frequently asked questions about the Golden Gate Bridging (GGB) before contacting the council. Click here to download the 2008 Golden Gate Bridging FAQ.

San Francisco Guides
Where to stay in the San Francisco Bay Area?
How to Travel to the San Francisco Bay Area
Transportation

San Francisco Guides

With so many things to see and do in SF, where do you start?

  1. First, ask your girls what they would like to see while in the city!
  2. Then order the SF visitor guide from the San Francisco Visitors Center. This guide will provide you with a variety of maps and coupons for San Francisco. Click here to order the SF visitor's guide.
  3. As a troop, look online or in books at all the awesome things to do while in the Bay Area. For a resource of the most visited tourist destinations by troops during the GGB weekend, please reference Places to Go, Things To Do in San Francisco (PDF).
  4. The links below include a variety of tourist options, suggestions on where to go with kids in SF and interactive maps to help make your planning process easier:
Other useful web sites include:

Kids in San Francisco

Interactive Maps of San Francisco

For a unique view of the city, click on the interactive maps of San Francisco and zoom in on points of interest.

Where to stay in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Tips on how to decide where to stay:

  1. Ask your girls what they want to see in SF. This answer will help guide where your troop stays in San Francisco. Most troops stay close to where they are visiting.
  2. Decide how much your troop can afford to spend on hotel arrangements.
  3. For a less expensive way to stay in SF, please check into GSNC Council Properties or Hostelling International.
  4. Please note that hotels near Pier 39 & Fisherman's Wharf can be extremely expensive compared to hotels in other areas of the city.

Girl Scouts of Northern California Properties

GSNC has multiple properties that troops can rent for GGB 2008. Each site below has been reserved for troops participating in GGB 2008.

Click here to download our campsite rental brochure.

  • Ida Smith - Small campground located in SF, NO showers on-site, bathrooms separate from main house. On-site Kitchen & BBQ pits. Indoor sleeping is limited. This site is mainly used for tent camping. Sleeping bags needed.
  • Camp Bothin - located in Marin County (25 minutes North of the Golden Gate Bridge), dormitory housing, on-site showers and kitchens. Sleeping bags needed.
  • Camp Arequipa - located in Marin County (25 minutes North of the Golden Gate Bridge), Indoor & Outdoor Sleeping. On-site showers and kitchen. Sleeping bags needed.

Hotels

GGB Travel Agent - For assistance booking a hotel in SF, please contact Gretchen Gates, the GGB Travel Agent, she is assisting troops locate a great hotel for a reasonable price in SF.  Click here to download the GGB Travel Arrangement form.

The Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf - Is SOLD OUT for GGB 2008

The Radisson at Fisherman's Wharf - Is SOLD OUT for GGB 2008

Tips on Booking a Hotel Online:

  1. Search around…a lot!
  2. Bed types are usually not guaranteed unless you book through the hotel directly.
  3. Online reservations are usually not treated as a "group reservation". Meaning booked rooms will be located throughout the hotel and not together.
  4. Usually the most guaranteed way of booking any hotel room is to go through the hotel directly. However, it is always good to shop around! If you find a better deal online, please call the hotel and ask them to honor it.
  5. Always call to verify your reservations.

Hostelling International

All Hostelling International locations are SOLD OUT for GGB 2008!

 

How to Travel to the San Francisco Bay Area

Traditionally troops drive private vehicles, rent a van, charter a bus, or fly to the Bay Area for this event.

Plane Tickets

Tips on how to reserve flights online:

  1. Book Early!
  2. Including Saturday night in your visit will greatly reduce the cost of the plane tickets.
  3. Use online Flight Comparison Tools
  4. When checking flights, please check the rates with the San Francisco and Oakland Airport. The cost will vary depending upon which state you are departing from.
  5. If your troop is staying in San Francisco we suggest flying into the San Francisco Airport. This will reduce additional travel time, especially if your troop is arriving on Friday afternoon.
  6. Please plan for a 1-2 hour commute from Oakland into San Francisco on Friday afternoon.

Traveling

Car Rentals

Transportation

The event takes place mostly in the Presidio, which is apart of the National Park Service and is located on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge. For your own research purposes (i.e. MapQuest directions or MUNI, bus, and train lines) the address to use for GGB 2008 is 603 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94129.

Public Transportation

The event is completely accessible by public transportation; however, it takes a lot of time and good planning to make it work. If you are flying into town on the day of the event and want to use public transportation, plan on it taking 2-3 hours for you to get from the Oakland or San Francisco Airport to the event.

Click here for the fastest way to plan your public transportation route.

  1. Go to www.511.org
  2. Under the Transit link choose Take Transit Trip Planner
  3. Enter the address of your hotel (or your starting point)
  4. Enter the destination address which is: 603 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94129. (please make sure to enter the zip code otherwise you will be directed to another part of SF)
  5. The web site will automatically map out the public transportation routes needed to get to Crissy Field, the cost of each route, and the time needed to make the journey across the city.

Driving

If you're planning to drive please carpool as much as possible. Directions and information on how to park will be included in your confirmation packet. Parking fees are included in the participant costs.