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Considering move to San Francisco area from Boulder
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Trying to get away from the heat/air quality of the front range as I have gotten extremely sensitive over the years and just cant enjoy being outside anymore. I love Boulder for quick access to mountain activities and the Boulder Movement has my favorite route setting and great Kilter board setup. I also fit in with the older climber crowd there, I have been climbing since I was a kid in 1998 and don't really vibe with the scene in a lot of the newer gyms filled with just 20 year olds. I most likely will start living in Summit County full-time, already rented a house seasonally up there, but I fly/travel a lot for work (commercial photographer) and commuting back n forth from DIA is really not ideal. Are there any areas/neighborhoods of San Francisco or elsewhere that I should consider checking out? Everyone has been telling me Bay Area is the weather I am looking for and it's supposed to have a pretty good climbing scene. Priorites are gym with great route setting and active serious climbers. No hot summers, minimal oppressive air quality, and proximity to major airport. I do NOT care about outdoor trad/roped climbing, only bouldering, and I do most of my climbing in destination areas (trips to Bishop, Joes, Hueco, Ten Sleep, Squamish, etc) rather than locally as I have a crazy constant travel work schedule most of the year and then take off for extended climbing trips on slow cycles. |
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Living in the presidio is pretty sweet in SF. It is federally incorporated so the application process is slightly more involved. But it is basically a quiet section of coastal forest right on the edge of all the hustle bustle. Close to movement SF, which has the most epic location of any gym I’ve been to. Session, cold plunge in the ocean a quick 5 min walk away, and then hop in the sauna. Pretty deluxe. I am admittedly biased, but out of the 4 gym options in SF; I’ve found the community at planet Granite/ movement feels the most genuinely homey; and I’ve found many great partners for the outdoor main event over the last 5 years.
Sunrise view from the window at movement SF  View from the evening post session; pre sauna cold plunge:  |
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I think you’ll possibly be disappointed with “active serious climbers” around the bay if you’re coming from Boulder. I haven’t ever been anywhere with the concentration of those folks that Boulder has. Most people who are really serious don’t stay here because it’s 3h to any really good climbing, which isn’t a consideration in your case, but while I do love much about this place, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for jobs You’ll need to only consider places actually along the coast. Because the bay itself is surrounded by ridges, the summer air quality can really be bad, especially the further south one goes (some winter days too, check “spare the air” history). But there were days when I lived in the mission that it was really not good even just on that side of the city (and I’m not talking about wildfire smoke, which is a dice roll anywhere in the west now.) Also make sure you’re prepared for the sticker shock. |
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Are you looking mainly at SF itself, or the greater Bay Area? The best set of gym options in the Bay is in Berkeley/Oakland, as well as probably the highest concentration of strong outdoor climbers. Berkeley offers a culture and vibe that will be somewhat similar to Boulder (bougie university town). Nice weekday trail options nearby in the east bay hills. It is also better positioned to get out of town for when you drive to Tahoe/Yosemite/Bishop. Overall a better spot to be a climber than SF. The climate in Berkeley is warmer, sunnier, and less foggy than SF. Which for most people is a plus, but for you may be a minus. Still a lot cooler in the summer than Boulder. But if you really want the least exposure to heat and bad air, you want to be right on the ocean in the fog, on the west side of SF. |
JCM wrote: I’m really open-minded and don’t know a lot about the area. TBH I shut out the idea of SF proper for a long time because of stories of crime and car break-ins. I have a nice camper van I like to keep rigged out for adventures so that would be a big concern. What you described about Berkeley/Oakland sound like more my thing! |
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I second Berkeley. Theres great gym options nearby, and Oakland airport! The air quality is better the closer you are to the ocean (SF), but you said you have a van. Finding a spot with parking for a van will be challenging in SF. |
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Its been awhile since ive been, what are the air issues in boulder? Is the air often bad in RMNP? |
NCD wrote: You'll also have concerns of crime and car break-ins in Oakland. If that's a turn-off for SF, then Oakland isn't going to be better. North Berkeley is an option to consider that has a reputation for lower crime, though car break-ins are still going to be a concern. Living in cities on the west coast, I've adapted to always emptying out the vehicle when it is parked on the street. A fully loaded van sitting out on the street overnight, every night, is a pretty major break-in risk. |
Eric Whitbrook wrote: Pollution and smoke which will probably keep getting worse. The smoke issues are much more extreme some years but even without it Denver’s air quality is bad. “The American Lung Association's 2023 "State of the Air" report ranked Denver sixth for the most polluted cities for ozone pollution”
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If you are traveling by flying a lot, SFO is located about 15 miles south of the city in Millbrae. The Presidio is IMO a terrible place to live if you need to get to SFO regularly. Plus it’s expensive and there’s lots of crime. I lived in Millbrae for 20 years and on the Peninsula another 20 ( Mountain View and Palo Alto). If you lived in the higher elevations of Daly City or San Bruno or Millbrae, up closer to the 280 than down low at the 101, you’d have the same weather as SF and probably better air quality. People talk about “the fog line” being San Bruno Ave. It’s a very distinct line, I used to be able to see it from the window of my Millbrae house. But Millbrae up near the res was plenty cool compared to just going down the hill to downtown or one town further south, Burlingame. plus from those towns, you are right near the 280 - a straight shot commute to Castle Rock State Park, lots of outdoor bouldering. Five gyms not too far from that location. Dogpatch boulders, and Movement Presidio, Movement Sunnyvale, movement Belmont, Touchstone in the Mission. BART can be easily accessed from Daly City, SB and Millbrae to get directly into the SFO BART station. If you really want it cool, Pacifica over the hill is full on fog zone and probably cheaper than the Peninsula. |
phylp phylp wrote: No lies in any of the post (but recognizing that anywhere in the bay is closer to an airport than anything to Denver intl). Yesterday it was 50 degrees, visibility was 20ft, and the fog drip was so heavy windshield wipers were on the whole time. Full on fog zone indeed. |
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I live in cool, foggy, peaceful Half Moon Bay. The air coming in off the Pacific can’t get any fresher. It’s a 30 minute drive to SFO or the Movement gym in Belmont. 45 minute to Castle Rock. And you could take up surfing and try out Mavericks! |
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People in the Bay Area all talk about their microclimates. Berkeley/Oakland, anything across the Bay, is going to be considerably hotter and drier than SF. The east Bay hills is where we used to go to hike in the winter when the coast range hills where we lived on the Peninsula were too wet. |
phylp phylp wrote: Traffic dependent, but it’s like pretty much a straight line on 19th to the airport?
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I live in Bernal Heights: a neighborhood that feels like a neighborhood. Great businesses but feels residential. 15 minutes from SFO and a 5 min bike ride to MIssion Cliffs. It's also on the edge of the fog belt so often times when the city is covered in fog, we get sun. Great views of the city atop Bernal hill. I love it. |
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I grew up in SF and am so glad my parents are still there so I can escape from the summer heat and smoke when I need a break. I remember looking at a weather map of CA a couple summers ago, and the whole state was burning up in a massive heatwave, but SF was 67 degrees... Bernal Heights is lovely, as Dan said, and close to both Touchstone gyms. However, as someone else mentioned, the vibe at Dogpatch is not for me -- I'm reasonably sure I've never seen anyone over the age of 30 there. Glen Park, Ingleside, Excelsior and Sunnyside are other neighborhoods I'd check out, also Daly City or South San Francisco. Generally cool summers, easy access to the freeways/SFO, two Touchstone gyms (and maybe a 3rd, TS has preliminary plans for one in Ingleside that they presented to the community over the summer). The access to outdoor climbing is less than ideal for weekends, daytrips, etc., which is a huge part of why I left, but if you just do longer trips to major destinations it's a really good location. |
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SF varies a lot from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the Bay Area varies a lot from town to town. SF proper is WAY different from Boulder, I take it you've visited and understand this. I go into SF a few times a year for concerts/show and maybe I'm lucky but I have had nothing but great experiences, even when I go to places like The Tenderloin for shows at the Warfield and Great American Music Hall. I leave nothing visible in the car (not even a phone charger) because it's often the drug addicts breaking in and they'll take anything they think is worth anything. I left my RV with my dog in it in a bad neighborhood, and no issues, but that's probably not a long term plan LOL. I would consider one of those motion sensitive dog barking alarms. I'd probably pay for a garage for a nice van. SFO is a major airport where you can get to a lot of places without a layover. Oakland is one step down. Castle Rock closer to San Jose has some fun bouldering. 4 hours to Yosemite and 6 to Bishop is nice. (add time for traffic) |
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I think you got good advice re SF. I'd plug Berkely over Oakland for the specific criteria you cited.  The image above is the current satellite view of fog in the Bay, from fog.today/ You can see how right now, the fog is blasting through the Golden Gate, and there's a long tongue of fog pointed right at Berkeley. That's the cool, Pacific air trying desperately to find its way to the low pressure created by the hot air rising out of the central valley. It's like that most of the spring, summer, and fall here: that long strip of fog is a frequent feature. There are times, usually in the late summer and fall, when the onshore sea breeze dries up and we get warmer, more stagnant air; we occationally get the dreaded hot Diablo east wind. It usually doesn't last more than a week or two. This summer we had anomalous warmth; I think I wore shorts and didn't need a jacket for a week straight at one point! Right now, it's 64 degrees out, I'm wearing jeans and a hoody while I work at home, kinda thinking about putting socks on, and a cool breeze is coming through the window. It'll be 4-5 degrees warmer farther south in Oakland, and with slightly less breeze. And slightly worse air quality. In Berkeley, depending on the neighborhood, you'll have BART access to SFO or OAK. You'll have the new Oaks gym in North Berkeley, which has been very chill on weeknights so far. And the other Touchstone gyms give you lots of quantity and quality: Great Western, Ironworks Training Center, and Pacific Pipe all have Kilter boards. I can speak from personal experience that people over 40 frequent at least some of those gyms... There's also Benchmark and Mosaic, which are not in the same network but are nice gyms. And you also have Indian Rock/Mortar Rock in town, which is a small but high quality and extremely historic bouldering spot. It's cool and shady enough to climb there all but the warmest days. |
Jason Pirolo wrote: Yes but it takes a while to go all the way cross town If you’re in Daly City or San Bruno, it’s 15 minutes,
Not in the Presidio per se, the crime statistics vary tremendously by neighborhood . Some of the city neighborhoods have less crime than Daly City or San Bruno. Should have been more specific. I guess my point is I got the impression that the two most impt. Things he was looking for were climate and commutability to a major airport, and if that’s true, the Presidio wouldn’t be my first thought or the only logical choice. |
JCM wrote: Berkeley/El Cerrito area is sounding kind of my vibe. I think living in SF proper would be very drastic and not for me. I really like the idea of quick to escape for adventures and trails close by! |
Glowering wrote: I do not have recent experience in the city. I was there for 4 days in 2010 when my band flew in from NYC for some shows and a live radio session. I drove through without stopping this May while on the way to the coast for photoshoot stuff and spent most of August in Tahoe. I will be back again soon for work and this time want to check out the neighborhoods I am taking notes on. Seems like Berkeley has some cool local bouldering spots I could appreciate. Love Yosemite and Bishop and also Tahoe! I'm a photographer and it's always been a dream to do winter trips to Yosemite when there is fresh snow! Relatively closer access to the PNW is a plus too since it's somewhere I want to adventure more. Low key considering San Diego too and will check that out probably in January (dead time for work) after a Hueco trip. |
