Loading Page...

How high is the Golden Gate Bridge above the ocean?

The bridge's two main towers each rise 746 feet above the water and are strung with 80,000 miles of cable. The Golden Gate Bridge is a historical landmark and has carried well over two billion vehicles since opening to traffic.



People Also Ask

Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge lies the wreck of the City of Chester, a steamboat that sank on August 22, 1890 at 10 a.m. The boat was impaled on the steamer Oceanic, arriving from Asia, and sunk in six minutes.

MORE DETAILS

5 Fun Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge
  • The bridge is actually not golden at all! It's a bright red-orange.
  • It was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
  • It took four years to build.
  • There are approximately 600,000 rivets in each of the bridge's towers.
  • It's the most photographed bridge in the world.


MORE DETAILS

How long does it take to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge? The bridge is 1.7 miles across, so it's about a 35 minute walk each way. If you do the Hop On Hop Off bus tour, you can walk one way and catch the bus at the other end (Vista Point) to avoid the return walk.

MORE DETAILS

You can walk or bike across the 1.5 mile art deco-inspired bridge and enjoy sweeping panoramic views to the Pacific, Marin Headlands, San Francisco Bay to the sparkling lights of the city. It's a unique way to experience San Francisco — and best of all, it's absolutely free!

MORE DETAILS

The Golden Gate Bridge is closely monitored to make sure it does not exceed its stress limits due to traffic, wind and seismic loads. We can look forward to at least another 80 years of this engineering masterpiece.

MORE DETAILS

Total length of Bridge including approaches from abutment to abutment is 1.7 miles (8,981 ft or 2,737 m). Total length of Bridge including approaches from abutment to abutment, plus the distance to the Toll Plaza, is 9,150 ft (2,788 m).

MORE DETAILS

On the other side of the bay, there is a plethora of scenic, worthy attractions near the bridge. Once you get across, you'll be in Golden Gate Park National Recreation Area, at the foot of Mount Tam. You'll spy rocky ocean cliffs and rolling hills, and mind-boggling views.

MORE DETAILS

Olson has noted that the Golden Gate is a particularly lethal means of killing oneself: While the average survival rate of bridge deaths is 15%, only 4% of people who jump from the Golden Gate survive.

MORE DETAILS

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special-purpose district that owns and operates three regional transportation assets in the San Francisco Bay Area: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Ferry system and the Golden Gate Transit system.

MORE DETAILS

Drivers crossing the bridge only have to pay for tolls if they are driving across the bridge southbound or when entering San Francisco City. If you will be crossing the bridge to head to Marin County (northbound), you will not be charged for tolls.

MORE DETAILS

The toll increases are part of separate five-year programs that were approved by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority and the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District in recent years to address rising operational costs and low ridership numbers since the pandemic.

MORE DETAILS