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Pulgas Water Temple loop from San Mateo

Pulgas Water Temple loop from San Mateo

Easy

4.6

(3568)

8,952

riders

Pulgas Water Temple loop from San Mateo

00:28

11.1km

80m

Road cycling

Easy road ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: May 18, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

98 m

View of Crystal Springs Reservoir from Cañada Road

Highlight (Segment) • Viewpoint

Bike Sunday - no motorized vehicles on Sundays, we've got the whole road for ourselves.

Tip by

7.32 km

Pulgas Water Temple

Highlight • Monument

San Francisco built Pulgas Water Temple as a monument to the engineering marvel that brought Hetch Hetchy water more than 160 miles across California from Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bay Area. The Hetch Hetchy Project took 24 years to build through the Great Depression at a cost of $102 million.
On October 28, 1934, the roar of Hetch Hetchy mountain water greeted everyone gathered at Pulgas Water Temple to celebrate its arrival. With vivid memories of the fire that had raged after the Great Earthquake of 1906, the city rejoiced in its new secure, plentiful supply of high quality drinking water. The frieze above the columns expresses the city’s relief: “I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people.”
Pulgas Water Temple was designed in the Beaux Arts style by William Merchant, a San Francisco architect trained by Bernard Maybeck. Merchant’s design featured fluted columns and Corinthian capitals to reflect the architecture of ancient Greeks and Romans, whose engineering methods were used to build the new water system. Artist and master stone carver Albert Bernasconi brought Merchant’s drawings to life.
Pulgas Water Temple is located about one-half mile south of the Cañada Road trailhead.
Open free to bikers & pedestrians every day, car parking opens only M-F 9-4
sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=93
Biketrail with more highlights and annotated photos at komoot.com/tour/11413421

Tip by

8.98 km

Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir

Highlight • Lake

Crystal Springs Reservoir, nestled in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, consists of two artificial lakes formed along the San Andreas Fault and is ideal for hiking and wildlife viewing. Originally named Laguna Grande, the southern lake was submerged to create Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir in 1877, while Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir was formed by the construction of Crystal Springs Dam in 1888. Although no water activities are allowed, visitors can enjoy the reservoir’s natural setting and spot local wildlife, including bald eagles.

Tip by

10.8 km

View of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir

Highlight • Lake

There are a handful of trails here which treat you to views of the foothills across the reservoir. Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir provides water to the San Francisco Peninsula, and you can bike along its entire eastern shoreline.

Tip by

11.1 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

10.8 km

116 m

110 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

11.1 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Today

Thursday 9 July

23°C

11°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h

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Pulgas Water Temple loop from San Mateo

View of Crystal Springs Reservoir from Cañada Road

Pulgas Water Temple

Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir

View of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir

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